Art of Fencing, Art of Life

Month: June 2019

A Fencing Routine for Far Flung Competitions

A Fencing Routine for Far Flung Competitions

How you warm up and get ready for a competition is individual, but figuring out how to maximize your fencing routine for far flung competitions isn’t necessarily easy. It’s always good for fencers to have some kind of structure to any kind of training, whether it’s at the club or at a far away competition. 

Maybe your far flung competition routine isn’t something you’ve put too much effort into yet, so you need to figure out your baseline. Maybe you’ve got a routine that you’re comfortable with, but you want to take it to the next level ahead of a big competition. Either way, the following tips are going to be a big help for you.

9 Reasons Why Fencing is Good For Kids

9 Reasons Why Fencing Is Good for Kids

Fencing is quickly becoming a popular sport for parents to choose for their children for a number of reasons. It’s beneficial for both the brain and body, as fencing is one of the only sports that requires a mental skill that matches the physical skill that’s required.

The other major point is that fencing is a sport that nearly anyone can participate in. Whether you are big or small, young or not-so-young, female or male, or even in many cases if you don’t have much of a “natural” athletic ability. For parents looking for a sport that their child can play for the rest of their lives, fencing is it. For parents who are looking for a sport that can possibly help their kids get a scholarship for college, fencing is it too. For parents looking for a sport that will teach their kids profound lessons that will cross over into their academic and professional lives, fencing is definitely the way to go.  

Fencing is an excellent option (and for good reason! Or how about for good reasons?)

Why Fencing Is Good For Kids

There are a ton of reasons why fencing is a great sport for kids. On this blog we’ve talked about how fencing can improve self-esteem, how it can combat kid’s constant longing for electronic devices, and even how fencing can improve behavior and academics at school.

Now it’s time to dig a little deeper into what the sport of fencing is all about, and what makes it perfect for a young person to participate in. Here are nine reasons why fencing is so very good for kids.

Fencing Book Announcement – From Cool Runnings to World Superpower: The Rise of American Fencing

Fencing Book "From Cool Runnings to World Superpower The Rise of American Fencing" by Igor Chirashnya is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats

Breathtaking. Unexpected. Deserved.

Any and all of us who have been in and around American fencing for the last few decades know that where we are today is almost unrecognizable from where we were thirty years ago.

This journey inspired me to write a book about it –  From Cool Runnings to World Superpower: The Rise of American Fencing. Which goes on sale on June 14th, 2019!

The story of how America rose to the top is one that is as exciting as anything you’ll read about in sports. It’s intertwined with global politics, because we discover that America became home to some of the greatest fencing talent in the world thanks to the end of the Cold War. That talent, coupled with the incredible innovation that is the hallmark of the American ideal, has come together to create a story that it’s impossible to put down.

What happened with American fencers is the kind of transformation that you see in movies. In fact, it made me think of a classic Olympic film, Cool Runnings. You know the one, it’s the very fictionalized account of the real events that led to the first Jamaican bobsled team. U.S. fencers at one time were almost as much of a longshot as the bobsledders from the Caribbean, though without the comedy we see in the movie.

Coach fraud

Coach Fraud

A fraud issue that we’ve heard reported at major competitions is also one that many fencers are afraid to talk about. It’s hard to call out fellow coaches on bad behavior, and it takes a brave person to do it. You might have seen some of these same things happen yourself, but either didn’t know what to do or maybe were too timid to confront the individual.

Luckily, we have a guest poster who isn’t afraid to tackle the tough issues in fencing. Read on to learn more about one of the dark sides of high level fencing competitions that no one is talking about, but that we should all be more aware of.

This opinion piece is offered to us by Coach Yakov Danilenko, head coach and owner of the Medeo Fencing Club. We think that his perspective is an important one to share!

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