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...
Academy of Fencing Masters Blog
Art of Fencing, Art of Life
Health
5 Common Fencing Injuries and How to Prevent Them
For all of the intellectual rigor that goes along with fencing, there’s certainly an element of physical rigor that goes along with this sport as well. Though we strongly believe that fencing is one of the safest sports out there (and there’s plenty of research to...
Foam Rollers – A Secret to Helping the Fencer’s Body
Have you ever seen one of these things? Foam rollers have been a secret of athletes who are working to loosen their bodies for many years, dating all the way back the 1950’s. Like many workout tools, they’re something that can look a little strange if you’ve never...
Fencing Sharpens Your Brain – How Fencing Prevents Cognitive Decline
We all know that it’s important to keep our brains sharp as we get older. What’s so challenging to figure out is how to make that happen. People often talk about reading or doing puzzles as the best ways to keep the mind sharp, but those kinds of mental only...
Risk vs Danger in Fencing
Maybe it’s the fact that we’re holding weapons, but many people believe that there is a fair amount of danger in the sport of fencing. It’s one of the things that makes the sport romantic, even though it is one of the safest sports that a child or an adult can...
How Much Sleep do Fencers Need?
The thing that is perhaps most taken for granted in the world of athletics is sleep. We imagine that we can push ourselves, which we of course can and should, but there are limits. Staying safe and healthy is such an important part of staying on top of the fencing...
Warm-up routine before competitions for young fencers
Pre-competition warm ups for serious competitive athletes are among very important and fascinating parts of the sporting world. There are rituals, superstitious beliefs, long and involved processes. Fencers are no exception - and you’ll see them doing such rigorous...
Fencing Masks and Claustrophobia – What You Can Do About It
How can you fence if you can’t wear a fencing mask? A real world story of fencing mask claustrophobia We once had a little boy, an eleven year old in our beginner fencing class. For a couple of years he’d asked parents to find him a fencing club because he absolutely...
Fencing Improves Agility, both Physical and Mental
One of the things that we love about fencing is that it improves agility. This starts from the very moment that a person step out to practice on that first day of training and continues to grow even in the most experienced fencers as they hone their craft. However as...
Fencing With Glasses
Seeing while fencing is a pretty important thing - keep in mind that you are holding a sword! Not to mention thrusting it at another person. Not to mention having one thrust at you. Glasses are here to help us to see, but just having something on your face when you’re...