Being a referee in a fencing tournament is a demanding job. It requires an encyclopedic knowledge of the rules, an understanding of how those rules are currently interpreted nationally and internationally, a solid grounding in the techniques of the gun, good and quick judgment, and resilience under stress. And it must be demanding because good refereeing makes good fencing. Umpires trained and certified at the middle and higher levels by the USA Fencing Officials Fencing Commission are excellent. However, not all referees meet this standard, with results that can be costly to the fencer who is unable to adjust their tactics to poor performance on the piste.
If we are honest, we can all remember times when we had to fence with a referee who was (a) incompetent, (b) selectively applied the rules for the benefit of teammates, (c) was bullied by the other fencer or coach or parent, or (d) was clearly calling for action on behalf of his friends, teammates, or students. It’s easy to blame the referee. But that is not very productive and it does not mark you touches. So what should our strategy be when we get that weird feeling that something is wrong?
(1) Watch every match in your party where you are not practicing fencing. Observe the other shooters in the pool and observe the behavior of the referee, specifically in the interpretation of the action and the application of the rules. Is the referee calling the right of way in favor of anything that moves, or is the actual attack, is the first light the winner, etc? Do all shooters get the same treatment? You shouldn’t be surprised going into your fight.
(2) Remember that being a referee is a difficult task, that the referee is under considerable pressure and that he only gets one chance to get it right on each call. They will be wrong sometimes, even the best, although the best are very, very good. A single mistake is not a reason to get angry; shrug and stick to the plan. Don’t let a single mistake cost you your concentration.
(3) Look at your own fence first in your analysis between tall and fenced. Why does the referee see something different than what you think you are doing? You have an obligation to tell the referee a story that he or she can recognize: clear and well-formed parries, smooth attacks that start with a detectable extension, blades at the correct angle and the correct place on the blade to hit or parry, etc. The most likely problem is that you are not telling your story.
(4) Is the referee consistent? If so, you need to fence the referee. If the umpire constantly calls a blade that you stop with your bell as the slam attack, make sure the delivery can’t go through with a brute opposition or tac-au-tac stop or stop deflecting. When the referee shows that he or she is not watching your action, it is time to immediately change what he or she is doing.
(5) Ask politely. You can ask the referee to reconstruct the action and how he saw it. Don’t argue with what the referee says; process and use it. Don’t expect this to change the call the referee just made, but it may influence how the next one is called. The referee can simply repeat the call and hand signals, or the friendly referee can give you a hint. If you get a hint (“he lunged when you started to step forward, and then his hand came out”), act on it.
The situation is a little different if the referee is not applying the rules. For example, if the referee allows an opponent to switch weapons five times, to find one that works, without awarding cards (five failed weapons equals one yellow and four red), the fencer should politely request that the penalty rules be followed. . That will stop all but the most blatant cheating by a dishonest or incompetent referee. Make sure you know the rules better than the referee, especially regarding what you can appeal, and that you can cite the paragraph numbers in the current edition of the rule book.
(6) If the referee is inconsistent in calling the actions or if he sees every two light blows going towards the opponent, he has a course of action. Change his tactics, manage distance and timing, and make every hit a light hit in his favor.
What you don’t want to do is go back and tell your trainer that you were robbed. Remember, you are responsible for your fencing, and that includes considering the quality and character of the officiating as a central factor in selecting your tactics.