Video Replay in Saber Fencing: How Video Review Works

The referee calls the touch against you, and you are sure it went the other way. At some saber tournaments you can do something about it: raise your hand and ask for video replay. The referee walks to the monitor, watches the action again with a video referee, and gives a final decision.

Video replay is one of the few ways a fencer can challenge a call in saber, and the rules around it are specific: who can ask, how many times, what happens if you are right, and what happens after the review. Below is what the USA Fencing Rules for Competition (October 2026) actually say, and how to use your appeals well.

Why video matters so much in saber

Most saber calls are not about whether a light went on. They are about who had right of way. After every halt, the referee "briefly reconstructs the movements which composed the last fencing phrase" (t.59.1) and then, by applying the rules, decides which fencer was touched or whether there was no valid touch (t.59.2). Saber phrases are fast, and two fencers attacking at once can look very similar in real time. That is exactly the kind of call video helps with. Our right of way guide and simultaneous attack guide explain the calls being reviewed.

Normally, you cannot appeal a judgment call

Without video, a referee's judgment on what happened is final. t.172.1 says: "No appeal can be made against the decision of the Referee regarding a point of fact, except as permitted in o.105 and t.60-t.62 for video refereeing." The rule spells out what a point of fact is: "any ruling by the referee analyzing what happened on the strip, such as the validity or priority of a hit, whether a fencer left the side or end of the strip" (t.172.2).

So priority calls, the heart of saber, are points of fact. Video refereeing is the exception the rule book builds in.

There is a separate kind of appeal for a referee who gets a rule wrong, not a fact. If the referee "is ignorant of or misunderstands a definite rule, or applies it in a manner contrary to the Rules, an appeal on this matter may be entertained" (t.172.2). That appeal is made "courteously but without formality," verbally to the referee, "immediately and before any decision is made regarding a subsequent touch" (t.173), and if the referee keeps their opinion, the Head Referee settles it (t.174).

When video replay is available

Not every tournament has video. The rule book is clear that its video appeal articles only apply where the equipment is in use: "Rules t.60-62 only applies to USA Fencing tournaments where video refereeing is in use."

At the international level, o.105 makes video refereeing compulsory at all three weapons at Grand Prix, Senior World Cup individual and team competitions, the World Championships and Olympic Games, Zonal Championships, and qualification events for the Olympic Games. At the Olympic Games it is mandatory "at all stages of the competition" (o.105.5). For many other events, video starts once the competition is down to a few strips, for example from the table of 64 at Senior World Cups and Grand Prix events (o.105.1).

If you are heading to your first saber tournament, expect that your strip may not have a camera. Know the rules anyway, so you are ready when it does.

Who can ask, and how many appeals you get

Only the fencer on the strip. t.60: "Both in team and individual events, only the fencer on the strip has the right to request a video review." Not your coach, not a parent, not a teammate on the bench.

How many appeals:

| Event | Video appeals | Source | |---|---|---| | Individual, pool bout | 1 per bout | t.61.1 | | Individual, direct elimination bout | 2 per bout | t.61.1 | | Team event | 1 per bout | t.61.2 |

You keep it if you are right. "Should the Referee agree with the fencer who appealed for the video refereeing, the latter is entitled to retain the right of appeal" (t.61.1). Team fencers keep theirs the same way (t.61.2). Lose the review and the appeal is used up.

For how pool bouts and direct elimination bouts work, see our guides to saber pools and direct elimination.

What happens during the review

1. Referee and video referee watch together. "The Referee will walk over to the video referee, they will watch the video together and after having analyzed the action, the Referee will give the final decision" (t.61.3). The video referee is someone who watches the bout live and then, if needed, on the screen (t.49).
2. Up to four replays. "There shall only be a maximum of 4 repetitions of the action." The referee can watch in real time or in slow motion, "at any speed the Referee wishes" (t.62.1).
3. The decision is final. Once the action has been reviewed, "the decision given by the Referee is final and no other review of the same action can be requested" (t.62.5).
4. It goes on the record. Each time video is consulted, the opinions of the referee and the video referee "must be recorded on the match sheet" (t.62.6).

At the finals of the Olympic Games and the Senior, Junior and Cadet World Championships, replays must also be shown on a screen for spectators (t.61.4).

Video the fencer doesn't ask for

A fencer's appeal is only one way video gets used. t.62.5 lists four routes to a review: at the referee's initiative, at the request of the athlete, in case of a tied score before the decisive touch, and at the video referee's request.

• The referee can check anytime. "At all weapons and at any time, the Referee may consult the monitor before making a decision" (t.62.2).
• The video referee can ask. "The video referee may at any time request that the Referee use the video refereeing" (t.62.4).
• Last touch at a tie. "If the fencers' scores are equal at the end of the match, for the decisive touch, the Referee must use the video refereeing before even giving their decision" (t.62.3). At 14-14 in a direct elimination bout, the final touch gets reviewed automatically.

None of these use up your appeals.

How to use your appeals well

These are coaching points, not rule-book terms:

1. Appeal calls you can describe. If you cannot say in one sentence what the referee missed, such as "my attack started first" or "that was a parry, not a beat," the replay probably will not show it either.

2. Ask right away. A review is of "the action" (t.61.3). Raise your hand calmly before the next "En garde." Our referee commands guide covers the bout sequence.

3. Save one in direct elimination. You get two, and you keep each one you win (t.61.1). Burning both early leaves you without one at the end of the bout, when the stakes are highest.

4. Don't argue the result. The decision after review is final (t.62.5). Arguing a point of fact is an offense: a fencer "casting doubt on the decision of the Referee on a point of fact during the bout" is penalized for a 1st group offense (t.172.2). See penalty cards in saber.

5. Ask questions politely. Even without video, "the fencers may politely ask the referee for a more complete analysis of the fencing phrase" (t.63, note 3). Understanding why a call went the way it did is how you stop losing the same touch twice.

6. Learn the calls before you need video. Most appeals are about priority: attack in preparation, counterattacks, parry and riposte, and simultaneous attacks. Our how to watch a saber bout guide is a good place to start.

Common video replay mistakes

• Expecting a coach to request it. Only the fencer on the strip can (t.60).
• Assuming you get unlimited appeals. One per pool bout, two per DE bout, one per team bout (t.61).
• Arguing after the review. The referee's decision is final (t.62.5), and disputing a point of fact can draw a penalty (t.172.2).
• Appealing a rule mistake as a video review. If the referee misapplied a rule, that is a different appeal under t.172.2 and t.173.
• Forgetting the tie rule. At equal scores the decisive touch is reviewed anyway (t.62.3).

Drills to get ready for video bouts

Drill 1: Call it yourself Fence short bouts with a coach refereeing. After every halt, both fencers say what they think happened before the coach calls it. Being able to describe the phrase is the skill behind a good appeal.

Drill 2: Phone replay Have a teammate film your bouts. Pick five close calls and watch each at full speed, then slow motion. You will learn how different real time and slow motion look, which is what a referee sees at the monitor (t.62.1).

Drill 3: Appeal budget In practice DE bouts to 15, give each fencer two "appeals." When one is used, the coach explains the call. Fencers learn when an appeal is worth it, and when it is not.

Drill 4: Composure after the call After a call goes against you, take your on-guard position right away and fence the next touch clean. Video or not, the next touch is the one you can still win.

Questions

Can you challenge a call in saber fencing? Only in limited ways. A referee's judgment on a point of fact, such as priority, cannot be appealed (t.172.1) except through video refereeing where it is in use (t.60-62). A referee's misapplication of a rule can be appealed under t.172.2 and t.173.

How many video appeals do you get in fencing? In individual events, one per pool bout and two per direct elimination bout. In team events, one per bout. If the referee agrees with you after the review, you keep the appeal (t.61).

Who can ask for video replay in fencing? Only the fencer on the strip (t.60). The referee can also consult the monitor at any time (t.62.2), the video referee can request a review (t.62.4), and the decisive touch at a tied score must be reviewed (t.62.3).

Is the video replay decision final? Yes. Once the referee and video referee have analyzed the action, the referee's decision is final and no other review of the same action can be requested (t.62.5).

Learn to fence saber in Bethesda

Saber Nation is a saber-focused club at 4701 Sangamore Rd, Suite LL2, Bethesda, MD. Learn right of way, blade work, and bout tactics in private lessons, or start with beginner fencing classes, youth fencing, or adult fencing.

Sources: USA Fencing Rules for Competition, October 2026 (t.49, t.59, t.60, t.61, t.62, t.63, t.172, t.173, t.174, o.105).