Women who let you follow a fencing bout from start to finish

Pulenaz: a local foil bout from first touch to last

At her local club event, Pulenaz keeps the full five-touch pool bout in view. She has already practiced moving into distance and packing for the day; here the camera stays on the piste as she puts that preparation to use against one opponent. The score below is Pulenaz first throughout.

The opponent scores the first touch when Pulenaz’s lunge falls short and she is still recovering. At 0-1, Pulenaz takes a shorter approach and finishes within reach to level at 1-1. The opponent then advances before Pulenaz can complete her attack, taking the next touch for 1-2.

At the next start Pulenaz holds her position long enough to see the opponent approach. She moves the incoming blade aside and makes a riposte, bringing the score to 2-2. She starts the following action herself and lands on target for 3-2. The opponent answers with a successful attack, then another after a reset, moving ahead 3-4.

At 3-4, Pulenaz’s first advance does not produce a hit, so both fencers continue moving. She completes a new attack when the distance closes, leveling at 4-4. On the final exchange her opponent attacks; Pulenaz parries and lands the reply for 5-4. The camera stays through the referee’s signal and the two fencers’ salute.

The full sequence makes the change visible: the early problem was finishing too far away; later, Pulenaz waits for an attack she can defend, then has to begin again when the opponent adjusts. It is a useful watch for an amateur bout because the score, resets and unsuccessful movement remain in place rather than disappearing between highlights.

Marissa Ponich: a fast sabre bout, with the resets left in

Marissa Ponich competes in sabre. Her Canadian Fencing Federation profile lists her results, and Canadian Athletes Now lists her Instagram as @mponichfencer.

References: Canadian Fencing Federation · Canadian Athletes Now

Her competitive perspective makes a useful contrast with Pulenaz’s first local foil event. Ponich shows a five-touch pool bout with the score given as hers first. The opponent takes the opening touch; Ponich answers with two attacks to lead 2-1. The opponent then makes a successful attack, and Ponich responds with another, leaving the bout at 3-2. The camera keeps the return to the starting lines after each halt, so the viewer can follow where one phrase ends and the next begins.

The opponent levels at 3-3. On the next exchange Ponich makes an attack that lands for 4-3; after the reset she blocks the opponent’s attack and scores with the reply for 5-3. In a replay of that last exchange she slows the action at the blade contact, then lets it run at normal speed. The replay clarifies the change from attack to defense and response without erasing the fast original.

Watch Ponich when you want to follow the pace of sabre and then revisit one decisive exchange. Pulenaz gives a more tentative beginner’s account, including a missed first attack and the final adjustment; Ponich’s bout shows the same need to reset and respond at a faster tempo.

Use the halt to read the next exchange

In foil and sabre, the referee stops the action after a registered hit and judges the phrase, including priority when both fencers hit. A parry can stop an attack and allow a riposte, but a step backward alone does not automatically decide who scores. In pool fencing, a bout is commonly fenced to five touches or until time expires.

References: USA Fencing

To follow either bout, note the score at the halt, then watch the next start before deciding what changed. A replay can show blade contact; the uninterrupted passage also shows whether a fencer kept distance, reset or changed the next approach.

Sources and attribution

1. Canadian Fencing Federation

   Marissa Ponich - Women’s/Femme SabrePublication date not listed · Recorded Oct 29, 2026

2. Canadian Athletes Now

   Marissa PonichPublication date not listed · Recorded Oct 29, 2026

3. USA Fencing

   Fencing 101: Basics of CompetitionPublication date not listed · Recorded Oct 29, 2026