Sunnyvale
408-542-9580
Campbell
408-370-6419

Academy of Fencing Masters Blog

Art of Fencing, Art of Life

AFM Home Page / Interviews / AFM News / For Parents / Coaching / Spirit / Mosaic / Important Fencing Resources

Building Champions: The Long Game vs. The Quick Fix

Building Champions: The Long Game vs. The Quick Fix

by | Sep 9, 2025 |

A reflection on sustainable fencing development in an age of instant promises In today's fencing landscape, families face an overwhelming array of choices and competing promises. Social media feeds overflow with dramatic transformation stories, bold claims about revolutionary training methods, and guarantees of rapid results. It's natural for parents to be drawn to these compelling narratives—after all, who wouldn't want their child to achieve in four months what traditionally takes four...

read more
URGENT: Your Voice in USA Fencing Governance is Under Attack

URGENT: Your Voice in USA Fencing Governance is Under Attack

by | Jun 24, 2025 |

Fellow fencers, coaches, parents, and clubs - we need your voice and your immediate action. On June 29th, the USA Fencing Board will vote on bylaw changes that would fundamentally strip away our democratic voice in how our sport is governed. This isn't just about politics - it's about whether the people who live and breathe fencing daily will have any real say in the decisions that affect our tournaments, our families, our clubs, and our sport's future. There is a petition to the board that...

read more
When Better is an Enemy of Good

When Better is an Enemy of Good

by | Jun 17, 2025 |

I appreciate when USA Fencing tries to improve things for fencers. It's important, and most of the time things are moving in the right direction. One such example is the significant improvement in event locations, which are definitely more balanced this time. For West Coast families, having two events—the October NAC in Salt Lake City and Summer Nationals in Portland—is fantastic. Here are the event combinations: October NAC (10/3-6/2025) - Div1, Junior, Cadet, ParaNovember NAC (11/14-17/2025)...

read more
Your Complete Guide to Summer Nationals 2025 in Milwaukee

Your Complete Guide to Summer Nationals 2025 in Milwaukee

by | Jun 11, 2025 |

Fencing Summer Nationals 2025 in Milwaukee is approaching fast, and if you're a parent preparing for your first national-level fencing competition, you're probably feeling a mix of excitement and anxiety. After helping hundreds of families navigate their first nationals over the years, I want to share the essential strategies that will help you and your fencer have an amazing, stress-free experience. Back in 2015, I created a comprehensive guide for people going to their first national-level...

read more
The Fear of Ending in Fencing

The Fear of Ending in Fencing

by | May 31, 2025 |

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...

read more
Dig Your Well: Why Competition Success Starts Months Before You Step on the Strip

Dig Your Well: Why Competition Success Starts Months Before You Step on the Strip

by | May 28, 2025 |

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...

read more
Why Your Child Will Remember Fencing Summer Camp Long After It’s Done

Why Your Child Will Remember Fencing Summer Camp Long After It’s Done

by | May 23, 2025 |

Three years ago one girl came to our fencing summer camp, clutching her mother's hand, eyes wide with uncertainty. She had never held a sword before. Never worn a mask. Never stood on a strip. Her mother whispered to me, "She's so shy, I'm not sure if this was the right choice." It's a scene I've witnessed hundreds of times over years of running fencing camps. That first-day nervousness. That parental concern. That unspoken question hanging in the air: Will my child thrive here? By Friday...

read more
From Failure to Success: Churchill’s Wisdom for Fencers

From Failure to Success: Churchill’s Wisdom for Fencers

by | May 15, 2025 | ,

I recently stumbled upon a quote from Winston Churchill that stopped me in my tracks: "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." These words resonated deeply with me, not just as a life philosophy, but as the perfect encapsulation of what it truly means to succeed in fencing. We often think about success in fencing as something tangible: that coveted rating, qualifying for Summer Nationals, making the podium at JOs, securing a spot on a college team. We...

read more
Building Longevity: Interview with Irina Embrich

Building Longevity: Interview with Irina Embrich

by | May 7, 2025 |

In the demanding world of elite sport, careers are typically measured in years, not decades. Yet at 44, Estonian epee fencer Irina Embrich continues to compete at the highest international level, defying conventional wisdom about athletic longevity. From her first international medals in the early 2000s to Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020 and a European Championship individual title in 2023, Embrich's career spans a timeframe that few elite athletes can match. What enables such extraordinary...

read more
Hope is Real: Finding Light in the Darkest Fencing Moments

Hope is Real: Finding Light in the Darkest Fencing Moments

by | Apr 30, 2025 |

I want to talk about hope. Not the vague "I hope I win this tournament" or "I hope my fencer gets better" kind of hope. No, I want to talk about real, substantial hope – the kind that sustains us through the darkest moments in fencing and beyond. You might be thinking, "Igor, why are you talking about something so abstract? Give me concrete drills, tactical advice, something I can use!" And I understand that reaction. But I've come to realize that without hope, all those technical skills and...

read more
Plan Together: Why You Should Start Planning Your Fencer’s Next Season Now

Plan Together: Why You Should Start Planning Your Fencer’s Next Season Now

by | Apr 26, 2025 | ,

I want to talk about planning for next season. Wait, you might probably want to say to me, it's still three months left in the 2024-2025 season, we still have a few regionals and the Summer National competition. Why should we plan the season so soon? And maybe you shouldn't yet, maybe you should do it during the summer or maybe in September, but the sooner you do it the better. The reason for the timing of my post now is because shortly USA Fencing is going to release the regional schedule,...

read more
Deliberate Practice in Fencing

Deliberate Practice in Fencing

by | Apr 21, 2025 | ,

At March NAC I was standing near one of our students when I overheard a conversation between two fencing parents who discussed a child of one of these two parents when he was disconnecting from a reel after a devastating 0:5 bout. His mother was lamenting that her child would "never be as good as his opponent" because "some people are just born with it" and "you can't teach that kind of natural talent." These words stopped me in my tracks. Not because they were surprising -- they weren't. But...

read more
Note to Your Future Self

Note to Your Future Self

by | Apr 11, 2025 |

In fencing, as in life, our memories of how we felt during crucial moments tend to fade. The intensity of that devastating loss, the thrill of executing a perfect attack, the frustration of a missed opportunity—all become less vivid with time. As a result, we often make decisions without fully remembering the lessons we've already learned. If we only could have a way to record these moments for the sake of our future self. Here's a simple practice that can transform your fencing journey......

read more
The Ultimate Video Review Solution for USA Fencing

The Ultimate Video Review Solution for USA Fencing

by | Apr 1, 2025 |

One of the most frustrating moments for parents of USA Fencing is when their absolutely perfect video wouldn't be accepted by a referee as proof of a devastatingly wrong call the referee made. So often such crucial mistakes are made at every level of competition, from small local to national championships at the most critical moment in the bout, mistakes that decide the outcome of the bout and none of these referees is agreeing to review the video that shows bright and clear their mistakes....

read more
How to Comfort Your Child

How to Comfort Your Child

by | Mar 29, 2025 |

One of the most difficult tasks of a fencing parent is to comfort their child after losing. We all have been there more times than we ever wanted to be. Fencing is a sport where you lose more than you win. Much more. Ask any Olympic Champion and they will tell you their ratio, not only during their growing period but also when they are on the top. Yes, they are Olympic Champions, but that only means they won this specific competition, the most important one, of course, and their names are...

read more

Igor’s Debut Thriller

Buy Now

The Rise of American Fencing

Buy Now

AFM Named #1 Fencing Blog in the World!

Categories

Archives

Newsletter Archive

Copyright Notice

Fair Use Disclaimer

AFM Campbell Location

86 Railway Ave.
Campbell, CA 95008

408-370-6419

AFM Sunnyvale Location

1269 Forgewood Ave.,
Sunnyvale, CA 94089

408-542-9580

Email:

office [at] academyoffencingmasters [dot] com

Quick links

AFM Policies

Privacy Policy

Want to learn more about fencing?

Do you want to receive timely updates from our blog and learn more about fencing? Sign up here, and you'll receive an email with the latest blog post after it's published. 

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Share This