Yellow card: warning (no penalty); 2 yellow = red card; Red card: 1 touch awarded to opponent; subsequent red = black card; Black card: ejection from the competition
Why people argue about this
People often assume that body contact is just a minor infraction like hitting the piste in other sports, when in fencing it's actually considered far more serious as it can be life-threatening if not penalized properly. The confusion arises because they don't realize how close fencers are to each other and the severity of injuries from even slight body contact during fast-paced action.
