Art of Fencing, Art of Life

Month: January 2022

Cool Runnings Again: Beating the Unbeatable

Cool Runnings Again: Beating the Unbeatable

After 24 years, the Jamaican four-man bobsled team has at last qualified for the Winter Olympics again. 

When I saw the Jamaican bobsled team in the 1988 Winter Olympic Games, I was completely in awe of their story. It stuck with me through the years, continuing to inspire me whenever it ran across my mind. A couple of days ago, the story of the new four man bobsled team from Jamaica making the Winter Olympics popped up while I was watching the news on TV, and I was suddenly inspired all over again! It fast forwarded me back 34 years with the same spirit, and so I decided to dig deeper into the history and write a post about it. These guys once again showed me that where there’s a will, there’s a way.

It’s a feat that is almost unimaginable, but it’s one that we need right now. We need to feel the rush of inspiration and the belief that anything is possible. Particularly now, as we are all looking for things to fuel our passion after the last two years have drawn us through the wringer. 

This is the underdog’s underdog story. It gets people’s attention because of the juxtaposition of a warm Caribbean island and the frozen bobsled track. It keeps our attention because of the heart of sport that it represents. 

18 Tips for First Time Fencing Parents

18 Tips for First Time Fencing Parents

Every parent thinks about what their child will want to participate in when they get old enough for extracurricular activities. Around the age from seven to ten, kids are generally old enough to start exploring the wide world of activities outside of their family and school in a serious way. Whether it’s the arts like theatre and orchestra, youth organizations like scouting or 4-H Club, or any number of youth sports, keeping kids busy is part of keeping them growing in the right direction. 

Stepping out of a child’s comfort zone, or more pointedly, their parents’ comfort zone, can be a steep learning curve for families. Even if you’re a parent who participated in youth sports or perhaps fencing in particular when you were younger, it’s a whole different ballgame to be on the other side. 

Getting your footing as a first-time fencing parent doesn’t have to be overwhelming. These eighteen tips for new fencing parents will help you to get going in the right direction!

Accepting the New Reality of COVID

Accepting New Reality of COVID

Especially given the recent developments and mutations in the COVID virus, it seems clear that this pandemic will be a part of our lives for the future ahead of us and is de facto a new reality. We’ll have to get used to it, just as we are used to the flu or chickenpox. COVID is fundamentally different from any other kind of endemic that we are used to, so the future will have to look different than anything we’ve seen before. That goes for the future of school, the future of work, and the future of youth sports like fencing.

The bottom line here: this is not a temporary way of life. This is an evolution in how we live, day in and day out. There is no going back.

One thing to note is that omicron spreads so much faster and easier than previous variants. It’s suddenly just everywhere. The explosion of this new strain has made us have to rethink and redouble our efforts to stay safe. 

That sounds pretty dire, but does it have to be? It does not. It very distinctly does not have to be dire.  

How to Impress Your Fencing Coach with Your Mental Attitude

How to Use Your Mental Attitude to Impress Your Fencing Coach

If you think that the only thing that would impress your fencing coach is your medals, you will be disappointed. The greatest fencing coaches are not impressed by fencers who win medals and show their power on the strip. The greatest fencing coaches are impressed by fencers who know how to use their minds and their focus effectively to improve their fencing. 

The physicality of the body is always driven by the mastery of the mind and the emotions. You could be the fastest, most flexible, strongest fencer in the world, but you could still lose. If you are undisciplined in your mind then you will never be disciplined in your body. 

A fencing coach sees fencers of all shapes and sizes come and go week in and week out. An experienced coach knows that the best fencers are the fencers who show their passion through their training

How do you do that? Here are eight ways to impress your fencing coach with your mental attitude. 

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