In saber, touches are recieved with either a cut or a thrust. Its target area is the entire upper body from the waist up. Saber fencing was patterned after the light calvary saber and because the saberists were on horse back, a thrust to the leg was of little use.
In saber and foil, there is a rule called 'right of way. In basic terms, 'right of way' means that the opponent who attacks first gets the point. This means that if both fencers touch each other's target area at the same time, the opponent who was attacking gets the touch.
To understand the need for 'right of way' you can look at it from two different angles. Most sports have offense and defense. When you are playing defense you can't score points, but offense and defense changes rapidly in the game. The same is true with fencing. If my opponent is attacking, as soon as I defend myself, I am back on offense again.
For purists, who like the idea of real sword combat, 'right of way' also makes sense. Common battle field tactics would say that if someone is attacking me I should defend myself first before I attack them.
Because of the cutting action, it is very easy to get touches in saber. 'Right of way' plays a key role in saber, because there are so many double touches. In saber, the attack is everything; and being able to execute the best attack at the right time is what will keep you ahead of your opponents.
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