I want to talk about hope. Not the vague "I hope I win this tournament" or "I hope my fencer gets better" kind of hope. No, I want to talk about real, substantial hope – the kind that sustains us through the darkest moments in fencing and beyond. You might be...
I want to talk about planning for next season. Wait, you might probably want to say to me, it's still three months left in the 2024-2025 season, we still have a few regionals and the Summer National competition. Why should we plan the season so soon? And maybe you...
At March NAC I was standing near one of our students when I overheard a conversation between two fencing parents who discussed a child of one of these two parents when he was disconnecting from a reel after a devastating 0:5 bout. His mother was lamenting that her...
In fencing, as in life, our memories of how we felt during crucial moments tend to fade. The intensity of that devastating loss, the thrill of executing a perfect attack, the frustration of a missed opportunity—all become less vivid with time. As a result, we often...
One of the most frustrating moments for parents of USA Fencing is when their absolutely perfect video wouldn't be accepted by a referee as proof of a devastatingly wrong call the referee made. So often such crucial mistakes are made at every level of competition, from...
One of the most difficult tasks of a fencing parent is to comfort their child after losing. We all have been there more times than we ever wanted to be. Fencing is a sport where you lose more than you win. Much more. Ask any Olympic Champion and they will tell you...
There's a phenomenon I've observed time and again in our fencing community – one that rarely gets discussed openly but affects many young fencers. I call it "the early rating trap." Picture this: A 13-year-old fencer – let's call her Stella – bursts onto the scene...
It happened again last weekend during the March NAC. One of our fencers — talented, hard-working, technically sound — froze on the strip during a crucial DE. Not because their opponent was doing anything particularly brilliant. Not because they didn't know what to do....
In the world of international fencing, a remarkable story has unfolded over the past two decades - one that challenges traditional narratives about gender and sport. While many Olympic sports see men's events receive greater attention and prestige, American fencing...
Focus is the mechanism through which we make the most of our fencing. We have to be able to focus adequately in order to give our all, and coming up with the right focus is not always so straightforward. Athletes are always on the lookout for ways to up their...
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