The piste: fourteen metres long, one and a half wide, five lines across it.

One piste for three weapons

The rules call the part of the field of play used for fencing the piste (t.16). Competitions at foil, epee and sabre are all fenced on the same pistes (t.17.2). The field of play must have an even surface that gives neither fencer an advantage, in particular as regards the light (t.17.1). Article numbers on this page are from the FIE Technical Rules, December 2024 edition, unless the Material Rules (August 2026) are named.

The dimensions

Conductive safety borders shown in the rules' diagram are not part of the piste (t.18.3). Fencing Ireland's Technical Rules (Version 2, April 2026), a national edition based on the FIE rule book, give the same 1.50 metre width, 14 metre length and 4 cm tolerance.

The five lines

Five lines are drawn across the width of the piste (t.19):

• The centre line, drawn as a broken line.
• Two on-guard lines, 2 metres either side of the centre line, where the fencers start.
• Two rear-limit lines, 7 metres from the centre line, at each end.

The last 2 metres before each rear limit must be clearly marked out, if possible in a different colour (t.19). Under amendments adopted by the FIE Congress on 22 November 2025, fencers are placed on guard in the middle of the piste at the start of each direct elimination period and any extra minute (t.22 as renumbered; read from the decisions document, as a clean 2026 edition of the Technical Rules could not be opened).

Crossing the boundaries

The rear limit

A fencer who crosses the rear limit with both feet is counted as hit (t.34).

The sides

A fencer who crosses a side boundary with one or both feet is moved back one metre from the point where they went off. If they went off during an attack, they are put back to where the attack started and a further metre back. If that places them beyond the rear limit, they are counted as hit (t.35.1 and t.35.2).

Leaving the side of the piste with both feet to avoid being hit is a 1st-group offence, and any hit by that fencer is annulled. An exit caused by an accident, such as a jostle, carries no penalty (t.35.3 and t.36).

Hits after leaving the piste, by weapon

When one fencer has left the piste with both feet, only a hit by the fencer still on it with at least one foot can count, even in a double hit. That rule applies at epee only. At foil and sabre the referee applies that weapon's conventions instead (t.33.4).

The conductive surface

The conductive piste is made of metal, metal mesh or another conductive material, and covers the whole piste and its run-off, with an end-to-end resistance of no more than 5 ohms (Material Rules, m.57.1 and m.57.2). Its job differs by weapon:

• Epee: a hit on the conductive piste that makes the apparatus register is annulled (t.94.1), and hits on an uninsulated floor are disregarded (t.93).
• Foil: pushing or dragging the point on the electric piste during a bout is a 1st-group offence (t.76.2).
• All weapons: the apparatus must not register hits on the conductive piste or let them block a simultaneous hit by the opponent (Material Rules, m.51.1).

The referee must not let a bout start or continue if the conductive piste has holes that could affect how hits register (t.47.2.k).

The podium, lamps and displays

Under the Material Rules (August 2026):

• A raised platform (podium) may be no higher than 50 cm, must be at least 25 cm wider than the piste on each side, and must slope gently at each end. At the Veterans World Championships the piste is not raised on a platform (m.57.3).
• Extension lamps are obligatory at official FIE competitions, at least 1.80 m above the piste. The red and green valid-hit lamps must give at least 2600 lumens and the white off-target lamps at least 1100 lumens (m.59).
• From the last 64 at World Championships and Grand Prix events, a large display showing names, countries, score, time, period or relay and penalty cards is mandatory; it is optional at Zonal Championships and World Cups (m.60.2).

The scoring equipment is covered in the scoring equipment.

The space around the piste

Under the 2025 Congress amendments (read from the decisions document; a clean 2026 edition of the Technical Rules could not be opened), only fencers and referees may be inside the piste enclosure during pools, and the enclosure may be no larger than 40 metres by 10 metres. Each nation with a fencer in the current round may have up to two people outside the enclosure near an access point (t.131.1 and t.131.4).

Wheelchair fencing

In wheelchair fencing the chairs are fixed in a frame on the piste (IWAS Wheelchair Fencing Technical Rules, January 2018, t.13). At foil and epee there must be a conductive area around the frames large enough to avoid hits on the ground (t.14). The January 2018 Material Rules amendments set a wheelchair conductive piste at least 4 m long and 1.5 m wide, no more than 5 ohms end to end and earthed at the centre except at sabre. More on the wheelchair fencing page.