Piste (fencing)

The Planche ( fr.) or fencing strip is the area on which the athlete move the sport of fencing.

The piste is between 1.5 m and 2 m wide and 14 m long. The center line indicates the middle of the piste. 2 m away from the center line are the starting lines. Here the fencers are placed at the beginning of a passage and after each valid hit or after a ( awarded by the umpire ) Penalty hits. A further 5 meters from the start line ends the fencing strip. The last two meters are marked conspicuously. The excess of a fencer, the tail of his side of the piste with both feet, he gets a penalty hit. Behind the finish line there is a discharge of 1.5 m to 2 m, which is no longer counted in the fencing strip.

For large tournaments, the semi-finals and final battles are fought on an elevated train. Here, the fencing strip is on a up to 50 cm high pedestal. In addition to the fencing strip is a 25 cm wide security zone.

The piste is not be displayed from a conductive material, so hit with the weapon on the floor. The most frequently encountered are sheets of copper braid, which have a weight of about 70 kg. There are also tracks that are commonly used for fixed installations Hall of aluminum and steel. A recent development are tracks from a fabric that are crisscrossed with a thin wire mesh and weigh only 20 kg.

Crossing a fencer with a walk a sideline, the opposing fencer wins 1 m soil. The opponent who is entered must fall back accordingly. Thus it can happen that the retreating fencer exceeds the tail. This leads to a penalty hit. If a fencer tends always to fight on the edge, the umpire may ask them to fight in the middle of the piste.