Academy of Fencing Masters Blog

Parents have a huge vested interest in their children's success. After all, this is most parents' life mission - to prepare children for life and help them become successful. We try hard in every possible aspect of life - from studies to extracurricular activities,...

One of the most famous mountains in the United States is Pikes Peak near Colorado Springs, Colorado. At 7400 feet of climbing to take you a total of 14,000 feet above sea level, getting to the top is the equivalent of a half marathon at 13.5 miles, though that...

As a fencing coach and parent, I've encountered countless situations where parents find themselves caught in what I call the "Chicken-and-Egg Dilemma" of fencing development. It's a frustrating cycle that often leaves both parents and young fencers feeling stuck,...

When it comes to fencing, hope and expectations play huge roles, just like they do in our everyday lives. And as with most endeavors in our personal lives, and of course, when it comes to our fencing children, how should we balance hope with expectations? If things go...

Do you have a specific expectation when putting a child into a fencing school? That they will leap forward and become great Olympians? How about the kids - they have expectations, too. Will they learn how to be Inigo Montoyo and fight with swagger a la The Princess...

In a competition in Washington DC, I witnessed a situation that immediately prompted me to write a post about it. Unfortunately, this is all too common in our sport, and I've never seen a competition without it. However, this time, the girl put it so eloquently in her...

Before kids are even born, we’re bombarded with the idea that everything has to be measured. How long is the baby during each sonogram? How many times did they kick in the last 24 hours? Are they on time for their due date?  Once they get here, we're told to...

Most kids start sports somewhere like tiny soccer leagues or toddler gymnastics classes, but most of them start learning to work with teammates and play right on the playground. They naturally transition from one activity to another, but all too often we see kids and...

There’s a great misunderstanding about what fencing does for kids and where it should fall in their lives, both now and in the future. Not so much within the fencing community, but definitely with people who are looking at it from the outside.  With other...