8 Best Fencing Blogs to Read in 2019The year is already moving full steam ahead, but unfortunately due to the very niche nature of our sport there aren’t many new fencing blogs to read.  There are some newcomers this year and we highly encourage our readers to check out lots of sources for information, as there is always more knowledge out there! Not to mention established blogs that are still delivering the in depth information we’ve come to deeply appreciate them for.

Figuring out what to read on the net is not an easy task though. There’s a lot to sift through, a lot to dig into to try to figure out what’s worth reading and what’s not so worth reading. That’s why we’ve put together our list of great blogs for you to read in 2019.

Ranked from good to great, here our the blogs you should be reading this year!

8. Better Fencer

We very much wanted this blog to make the list, but unfortunately Jason stopped working on it sometime mid 2018. At AFM we know how much work it takes to keep a blog up and going, and we have word that Jason is going to jump back into this blog to share his insight, and also to share some big projects with the world that will support fencing knowledge! (Might we get to read a book filled with his knowledge soon?) We wish him all the best and anxiously await his progress. Since he’s assured us that new content is on the way, we just had to return this blog to our top blogs to read for 2019!

There is no other way to say it than that Better Fencer’s articles are brilliant. You’re talking about an Olympic medalist sharing his personal insight about how to train and what works. It’s content you need to be reading. What we love most about this blog is that it’s real training, real world information that fencers can use today. You read one of his pieces, then you go out into the club and start using that new knowledge right then and there.

If you’re still craving more, we recommend checking out Jason’s reading list for fencers. Knowledge is power – we can’t say that enough. The more you read, the more you’re going to improve as a parent of a fencer or as a fencer. There’s everything here from history to technique, and it’s no wonder when you see the list that Jason is so insightful. He’s a practical fencer but one who thinks about the sport and then communicates what he’s learned. We love it.

7. Nazlymov Fencing

This is a solid fencing resource run by fencing club in the Washington, D.C. area. It’s another relative newcomer to the fencing blog world, but what we like so much here besides just the blogs are the videos embedded along the way.

Last year, this club was opened by Vitali Nazlymov and Zheng Wang, whose family brings some hot credentials to the sport. They are joined by Vladimir Nazlymov, an Olympic gold medalist several times over in addition to many other international medals. He went on to be a powerhouse coach on the amateur and collegiate levels. The content you find on their blog comes from experience inside the places many fencing parents want their kids to end up.

Check this one out! It’s not as extensive as some of the others on the list, but the knowledge and format are more than worth checking it out. The other trick is to click through to their facebook page, which is updated with great frequency and has lots of video content. It’s not exactly like training with Vladimir Nazlymov, but it’s a taste at least. You’ll find tons of ideas and innovation here!

6. Sabre Coach Kate

Kate’s blog is a blog, but it’s more than a blog. She features a whole host of regular podcasts about fencing, and they are great to listen to on those long trips to fencing competitions or with some earbuds while your child is practicing. Many of the podcasts are nice and long, making them just perfect for long commutes. They’re filled with both in depth knowledge and also interviews with prominent figures in the sport, both coaches, officials and athletes.

What we love about Kate is the tremendous effort and dedication she puts into both the blog and the podcast. If you’re unsure where to start looking with all of her great content, try clicking on any podcast and start listening. The blog navigation is pretty simple and you can find all posts archive on the left side of the screen. You’re certain to find something that resonates!

5. Fencing.net

Right here you’ve got one of the most important portal online for fencing information. They have it all – the news, the articles, the just massive amount of content, etc. It’s probably one of the most comprehensive fencing platform in existence. It’s been around now for long enough that it’s been a destination for several generations of fencers.

After transitioning to new ownership, they don’t update with new articles as often as they used to and their biggest focus now on International fencing news, such as results from the World Circuit. We’re hoping to see an uptick in frequency and content again.

Their old in-depth articles and guides are fantastic. Do a quick scan across the top bar, and you’ll find dropdown categories for everything you could want to know about fencing, from footwork training to collegiate news to the history of fencing. It’s so rich and detailed, busting with content. For new parents, you can dig into all kinds of topics that you might not find accessible on other platforms. This site has also never shied away from tackling tough topics in fencing.

If you want to dig even deeper, check out their fencing forums where you can interact and get hot takes from other fencers and fencing parents. You’re talking about hundreds of thousands of messages posted here. It’s so massive! Watch out our you’ll get lost in reading the threads, because they are super interesting.

Definitely a website to bookmark.

4. Reddit.com/r/fencing

Ok, so this is not a blog per se, but it is a great forum to learn about fencing. Just as with the Fencing.net forums, it’s easy to get lost in Reddit’s fencing forum. It’s even easier to get lost here though!

For instance, as I was clicking over while writing this post, the top thread was about a new music video featuring an actor from Game of Thrones and tons of fencing. It’s pretty wild and there’s no way I’d have heard of it if I hadn’t seen it on Reddit. That’s the pop culture kind of stuff, but there are endless threads on parenting, on details of the sport, on history, it just goes on and on and on. Videos are embedded, opinions are sounded, and it’s updated pretty much by the minute.

Definitely important to sign up and read the posts here. This is a fantastic discussion and sharing forum, one that you both can learn from and contribute. Two warnings though. One is that everything here is opinion, and sometimes false information slips onto this platform. Take it all with a grain of salt and don’t base any fencing decisions on what you find here. Two is that it can suck you in, and that can be good fun, but don’t miss fencing practice because you lost track of time on the Reddit fencing board!

3. USA Fencing News

This is one of those just essential things that all fencers should be reading. You’re going to find out the latest news about USA fencing, results from Youth to Veterans, news about upcoming events across the country, and lots of stories to inspire you. There’s everything here from international news to news about the local scene.

If you’re in the United States, this is a major source of information for you. It’s constantly updated, and you’ll be surprised by some of the cool things that are going on in the fencing world. This is the official source of policy and regulations for fencers, and it can at times be a bit clinical and regulatory. If you see something that you want to learn more about on USA Fencing News, try looking for it on one of the other blogs!

2. Fencing Parents

This is a promising new fencing blog that just came onto the scene early last year. This blog is the new kid on the block, but at this stage it’s a promising contender. At just one year old, it’s got tons of important, relevant and timely information. There are also lots of great articles for fencing parents.

Written by a fencing mom with an entrepreneur spirit, this blog definitely claims our attention. Here we find a kindred spirit, a blog that shares our vision of educating fencing parents so that they can better support their young fencers. It’s all about creating a better ecosystem for fencing families. It’s clear that she’s deep into the sport and experienced as a fencing parent. A lot of those things that new parents need orienting on are right here, and a lot of those things that experienced parents need clarity on are right here too. Scroll down the page to see different categories. It’s an easy layout to search and happen upon useful content. Her material on collegiate fencing is really impressive and must be bookmarked by all college bound fencers and their parents.

1. We Love Fencing

If you’re looking for top level, inspirational, and wonderfully detailed blog reading, We Love Fencing is the place to find it. Do yourself a favor and like their facebook page as well, as it’s well maintained and choc full of current and relevant information.

This blog focuses on the big dog competitions – Grand Prix, World Cups, World Fencing Championships, and the Olympic Games. You want to shoot for the biggest and brightest fencing achievements? This blog is a place to get information about how that works. You’ll find links to live results here, in depth analysis of fencing competitive results, and projections about what they think is coming down the pike for international fencing. It’s the whole picture, presented in a way that both new fencing families and old had fencers can access and appreciate.

A great thing you’ll find when you jump on over to We Love Fencing is how well organized it is. Even if you don’t know a World Cup from a Grand Prix, you can navigate this site and figure out what all of those competitions mean and then see fencers fencing in them. An especially useful feature are the live links, which you’ll find featured prominently on the front page. It’s real time! One of those functional things that really is what the internet is for.

This blog is even more important for you to follow this year as Olympic qualification cycle starts in April. This is the place you’re going to find solid analysis of what’s happening in the run up to Tokyo. You’ll be able to see who the contenders are and how they fare in the chase to make not only the U.S. Olympic team, but the teams that the United States will face in Japan in 2020. I’m getting excited already! Following this blog will ramp up your excitement too, and should you ever have a fencer in your life who does make it to that level (we hope you do), you’ll be in on how it goes. We expect a lot of surprises for this Olympic cycle. It’ll be worth watching closely!

There is a ton of hard work and dedication put into this blog, and it shows.

Thanks so much for continuing to read our blog, and we encourage you to keep chasing that knowledge. There are lots of resources out there besides us though! The internet is packed full of information and insight for fencers, and it’s all just there for the taking. Keep on reading and keep on fencing. And of course, please write us in the comments if we missed a good fencing resource/blog.