What is the usual number of hits that a fencer must score to win a bout in fencing?

Fencing is a sport played by two people with swords. The aim is to score hits by touching the opponent with the sword. The fencer with the higher amount of hits wins the bout unless a player has scored five hits, at which point they automatically win.

There are three styles of fencing, which are named after the swords the players use. A 'foil' is a light, flexible weapon that was invented in the mid 17th century as a practice weapon for swordsmen. Hits can only be scored by hitting the target area, in this case, the opponent's torso, with the point of the sword. A 'sabre' is known as a curved, triangular blade. A touch with any part of the sabre will count as a hit. The target area in sabre fencing is everything from the waist up, except for the hands. An 'épée' blade is the heaviest of the three weapons. To score a hit, the end of the weapon must remain fully down for 2-10 milliseconds, and the player can hit any part of the opponent's body, including the hands, feet and head.

Fencers wear a mask of black mesh to protect their faces from injury. They also wear protective clothing made of tough cotton or nylon. To make scoring fairer, some players wear electric jackets called 'lamé', which register when the player has been hit by their opponent. This is useful in 'foil' and 'sabre' fencing to make sure the blade has made contact with the target area. It is also useful in 'épée' fencing to ensure the blade has remained in contact for the correct length of time.