How do team events work in fencing, and how many bouts and touches does each person fence?
A team match is a relay to 45 touches made up of nine bouts. Each team has three fencers, plus an optional fourth as a reserve, and every starter fences each of the three opponents once, so each person fences three bouts. The score is cumulative: the first pair fences until one team reaches 5, the next pair takes it to 10, then 15, and so on up to 45. Each bout has a limit of three minutes of fencing time, and teams are placed in a direct elimination bracket.
The score carries over from bout to bout. If time runs out before the target, say at 12 to 9 when the target was 15, the next pair simply starts from 12 to 9 and fences toward 20. A strong fencer can build a big lead, and a struggling one can dig a hole that teammates have to climb out of. The match ends as soon as a team reaches 45, or when time runs out in the ninth bout, with the higher score winning. If it is tied then, the last two fencers get one extra minute for a deciding touch, with priority drawn by lot first.
The order is set by the rules. A draw puts one team on numbers 1 to 3 of the score sheet and the other on 4 to 6, then each captain decides who takes which number. The bouts run 3 v 6, 2 v 5, 1 v 5, 1 v 4, 2 v 4, 2 v 6, 1 v 6, 3 v 5, 3 v 4. The captain can swap the reserve in at the end of a bout, announced in advance; the fencer taken out may return once, but only to replace that reserve. Only the captain may approach the referee on technical matters.
In the US, national tournaments hold team events in age groups from Y14 to veterans, and at most of them any three or four eligible fencers can enter together, with no club requirement. Tactically, ask what the team needs rather than chasing your own touches. Most teams put their strongest fencer in the slot that fences the ninth bout. Against a stronger opponent, keeping the score close is a real contribution, but stalling has limits: a full minute without a touch gets both teams a penalty card, and a second one ends the match for the team behind.