Academy of Fencing Masters Blog

The end of the year is the time that we step back and take stock of what we’re thankful for. No matter whether you celebrate with a big meal of special New Year’s delicacies, curled up on the couch with your loved ones watching sports, heading out to run a 5K, or maybe even doing some easygoing stick fencing fun in the backyard, the theme is always the same - we look back on the year and think about what we have accomplished and who we are. For us, that means thinking about how fencing has...

Taking stock of where we’ve been this year is a normal part of life as the year turns. It’s as natural as making New Year’s resolutions. The problem is, we all know that those resolutions don’t usually get very far into the future, falling away by February.  I propose an alternative, one that’s rooted in a growth mindset and that we can apply well to fencing. Rather than thinking about resolutions for you to change your fencing habits in the new year, instead take a realistic inventory of...

High school is a whole different world. It’s the bridge between childhood and adulthood, the moment when you are figuring out what direction you want to take and how you’ll become independent for the first time. The reality of high school is almost never what we imagine it will be, and the reality of fencing in high school has its own set of unique challenges and rewards.  Whether you’re a competitive fencer looking for a college program, want to make it to international competitions, or want...

An image of a wooden calendar marking December 25th with a small green Christmas tree, signifying Christmas day, the joy of the holiday season, and festive celebrations. The holiday rush affects us all in major ways, and even the joy of the season isn’t always enough to keep us in balance. In competitive fencing, the holiday season is smack in the middle of the fencing season. That means fencers and their families can feel stretched and it is very important to be able to balance fencing with...

Hurray for a wonderful holiday season! For the first time in two years, the holiday season is finally back to some kind of normalcy, thanks to the miracle of vaccines, and we are excited to publish our traditional fencing holiday gift guide. This year, we’ve put together our annual holiday gift guide, and it’s as big and broad as we are. It’s hard not to be excited about this year! One thing of note here is that supply chain issues are a real problem in 2021. While most of the gifts we’ve...

They say it takes a village to raise a child. It also takes a community to grow a fencer.  A part of fencing that we don’t talk about nearly enough is the positive community that this sport is brimming with. The people in fencing create an overarching sense of belonging and support, whether they are coaches, the club staff, the referees, the officials, the fencers themselves, or the fencing families.  Despite the rivalries and the intense competitive nature of fencing, the whole of...