Academy of Fencing Masters Blog

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...

It happened again last weekend during the March NAC. One of our fencers — talented, hard-working, technically sound — froze on the strip during a crucial DE. Not because their opponent was doing anything particularly brilliant. Not because they didn't know what to do. But because somewhere between the "Fence!" command and their first step, a voice in their head whispered: "You're going to mess this up. You always do against this fencer." Just a tiny, seemingly insignificant whisper of a...

In the world of international fencing, a remarkable story has unfolded over the past two decades - one that challenges traditional narratives about gender and sport. While many Olympic sports see men's events receive greater attention and prestige, American fencing tells a different tale. The meteoric rise of Team USA on the international stage has been led not by men, but by women who have redefined what's possible with a sword in hand, our American Queens of the strip. The Golden Revolution...

In one of the regional competitions, one of our girls told me - "I would feel embarrassed if I didn't succeed and lose the bouts. It will be especially big embarrassment if I lose to somebody weaker than me." These words stopped me in my tracks. Not because they were surprising - they weren't. But because they captured something so fundamentally true about our relationship with fencing, with competition, and with ourselves. Something we rarely talk about openly. This girl had already qualified...