Youth fencing brings with it youth referees, an aspect of our sport that’s good all the way round. As a fencing father and a fencing event organizer, I’ve watched as beginner and young fencing referees work their way through calling matches. They start officiating at...
Once you have children, it’s never quite ever about you anymore. Your life revolves for the better (and rarely for the worse) around your child and their development into healthy, well functioning human beings. And most parents agree that all of this is not only worth...
Stepping into the tournament venue at the start of a fencing competition is exhilarating. The air is saturated with possibility, because truly anything is possible for a competitive fencer on a tournament day. Failure is a natural part of competition, and it’s a...
Fencing is a tough mental game that requires as much focus and concentration as it does physical strength and endurance. Many fencers wrongly believe that by continually checking other opponents seeding, they will somehow develop a leg up. That they will be able to...
Recently I was at a competition, and a new parent approached me. She has a young fencer new to the sport and they were both new to the experience of competitions. She asked me, “Why do the other girls yell so much?” She thought it was inappropriate to behave in that...
To live a healthy active lifestyle many people will choose an activity that they can and want to do. This is a way to insure that activity will be a part of your entire life. For example, if you hate running, odds are good you won’t be a runner when you’re in your...
When it comes to being the parent of a fencer, everyone wants to see their child win the match. That sounds simple and straightforward, but in reality it’s not so easy to know how to give your child that support. The first thing parents need to realize is that the key...
A few years ago I snapped this picture of our son busily playing with his phone while he was waiting for the rest of us to finish our practice at the club. I’m sure this is an image that is very familiar to many parents. In fact, so many kids come to us obsessed with...
A few weeks ago, for the first time in four years of writing and operating this blog, we didn’t post a blog or send an email. This was both nerve wracking and also somewhat of a relief. While we always have many blogs that Igor and I are writing, we chose to take a...
As your child advances and grows within the sport of fencing, they will encounter physical and mental hurdles that will be difficult, but not impossible to overcome. They will become stronger. They will become more competitive. But surprisingly, there is one hurdle...
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