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Fencing Safety in Numbers: The Data Is In, and It’s Good News

Fencing Safety in Numbers: The Data Is In, and It’s Good News

by | Mar 6, 2026 |

A few weeks ago, USA Fencing published something that I've been waiting for — fencing safety in numbers. This is real data on fencing safety, Not anecdotal evidence, not comparisons to other sports based on small studies, but a comprehensive analysis of more than 637,000 direct elimination bouts spanning six full seasons. The report, titled Identifying Competition Safety Focal Points, was developed by USA Fencing's Data Resource Team led by Marc Shull, and it confirms what those of us who have...

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Joy Wins: What Alysa Liu Taught Us About Why Athletes Compete

Joy Wins: What Alysa Liu Taught Us About Why Athletes Compete

by | Feb 21, 2026 |

We've talked a lot about how important it is for our children to have real joy in their sport. That results come and go, but joy is the main factor driving those results. Many parents I've talked to nod their heads in understanding, but frankly it's hard to really explain and even harder to show a real-world example. Until now. Until these Olympics, when the meaning of what joy creates was on full display for the whole world to see. Meet Alysa Liu, US figure skater who just won the individual...

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The Weight of What They Carry

The Weight of What They Carry

by | Feb 17, 2026 | ,

When I watch the Winter Olympics, I can't disconnect myself from my role of a sports parent. While the Olympic Games is the highest possible scene in sports, a pinnacle of sport achievement for selected few, the work, the drama, the emotions, high or low, the triumphs or crashes, these all things are something that we experience too, maybe not at the same scale as these celebrated and accomplished athletes, but in the world of our children, these things are very close. For good or for worse,...

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Lessons for Sports Parents from Ilia Malinin’s Crash at the Olympics

Lessons for Sports Parents from Ilia Malinin’s Crash at the Olympics

by | Feb 14, 2026 | ,

Like many Olympic fans around the world, we watched with held breath hoping to see the breakthrough performance of the Quad God Ilia Malinin. We literally stood up when he stepped on the ice, waiting for his ascent to the Olympic top with his final routine. The first fall was devastating, and from there we couldn't believe our eyes at how fast his routine fell apart. The Quad King who was perceived to be untouchable was dethroned, finishing in a dismissal 8th place. A silver medal for him...

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Cadet International Competition: European Cadet Circuit, Zonals, and Worlds

Cadet International Competition: European Cadet Circuit, Zonals, and Worlds

by | Feb 11, 2026 |

In the previous post, I gave an overview of the international fencing competition structure. Now let's dive into the first category: Cadet (Under 17) and review Cadet International fencing competitions. If your fencer has been doing well nationally - maybe medaling at NACs or Summer Nationals - you've probably started hearing about international competition. Other parents mention sending their kids to Europe for tournaments. Coaches talk about "making the travel team." You see announcements...

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International Fencing Competitions: A Complete Guide for Parents, Fencers and Fans

International Fencing Competitions: A Complete Guide for Parents, Fencers and Fans

by | Feb 1, 2026 |

You've probably heard terms thrown around at your club or at national fencing tournaments, such as NACs or Summer Nationals:  "World Cups," "Grand Prix," "Zonals," or "Cadet World Cup." Maybe your fencer has started asking about international fencing competitions, or you've watched Youtube streams, or FIE FencingTV channel, or Instagram reels from these tournaments and wondered how they all fit together. The international fencing competitions landscape can be confusing. There are different...

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How to Make Training Consistency Work in Busy Life

How to Make Training Consistency Work in Busy Life

by | Jan 26, 2026 |

I’ve written a lot about consistency, showing up and the power of the weekly rhythm in fencing training, including reviewing Andre Agassi's memoir Open from that angle.  Agassi dedicates hundreds of pages to this same theme—he showed up to practice, day after day, year after year, even when he hated tennis. That consistency, more than his natural talent, made him a champion. But Agassi also makes clear that maintaining discipline is hard, and every honest discussion of consistency would...

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School Truancy Letters and Competitive Fencing: How We Managed

School Truancy Letters and Competitive Fencing: How We Managed

by | Jan 19, 2026 |

In the last week, three families independently approached me for advice about school truancy letters regarding their children. What triggered them was that each family received a threatening letter from their respective schools about their children's unexcused absences and the actions the school could take. As a parent, the first thing that comes to mind is social services, and just the thought of it is enough to make you panic. I believe the timing of these letters coincided with the end of...

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Anti New Year Resolutions

Anti New Year Resolutions

by | Jan 2, 2026 |

In the past, during December, I used to think about a post I'd publish on New Year's Eve or January 1st. While being quite good posts, mostly these were New Year Resolutions posts - the standard fare about goals, commitments, transformation. But knowing my own habits, knowing how many of my own New Year resolutions I've broken over the years, this time I decided to skip the resolutions post on January 1st when we're all overfed with resolutions. Instead, I'm doing it on January 2nd, the day we...

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The Pressure of Training

The Pressure of Training

by | Dec 27, 2025 |

Fencing doesn't happen all at once. You don't walk into the club one day and suddenly execute perfect attacks. You don't fence one great bout and become successful at the national scene. You don't have a single breakthrough practice that transforms everything. Instead, your success builds up over time - lesson after lesson, bout after bout, and day after day of showing up and doing the work. A fencer who trains consistently for a year doesn't train harder in any single session than the fencer...

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Open by Andre Agassi: The Book Every Fencing Parent and Fencer Should Read

Open by Andre Agassi: The Book Every Fencing Parent and Fencer Should Read

by | Dec 19, 2025 | ,

I recently finished reading Andre Agassi's autobiography "Open" and I can't stop thinking about it. To tell the truth, I bought this book a few years ago, four or five (or maybe even six-seven, as kids would joke). Somehow I postponed reading it expecting to find a recount of how one of the most legendary tennis players rose to a stardome and how great his ascent was. What I found on the pages of this great book shocked me to the core. It wasn’t a feel-good story about a tennis legend, filled...

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How to Qualify for USA Fencing Summer Nationals 2026

How to Qualify for USA Fencing Summer Nationals 2026

by | Dec 6, 2025 |

The 2025-2026 fencing season is half way through! Regional and National competitions are running across the country, and even International season had started. As you sharpen your skills, attended a few your target tournaments, it's time to set your sights on the big event – USA Fencing Summer Nationals 2026! Many fencers ask: what should be my goal for the season, and how do I qualify for Summer Nationals? What's New for 2026? There are a few important changes to the 2026 USA Fencing Summer...

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The Mental Warm-Up: Why Your Brain Needs Preparation As Much As Your Body

The Mental Warm-Up: Why Your Brain Needs Preparation As Much As Your Body

by | Dec 2, 2025 |

You wouldn't dream of stepping onto the strip without a physical warm-up. No one walks into a bout cold - no footwork, no blade work, no stretching - and expects their body to perform at its best. Everyone understands that muscles need preparation. But what about your brain? Most fencers think that their mental state is some “inherit” attribute of their personality, they either have it or not. Most perceive there are “naturally born” athletes with superior mental ability. If a fencer,...

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Getting There

Getting There

by | Nov 24, 2025 | ,

Every fencer hits the moment in their career when almost everything they do feels wrong. New actions as well as old and trusted actions. Nothing feels quite right. Some fencers will keep trying, grinding through the frustration. Others will want to move on to something else, something they already know how to do, something that makes them feel competent again. And both of those fencers are making progress, even the one who's getting visibly frustrated, whose technique looks worse on attempt...

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The Salute: Why This Small Gesture Matters More Than You Think

The Salute: Why This Small Gesture Matters More Than You Think

by | Nov 20, 2025 | ,

Recently I read an article by Italian fencing master Giancarlo Toran about the importance of the salute in fencing. His reflections on tradition, respect, and what the salute reveals about character deeply resonated with me. I've borrowed some of his ideas here and added my own perspective about this small but crucial ritual. Every fencing bout, in pool or direct elimination, ends the same. Two fencers have just spent one to three periods trying to score touches against each other. Maybe it...

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