Academy of Fencing Masters Blog

A few years ago we had a fencer with an interesting habit. Before every bout she performed the same routine: adjusted the mask three times, tapped the guard twice with her left index finger, took four steps back, then advanced to the en garde line. She'd been doing this exact ritual for two years. When I asked about it, she shrugged: "It just feels right. When I don't do it, I feel... off." Welcome to the world of competitive superstitions, where lucky socks can feel as important as proper...

Talk to any fencing coach (actually any sports coach) and you will hear many stories of overtraining. They all watched a promising young fencer collapse during what should have been a routine lesson. Not from exhaustion—from sheer mental fatigue. This athlete had been training seven days a week for months, convinced that more practice would translate to better results. Instead, their performance had been declining for weeks, their enthusiasm had evaporated, and now their body was sending an...

While we welcome the end of a fencing match, we also know that the ending is the hardest part of the whole process. The final minutes are always much more challenging than the opening minutes. Taking charge of those riveting and oftentimes overwhelming moments that are the capstone of any fencing match is difficult for new fencers and it can also be a lot for veteran fencers. The fear of ending in a match can take on a whole new meaning when fencers freeze and are unable to seal the deal on...

There's an old saying that goes "Dig your well before you're thirsty." It's simple wisdom that applies to nearly every aspect of life, and it’s definitely relevant to competitive fencing. The moment you step onto a competition strip, your fate is essentially sealed -- not by destiny, luck, or result, but by the months of preparation that came before. You can't build fitness during the bout when your legs are burning in the third period. You can't develop tactical awareness between "Fence!" and...