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Fabris, Salvator	Italian master of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century.
False art	The process of using tricks and misleading movements of the sword or body to dupe the opponent into unwittingly opening a line of attack.
False attack	When an attack is not intended to land, but to instigate a specific response.
False edge	The back edge of a cut and thrust weapon such as a sabre. The sharpened part near the point.
Feder	Sixteenth century term for the rapier.
Feeble	Another name for the foible, originating in Scottish fencing manuals. The feeble or weak area of the blade toward the tip.
Feeling-out	Testing your opponents strengths and weaknesses.
Feint	A threatening movement made with the intention of provoking a parry or similar response. Feints may be made by the blade or body, e.g. a foot movement. Often a feint is accompanied by an advance.
Fence	The action, practice art or science of offensive and defensive swordplay.
Fencer	a/ A swordsman or combatant. b/ One who fights with the sword. c/ One who practices the modern sport of fencing.
Fencing	The practice of offensive and defensive swordplay.
Fencing coach	One who coaches rather than teaches, people to fence.
Fencing master	A licenced and accredited person skilled in the three weapons of foil, epee, and sabre.
Fencing measure	a/The distance between two fencers where one cannot be hit unless the other lunges fully. b/Simply the distance between two fencers.
Fencing positions	The eight positions of the sword corresponding to parries and lines. There are four in supination - quarte, sixte, septime, octave - and four in pronation - prime, seconde, tierce, quinte.
Fencing time	The time required to perform one simple fencing action.
Fendente	A cutting attack delivered downwards in a vertical line to the floor.
Ferrule	Metal shoe fitted at end of lance or pike staff.
FG	(Film) Foreground.
FIE	Federation Internationale d'Escrime.
Field of play	The area in which the bout is contained. The boundary being determined by rules. The piste.
Fight	To combat, duel, battle.
Fight advisor	See Advisor.
Fight arranger	Another name for the Fight Director.
Fight call	(Fight rehearsal) A physical and mental review of pre-arranged fights prior to a performance. It enables the actors to warm up and secure the moves which they may not have rehearsed since the previous performance.
Fight captain	An actor or stage manager in a play who has some knowledge of swordplay and has been assigned the duty of calling the fight rehearsal when the fight director is not present. He/she understands not only the actions but also the intentions and desired effect of each move within a fight.
Fight choreographer	Another name for the fight director.
Fight director	a/ A theatrical fight coordinator who directs stage violence within a production. He/ she coaches the dramatic presentation of a fight sequence, through consultation with the production's director. b/ The third level of recognition with the SAFD. c/ The name of the journal of the Society Of British Fight Directors.
Fight notation	A short hand used to mark the choreography, stage directions and cues within a fight.
Fight plot	A written description of the whole fight.
Fighter	A combatant or warrior.
Figure of eight	The action of moving the point in a (usually horizontal) figure of eight.
Filo	The edge of a rapier blade.
Finale	The last portion of an offensive action.
Finger fight	When combatants, due to lack of space or time perform the actions of their pre-arranged fight sequence using only their fingers.
Finger play	Manipulating the weapon with the fingers.
First counter-riposte	The initial riposte of the attacker.
First intention	An offensive action in which one intends to be entirely successful.

Five	Parry position covering the head from a vertical attack.
Flanconnade	Any attack to the flank proceeded by a bind of the opposing blade.
Flank	Muscle mass situated between the ribs and the hit. Often applied to a hip or waist cut.
Fleche	Literally "arrow". An offensive movement made with a series of running steps led by deliberately throwing ones self off balance, instead of with a lunge or step forward. This is an all out attack which can lead to collision with your opponent, vulnerability to counter attack and/ or falling over.
Fleuret	Late seventeenth century name for a protective leather cap placed over the tip of the foil.
Flick	A forceful movement of the blade executed from the wrist which lightly touches your opponent. Sneered upon in modern fencing but still legal.
Floor Plan	A plan of the stage or set area, indicating specific positions and sizes.
Flourish	a/ Brandishing the weapon in a showy or eccentric manner. b/ A fast and graceful display of swordplay.
Flowing attacks	Attacks such as the coule or glissade which slide down the opposing blade in order to displace it.
Flute	The groove down a blade which removed weight from a weapon whilst letting it maintain it's strength. The "blood" groove, as it is wrongly known.
Flying lunge.	A jump forward into a full lunge. Not an excuse for poor footwork.
Foible	The weakest part of a blade. Approximately one third (some say half) of the it's length and nearest the tip.
Foil	a/ A light thrusting weapon used in modern fencing. b/ A type of small sword with no edge and a button at the tip. c/ Elizabethan for any blunted sword. d/ To defeat.
Fore edge	The edge presented to one's opponent when the weapon is held correctly.
Forte	The strongest part of your weapon. The third (some say half) of the blade nearest the guard.
Forte to foible	The principal of defence. To oppose the strongest part of your weapon (The Forte) to the weakest part of your opponents, (The Foible).
Forward foot	The lead foot.
Footwork	Term applied to the action of the feet. An extremely important part of swordplay as it controls balance, blade position etc.
Four	Parry position covering the chest from thrust or horizontal cutting attacks.
Four governers	The major factors of swordsmanship: Perception, distance, timing and technique.
Foyning	English word for thrusting style swordsmanship.
Frog	An attachment for carrying a sword or bayonet from a waist belt or baldrick.
Froissement	A forceful deflection of the opponents blade by bringing the forte of ones own blade diagonally down and across it in a sharp grazing motion.. Used as a preparation for attack.
Full pass	A compound action of footwork that combines a pass forward with the extended leg position of the lunge. Often completed with the upper torso extended beyond the lead leg with the non-weapon hand used for support.
Fuller	A groove or channel in the flat of the blade designed to lighten the weapon, whilst maintaining it's strength. Similar to flute. Not so that blood flows down the blade - that's a children's story.
FX	Effects such as sound, light or explosions etc.