A new year means new goals and new possibilities. Though the last twelve months have been defining and challenging in ways that we haven’t seen for decades on a global scale AND on a personal level, there is every reason to think that things the new year 2021 will be...
Academy of Fencing Masters Blog
Art of Fencing, Art of Life
Month: December 2020
Olympic Fencing Commentator Karim Bashir on Passion, Knowledge, and Storytelling
Karim Bashir: Enjoying Leon Paul's sponsorship at World Cup Karim Bashir is a commentator extraordinaire, bringing his fast and in depth knowledge of fencing to high level championships all over the world. He’s been the voice of fencing in commentary all the way up to...
51 Questions to Ask Your Fencer Besides “How was class?”
Here’s a play-by-play of the conversation that lots of fencers have when they get home from fencing practice. “How was fencing class?” “Fine.” “Great! Make sure you put your fencing bag in the hall closet.” It’s a functional conversation for sure, and it gets the job...
Fencing in Rural America
Traditionally, fencing is a sport that has been niche for many reasons, not the least of which is that fencing clubs are not easy to come by. For people who live in rural America, fencing is often totally inaccessible because they don’t live close enough to a place to...
Farewell 2020! (And Thank You.)
This year has been one that we will never forget, but also one that we might wish not to remember, as we are saying to it - farewell 2020! There is a running sentiment among everyone that 2020 is a year that we need to just put behind us. It’s been horrible,...
Kindness in the Darkest Times – a Pandemic Fairy Tale
Kitoo Dubb (third from the left) and her X'Pressions team Bright things are happening, even in the seeming darkness of winter. We have experienced some wonderful, uplifting and beautiful acts during the pandemic. It is easy to focus on the hardships that the...
The Worst Purchase of 2020 was a 2020 Planner
It’s a bold statement to say that the worst purchase of mine was my 2020 planner, but then 2020 has been a bold year. Twelve months of 2020 have almost come to a close, and as I sit here looking through my planner, I realize that it turned out to be a useless...
The Best Fencing Swords of 2020
Where can you find a definitive guide to the best fencing gear ever? You know, a comprehensive, exact list of the best fencing swords that will tell you exactly what you need to purchase for your fencer in a handy dandy blog that you can quickly zip through on your...