There's a moment that happens at almost every competition I attend. A fencer comes off the strip after a loss. Before she even has time to take off her mask, her parent is already there: "Why didn't you finish your attack when she was at the back line? You had the...
I recently stumbled again upon The Nine Gifts book, to which I contributed an interview about attention — what it means in fencing, how we develop it, and why it transfers to life outside the sport. It got me thinking about something I rarely write about directly on...
Every time USA Fencing publishes a schedule, a huge portion of parents start complaining, both about event days and event start time. I'm among these complainers. We don't like anything: why does this age group event end at night and the next age group event start at...
In fencing, we talk a lot about touches, ratings, and results. We talk about footwork and blade work and tactics. We talk about mental resilience and about inner discipline. What we don't talk about nearly enough is reputation — and yet, reputation is one of the most...
Children's fencing, even without victories, gives a child a kind of confidence that no school can provide. But very few parents truly understand this. Most parents, I would dare to say maybe ninety percent of them, look mostly at medals. I get it - medals are...
Every season, I watch the same movie play out. A young fencer of eight or nine years old wins a few local tournaments, maybe even places at a regional. This child’s parents are ecstatic while the other parents notice and predict that that kid is going to be something...
A few weeks ago, USA Fencing published something that I've been waiting for — fencing safety in numbers. This is real data on fencing safety, Not anecdotal evidence, not comparisons to other sports based on small studies, but a comprehensive analysis of more than...
We've talked a lot about how important it is for our children to have real joy in their sport. That results come and go, but joy is the main factor driving those results. Many parents I've talked to nod their heads in understanding, but frankly it's hard to really...
When I watch the Winter Olympics, I can't disconnect myself from my role of a sports parent. While the Olympic Games is the highest possible scene in sports, a pinnacle of sport achievement for selected few, the work, the drama, the emotions, high or low, the triumphs...
Like many Olympic fans around the world, we watched with held breath hoping to see the breakthrough performance of the Quad God Ilia Malinin. We literally stood up when he stepped on the ice, waiting for his ascent to the Olympic top with his final routine. The first...
Do you want to receive timely updates from our blog and learn more about fencing? Sign up here, and you'll receive an email with the latest blog post after it's published.