Equipment Archives - Academy of Fencing Masters Blog

Standardize Your Weapon

On May 7, 2018

Standardize Your Weapons

I recently had a conversation with one of our fencers where she told me that her favorite epee broke and she does not have time to fix it before her next competition. All of the parts of all of her weapons were different: the guards, blades, tips, pistols. Nothing was the same.

I was surprised to hear that she had been using a Frankenstein-ed version of a weapon cobbled together with different pieces and different blades. While I understand that might have been the only way she could attain the right kind of weapon at the time, it made me realize that there are some very important considerations for you to take when purchasing and assembling your arsenal.

Old Fencing Gear – What Should You Do with It?

By Irina Chirashnya

On October 19, 2017

In Equipment

What happens to old fencing gear? Where does it go?

Fencing equipment isn’t forever

Though it’s oftentimes expensive, fencing equipment isn’t something that lasts for an extended of amount of time.

Quick Fix for Smelly Fencing Gloves

By Irina Chirashnya

On June 29, 2017

In Equipment, For Parents

What’s that Smell? Solutions for Smelly Fencing Gloves:

Recently I opened my child’s fencing bag and strong smell almost killed me. I was thinking about accidental dead mouse was inside it! Nope. Not socks, nor shoes – it was smell of hard work from my child’s fencing glove!

That’s right, it turns out that the humble fencing glove can hide some serious stink. I genuinely had no idea that it was possible for my son’s hand to smell so much!

As a loving and caring mom, I immediately gave my son a brand new glove. He put it on and without a beat told me – “I am not going to Summer Nationals with a new glove – I don’t feel my pistol grip in it!” He was absolutely right. Changing a glove to a new brand is not the best idea!! Before a big competition, changing the grip or the glove or even the blade to something new just means trouble. Familiarity with the equipment is essential in the face of a major competition. Don’t change to something new BEFORE major competitions!

We of course decided to keep his glove and not get a new one before major fencing competition. Meanwhile, I started digging into ways to get rid of this dead mouse smell.

Getting the smell out of a stinky fencing glove

5 Hacks for Storing Fencing Equipment at Home

By Irina Chirashnya

On February 24, 2017

In Equipment, For Parents

5 Hacks for Storing Fencing Equipment at Home Fencing equipment is both wonderful and horrible. It’s wonderful because it allows us to do the thing that we love most – fencing. It’s horrible because it can be a beast to store and keep organized. Storing Fencing Equipment at Home may be tricky!

Keeping your child’s fencing equipment neat, clean, and in working order can be incredibly challenging. Fencing bags can fester with sweaty shoes and half eaten protein bars if not cleaned out regularly. That expensive fencing equipment can become damaged if it’s not properly taken care of at home and on the road.

These seven ideas for storing fencing equipment at home will not only make life as a fencer family easier, it’ll help to ensure that fencing practice is more effective because equipment will be in working order!

How Many Weapons You Should Really Have for Competition

By Igor Chirashnya

On February 20, 2017

In Equipment

How Many Weapons You Should Really Have for Competition Going to competition, especially a major competition like an NAC or nationals, can be nerve wracking. Fencers want to make sure that they’re as prepared as possible for what’s coming, but at the same time you don’t want to go taking everything and the kitchen sink with you to a competition.