Art of Fencing, Art of Life

Month: April 2014 Page 1 of 2

Quadruple Sweet Celebration

Four new medals to AFM Fencers

Four new medals to AFM Fencers

We have a good tradition in our Club to celebrate each medal with a chocolate. Today’s Competitive  Class started with a quadruple sweet celebration – the guys earned  four new medals over the last  weekend’s competitions!

Congratulations to:

Mika Manalastas for taking the  Gold (Senior Women Foil), qualifying for Summer National Div II/III and… earning ” E” rating at Central California DivII Summer National Championship Qualifier.

Is it true that the sport of fencing is popular mostly in Russia and Italy? – False! America’s fencing is growing!

Talking with parents at AFM sometimes we hear quite interesting questions. The repeating one is the following: “Is it true that most Americans have never heard of fencing? Is it true that the sport of fencing is popular mostly in Russia and Italy?” Well, playing “true or false”, the answer is “of course, false!”.  Despite the joke that if a fencing coach speaks with a Russian accent, you should better listen to him, and although the fact that the most exciting fencing training videos on YouTube are of Italians, America is taking sure steps towards serious achievements on the world fencing stage.

We live in a great location in the Bay Area, where fencing is blooming as much as on the other coast, in the New York area. Big names of local fencers help further raise the popularity of fencing in California and US. And yes, the international podium is not for two or three European countries anymore! The new generation of fencers is powerfully progressing, more often raising the American flag at the International competitions.

Why are fencing uniforms white?

Fencing training in 19th century postcard (credit: Association for Historical Fencing)

Fencing training in 19th century postcard (credit: Association for Historical Fencing)

I love watching the sea of fencers in their gorgeous whites during a competition.  It gives a sense of pride and history of the sport.

Like the Marshall Arts, the student traditionally wears the white uniform and the master or instructor is dressed in black.  But in today’s fencing world, fencers are allowed to decorate their uniform with emblems on their non-weapon arm, or dress in colorful jackets or socks.  Some fencers wear gray, yellow, or blue electric vests for foil and sabre fencing.  Even some masks are colorful and decorated with flags, colors or emblems.

Summer Fencing Camps July-August 2014

Kids experience the thrill of fencing at

AFM Summer Fencing Camp

July-August 2014

AFM Fencing Camps

AFM Fencing Camps

It’s that time of year, again, when parents scramble to find activities that will keep their kids occupied and entertained during those long summer months.

This summer we would like to provide Bay Area kids with a summer camp that explores the exciting world of fencing.

How can you help your child overcome their fear of competitive fencing

In a previous post, we discussed how important it is for your child to compete in a fencing tournament. It can help him/her learn how to manage time efficiently, target what needs to be improved in their repertoire, and instill a sense of respect for the awesome machine that the body is.

But what if your child doesn’t want to compete?

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