In this article we are focusing on the National and World Championships for the Cadet, Junior and Senior categories. This article is written with the assumption that, if you’re interested in qualifying for a world championship event, you will be ranked highly enough to be able to compete at all national events. If you’re interested in how national and regional qualifications work, you should keep an eye out for our follow-up article in the coming weeks.

How do you get points?

Cadet, Junior and Senior National rankings are each determined using points earned from the NACs, World Cups and World Championships from each respective category. In the case of Cadet and Junior, points for competitions in the older categories also count (i.e. Cadet rankings include junior and senior results; Junior rankings include senior results).

The number of points you receive is determined by the USFA based on how many competitors attended as well as the strength of the competitive field.

What is the difference between rolling points and team points standings?

For categories where the National Team is determined by points, the USFA keeps a rolling and a team points list. The main difference is that the team points list determines who qualifies for national teams at the end of the fencing season.

Rolling points: These rank fencers on an ongoing basis. The national points a fencer gets at a tournament is saved until a full year later. Rolling points can qualify you to go to world cups - see world cup qualifications for details

Team points: These rank fencers for one season only and are reset at the beginning of every competitive season. The next season actually begins at World Championships as it is possible to get points there that count as both Team and Rolling points the next qualifying season.

These are the points that count for qualification to World Championships and the Olympics. These points are a combination of NACs and World Cup points; not all of a fencer’s points will count toward team qualification. Each weapon and each age group limit the total number of tournament results a fencer can use towards their national ranking. This way, a fencer does not have to go to every competition and doesn’t have to score big points at every competition attended. Highly ranked fencers like Mariel Zagunis do not usually go to NACs as their World Cup results are sufficient to keep them at the top of the points lists.

Note: there are also some world cups that are not designated - meaning that they do not give you points for team qualification. Most times, but not always, these will contain the word “satellite” in their title on the FIE website. This means that many of the top fencers will not compete at the events. If you’re looking for world cup experience, this is one of the best ways to get it before you get to the top level.