Goal setting and forecasting the result of your fencing is important, but what happens when you take it too far and get overly invested in the outcome you expect?

Becoming too attached to the possible outcome is a serious problem for all of us that can lead directly to disappointment. Rather than accepting what’s happened and learning from it, we become trapped in the cycle of our dreams to the point that we are beaten down if they don’t come true.  On the other hand, we can set a goal and prepare so well that we leap over it, which causes us to sit on our heels and not keep going so hard. In this instance, we waste the potential that we could be reaching. 

Learning to adapt and adjust our goals on the ground, in real time, during competition and even during training, can be exactly what you need to reach your best possible outcome.

Fencers who become attached to the outcome

The following examples are adapted from things that we’ve seen in the real world in fencing, either in our own club or through stories that have been told by other clubs.

• Let’s say our youth fencer has been working hard and going to local and regional tournaments. At those regional tournaments, the fencer has never gotten to the second direct elimination round (DE). Disappointed, she trains more consistently, working harder than ever before to prepare for the next competition, where her ambition will push her to the next DE. Then the new competition comes around and the fencer fights hard to win the first DE. And then she does! Hooray! But what happens in the next DE? Suddenly she’s not fighting like before – she has already accomplished her initial goal of getting to this stage. Though this fencer may have gotten her desired result, the achievement of advancement meets her expectation which may have actually set her back. The anticipation of this fencer attaining their achievement is gone, and now the athlete may feel like there is nothing left to compete for–even if there is. 

• In another example, we’ll look at a fencer who never got to place in the top 16 in his age group at the NAC or National Championship. In one competition, he finally secures a spot in the top 8 and a guaranteed medal! That’s a fantastic result and an outcome that came from lots of hard work! However, this fencer is suddenly not fencing with the same fierce determination that he performed with to get to the top 16 and then to the top 8 in the first place. As a result, the underperforming fencer is eliminated in the next round, and they feel like an overachiever for just getting to that stage.

Fencers, particularly those that are fortunate enough to advance in a tournament, may find it difficult to maintain the level of energy that they possessed when they started the competition, even if their career may benefit from continuous focus. Of course, the level of competition becomes higher as a fencer ascends and their tournaments will inevitably become more demanding. Though tougher opponents and bigger stages will always challenge a fencer’s skill set and push them to their limits, an even bigger threat to a competitor’s will to win could be becoming complacent when competition time rolls around.

If you think this happens only with beginners then think again. This happens to even the most advanced fencers. People that compete at the national level and beyond suffer when they battle complacency. It’s not just fencing – it happens to athletes of all levels in every other sport too, and it can happen with other activities like school and extracurriculars too. 

Understanding complacency

What’s complacency and why does it happen? 

Complacency is the feeling of contentment towards one’s self, usually stemming from an individual’s ability to achieve their goals which can lead to coasting on their accomplishments. Complacency is not always something that athletes are consciously aware of. This feeling is mainly a mental issue, and tends to strike once an individual reaches a certain peak. It might be a career achievement, which in fencing may be a medal from a fencing tournament or even just a higher seed. 

This phenomenon tends to happen not only in sports but in general life. For fencers, it can become easier to feel complacent once they achieve what they’ve been working towards. Once a fencer reaches a desired outcome, they may become unaware of the dangers that lay ahead, like disregarding new opponents or falling off their routine. Preparation for future competitions may wane if the fencer feels that they do not have to work as hard. Entering a tournament with little preparation and an expectation to win or even improve is a dangerous game to play with your fencing career.

Complacency can strike particularly hard if a fencer makes it to the medal round of the top 8 and earns a new rating. If a fencer gets into the top 8 at nationals, gets an A or B rating, and then the event ends, the athlete may be left with a feeling of “what now?” – regardless of how their competition concluded or where they placed. The next level of competition can seem too far off or out of the scope of what they want to pursue. The moves from Cadet to Junior to Senior can be complicated or feel overwhelming, so that leaves a fencer to instead retreat to complacency.

Many fencers may continue to compete in tournaments, fencing under the guise of having fun or for the love of the sport despite any feelings of satisfaction over their rank and seeding. Oftentimes athletes will persevere because they feel like they have to. Up until now, the hardest bouts are behind you. Yet, even advancement for an elite fencer is a bumpy road if they feel that the competition is underwhelming and there is little room to grow.

Gaining energy from competition

The best situation is to learn to roll with the punches and find the rhythm of competition, no matter the outcome. This is the sweet spot that we chase so much in fencing and in life. 

We want to learn to gain energy when it’s time for them to put the most effort into the sport: before and during tournament time. Competitions are the time to compose yourself and focus all your efforts into showing your best fencing skills. However, the effort that goes into fighting for a better placement or an award eventually builds up and can be draining for career fencers. The grind can bring baggage for athletes, and it’s hard for fencers to just drop in. 

When that grind starts to drain athletes of energy, they may want to hold up and take a step back from the sport. This can be easier than trying to find meaning beyond the medals. 

Some fencers believe that limiting their participation in tournaments will eliminate their complacency until they feel the need to compete again. That’s not a tactic that we can condone. Taking a break from fencing won’t make you feel more into the sport. That saying of “absence makes the heart grow fonder” isn’t applicable here. Instead, it’s more apropos to go with “if you don’t use it, you lose it.” 

While you can absolutely step away from fencing and then come back, and while we would never encourage anyone to push themselves too hard when they don’t have the option to push, it’s never a good idea to go cold turkey when you’re feeling complacent. Work smarter, not harder. Train smarter, compete smarter, don’t quit. Look for ways to bring joy to the sport again.

Love the process, not the result

Now we finally come to the heart of it – you cannot love fencing only for the competition. Learning to love the process over the result is the only way to ensure that you are consistently going to feel “in it” as a fencer.

Achievements are no substitute for enthusiastic and deliberate participation in the sport. Racking up awards and moving onto the next level is always exciting! Until it’s not. For many accomplished athletes, winning becomes another mundanity of competitive fencing. The higher seed, the better medal, the more exclusive tournament – all become boxes to check for a fencer battling complacency during their career. Fencing to genuinely enjoy oneself is possible for an athlete at any level. 

It’s natural to feel fatigued when you are focused on the result alone. Burnout is real and happens to high-performing individuals–especially ambitious fencers that angle to grow their craft and or claim glory for their accomplishments. 

The fencers who are happiest and who reach the highest levels are those who love the process. They find joy in every touch and every miss, even in the club. They recover by resetting their appreciation for the sport. The basic thing of going to class or a private lesson is enriching. Competition is certainly part of it, but at tournaments, fencers tend to sit around and do a lot of waiting and less actual fencing. Finding the satisfaction in that quiet downtime, observing other athletes and creating solitude or connecting with teammates, that’s how you enliven the passion in your sport.  

Rekindling the love of the sport

At times when you’re feeling complacent, it’s important to remind yourself of what got you interested in fencing in the first place. It’s perfectly okay to feel differently about fencing as you get older and learn more about yourself as both an athlete and as a person. People change throughout their fencing careers and in their lives.

Being a fencer is like being in any kind of relationship. You might have an argument with your sibling or your friend, but you remember all of the good things that you had together and how they’ve been a positive influence in your life. It’s ok that things change. This is why we have to reconnect.

Try doing the following things to reconnect with your passion in those downtimes.  

• Look up old videos of your fencing matches.
• Reach out to teammates or your coach
• Mentor younger fencers
• Reorganize your tournament schedule 
• Look back at the goals you’ve reached and look for the next level

If you’re struggling with complacency, don’t walk away from the sport that you’ve put a lot into. This is particularly true for young people. How often have we heard adults say, “When I was a kid, I was really good at X, but then I got bored and gave it up. I sure wish I’d stuck with it.” I myself have a long list of such things. It’s rare that someone regrets pushing through complacency, it’s common for people to look back and wish that they’d kept going. 

We all have different reasons for competing and participating in this sport. If you’ve reached your goals in fencing, then it’s time to make new goals. If you feel burned out, then it’s time to rethink your training methods and how you organize your competition. The love of the sport is still there, it’s just that you have to rethink how you find it!