USA Fencing · Rules for Competition
A clear guide to fencing penalties.
Look up the penalty and check the rule it cites. Summaries are guides; the rulebook is the source.
Unofficial reference. Based on the November 2025 penalty chart, with passivity, mask safety and warm-up updates effective October 1, 2026. Official rules take precedence.
Start with the card
What did the referee show?
Select a card to see penalties that can carry it.
Browse by situation
Penalties by situation
41 penalty situations
Find a penalty
Describe what happened or enter a rule citation. Results help you find a relevant explanation; check its conditions.
At the strip
Browse by card
Choose a card to find the situations that can lead to it. The penalty depends on the offense and its history.
Reference diagrams
Diagrams
These figures are guidance. If a diagram differs from the written rule, use the written rule.
About
About this reference
What this guide covers, where it comes from, and how to check a rule.
Source and scope
November 2025 chart · October 2026 updates
This unofficial study aid is based on USA Fencing’s November 2025 Rules for Competition and penalty chart. Passivity (t.124), mask safety (t.72) and warm-up guidance (t.20) include the USA Fencing updates effective October 1, 2026. Unchanged chart rows and excerpts retain their November 2025 source date. The official rulebook and current updates take precedence.
Cards
What each card means
Consequences
What happens beyond the card
Checking a call
Read the cited rule
Open an entry and select Rule wording and sources to see its citation and excerpt. Updated entries label older excerpts as historical and link the current official sources. Plain summaries are a guide; the official wording controls.