Fencing Manager
Fencing Manager is a scorekeeping, match management, roster, analytics, and coaching app for fencing. This guide is designed as a public support page for App Store review and real users, with extra detail on coaching workflows, tactical tagging, video review, and archetype analysis.
Quick start
- Open the app and accept the Terms of Use on first launch.
- Choose Able-Bodied or Para rules.
- Select a weapon: épée, foil, or sabre.
- Select a mode: Pool, Direct Elim, Team Relay, Dual Meet, or Coaching.
- Start a new session or resume one already in progress from Home.
Home screen
Home is the launch point for nearly everything in the app. The intended flow is simple: choose rules, choose weapon, choose format, then start or resume.
- Choose between Able-Bodied and Para (WPF) rules.
- Select épée, foil, or sabre.
- Pick Pool, Direct Elim, Team Relay, Dual Meet, or Coaching.
- Resume in-progress sessions directly from Home.
- Delete stale in-progress sessions you no longer need.
Bout scoring
Bout Scoring is the live officiating screen for individual bouts. It supports direct elimination, quick bouts, and other bout-centered scoring flows.
- Large score panels for each fencer.
- Central bout clock with start, pause, and time editing.
- Penalty tools, medical timeout handling, and period management.
- Shot clock support where applicable.
- Para-specific non-combativity and break handling.
- Outcome, analytics, audit log, and export options after completion.
Typical scoring workflow
- Tap a fencer’s score panel to award a touch.
- Use toolbar actions for penalty, medical, no-touch, period, or timeout controls.
- Tap the bout clock to start or stop fencing time.
- Long-press the timer when you need to edit clock values.
- Confirm and lock the result when the bout is finished.
Pool mode
- Full Pool: create and run a multi-fencer round-robin pool.
- Quick Bout: launch a single 5-touch pool-style bout between two fencers.
- QR support: compatible pool-sheet QR codes can be scanned to speed up setup.
- Track progress and review standings as the pool finishes.
Using pool mode
- Select Pool from Home.
- Choose Full Pool or Quick Bout.
- Enter fencers manually, choose from roster, or scan a supported QR code.
- Run bouts in order and let the app track progress.
Team relay
- Relay setup flow for team-versus-team matches.
- Leg-by-leg progression with cumulative team scoring.
- Resume support for in-progress relay sessions.
- Persistent history so you can leave and return later.
Relay workflow
- Choose Team Relay on Home.
- Set teams and lineups.
- Score each leg as the match progresses.
- Resume later from Home or History if needed.
Dual meet
- Dedicated dual-meet setup flow.
- Meet dashboard for overall meet tracking.
- Persistent state for in-progress sessions.
- Resume support from Home and History.
Dual meet workflow
- Select Dual Meet from Home.
- Set the teams and meet context.
- Progress through the bout order inside the meet dashboard.
- Return later using Resume if the meet is still in progress.
Coaching mode overview
Coaching mode is where the app shifts from pure scorekeeping into structured tactical analysis. It is designed to help coaches and fencers understand not just what happened, but how touches were created, received, and repeated.
- Live coaching sessions built on top of bout state.
- Quick and detailed touch tagging workflows.
- Pressure-state and strip-position capture.
- Weapon-aware action coding.
- Completion summaries with analytics and audit log.
- PDF, CSV, and social-share outputs when available in your build.
Three coaching workflows
Quick Review
Fast live tagging focused on pressure, initiative, and attack-in-preparation.
- Best when you need speed over depth.
- Designed for live use during active coaching.
Detailed Review
Full tactical coding with tempo, action type, and strip-position context.
- Better when you want richer post-bout analytics.
- Useful for athlete development and pattern review.
Video Review
Import bout video and annotate touches against playback.
- Supports imports from Photos and Files.
- Built for post-bout tagging, review, and export.
How touch capture works
In live coaching mode, score buttons serve two purposes:
- Tap: quick capture for faster live tagging.
- Long-press: detailed capture for full tactical coding.
Depending on the workflow, the app can record:
- scoring side
- score before and after the touch
- period and bout clock
- pressure state
- strip zone and lane
- who initiated
- whether the action scored in preparation
- tempo
- action type
- derived archetype
- optional notes and structured coaching comments
Pressure and strip controls
Coaching mode includes two major tactical context tools:
- Pressure slider: records who is pushing whom on the strip.
- Strip position grid: records where the action began.
Pressure states include Left Pushes, Right Pushes, Neutral, and Both Pushing. The strip grid uses five zone columns and three lateral lanes so you can tag both depth and side of strip.
Weapon-specific coaching tools
The app filters coaching actions by weapon so the coding matches the tactical reality of the weapon and format.
- Épée: supports actions such as lunge, flèche, parry-riposte, counterattack, flick, toe touch, remise, and beat attack.
- Foil: includes lunge, flèche, parry-riposte, counterattack, flick, remise, beat attack, and point in line.
- Sabre: includes lunge, flunge, parry-riposte, counterattack, remise, beat attack, and point in line.
- Para: removes actions that do not fit wheelchair fencing, such as flèche, flunge, and toe touch.
Live shortcuts by weapon
- Épée: includes a Double button and no-touch support.
- Foil: includes per-side Off Target buttons that record context without awarding a point.
- Sabre: includes preparation / box shortcuts for able-bodied sabre workflows.
- Para: adds para non-combativity and break controls inside coaching mode.
Cards, periods, and para breaks
- Issue regular cards directly from coaching mode.
- Issue P-cards and track them in the coaching card sheet.
- Open manual period controls from inside the session.
- Run para-specific break flows, including disability and wheelchair-damage breaks.
- Use the same bout-state backbone as scoring mode while keeping coaching data attached to the touches.
Completion tabs
When a coaching bout ends, the completion overlay can surface multiple views:
- Result: final score and confirmation / lock controls
- Analytics: coaching-specific statistics and archetype profile
- Audit Log: event-by-event history of what happened in the bout
Coaching analytics explained
The analytics layer is designed to help you identify patterns instead of isolated touches.
Archetypes in coaching mode
Fencing Manager uses four archetypes in its coaching analytics: Offensive, Counter-Offensive, Defensive, and Swarming. These are built from the combination of two tactical axes:
- Push or Pull: whether the fencer is exerting pressure or drawing the opponent forward.
- Attack or Defend: whether the fencer initiated the attack or received it.
In practical terms, the archetypes are:
- Offensive: Push + Attack
- Counter-Offensive: Pull + Attack
- Defensive: Pull + Defend
- Swarming: Push + Defend
Archetype guide
Offensive
The offensive fencer pushes, creates pressure, and initiates. This style is proactive and bold: it tries to force openings rather than wait for them.
- Best fit: fencers who like initiative, preparation, and controlling space
- In the app: shows up when the fencer is pushing and also initiating
- What to watch: whether initiative is producing single lights or just exposing the fencer to counters
Counter-Offensive
The counter-offensive fencer invites pressure, draws the opponent forward, and attacks into the opponent’s movement or preparation.
- Best fit: fencers with timing, distance sense, and confidence attacking off the pull
- In the app: shows up when the fencer is pulling but still initiating the scoring action
- What to watch: AIP rate, distance traps, and how often the fencer scores before the opponent settles
Defensive
The defensive fencer draws the attack and solves it through defense, disruption, and response rather than passive retreat.
- Best fit: fencers with strong blade work, second intention, and provocative defense
- In the app: shows up when the fencer is pulling and receiving the opponent’s initiative
- What to watch: defense success rate, parry-riposte patterns, and whether defense is still creating real scoring chances
Swarming
The swarmer applies pressure without necessarily initiating first, compressing the opponent’s space until the opponent breaks and attacks on bad terms.
- Best fit: fencers with strong distance control, presence, and pressure without rushing
- In the app: shows up when the fencer is pushing while receiving the final initiative
- What to watch: whether pressure is productive or whether it drifts into empty forward motion
Video review
Video Review is the post-bout coaching workflow for imported video.
- Import video from Photo Library or the Files app.
- Create a session tied to weapon, fencers, and event context.
- Tag touches against the video timeline.
- Resume incomplete video reviews from Home or History.
- Generate summary artifacts and export annotated outputs when available.
Using video review
- Choose Coaching and start a video review workflow.
- Select the fencers and session context.
- Import a video from Photos or Files.
- Play, scrub, and step through the bout while tagging moments.
- Save the session and return later if needed.
Roster management
Roster stores reusable athlete profiles and coaching context so you do not have to type the same data every session.
- Create and edit fencer profiles.
- Store names, club, school/team, rating, category, country, handedness, grip, and profile notes.
- Attach profile photos from the photo library.
- Reuse rostered fencers during bout and coaching setup.
Typical roster use
- Open the Roster tab.
- Create a fencer or edit an existing one.
- Add optional details and a profile photo.
- Use the roster entry in future bouts, coaching sessions, and exports.
Match history
- View saved and completed sessions.
- Resume in-progress pool, direct elimination, relay, dual meet, coaching, and video review sessions.
- Delete records you no longer want to keep.
- Use history as the long-term record of activity inside the app.
What gets saved
- match and bout state
- scoring progress
- completion status
- coaching session context
- video review session metadata
Settings
- Para fencing toggle
- Haptic feedback
- Reduce animations
- Audio cues and sound volume
- High contrast, large score display, and VoiceOver announcements
- Language selection
- iCloud sync control
- Subscription restore and management
- Privacy Policy and Terms of Use links
Optional permissions and services
- Camera: optional bout video capture and QR scanning
- Microphone: optional audio during bout video recording
- Photos: importing profile photos and coaching videos
- Files: importing coaching videos
- iCloud: optional sync across devices when enabled
Troubleshooting
- Video import fails: try the Files app instead of Photos, especially for large iCloud-backed files.
- Sync does not appear to work: confirm iCloud sync is enabled and the device is signed into iCloud.
- An old session keeps showing up: delete the stale in-progress session from Home or History.
- The interface feels too busy: enable Reduce Animations and High Contrast in Settings.
- Coaching access is missing: use Restore Purchases from Settings.
Before contacting support
- Force close and reopen the app.
- Confirm the device is running iOS 18.1 or later.
- Note whether the issue is tied to a specific mode, weapon, or imported file.
- Include whether iCloud sync or Coaching Pro is enabled.
