It’s here! After a whole year of preparation, a long hard season that’s pushed everyone to their limit, and an incredible amount of personal growth and diligent planning, Fencing Summer Nationals are finally here. We sincerely hope that you’re reading this blog on...
The age categories in fencing generally mean that you’ll be fencing someone who is about the same height as you are – generally speaking. However it’s not uncommon to come across a fencer who is much taller than you are, and that can pose its own unique set of...
In the recent Arizona SYC, I witnessed a situation when in a pool bout an inexperienced referee called “HALT” and moved the bout to 1 minute due to non-combativity. Of course both coaches jumped in and explained the rule to the referee, who needed to verify with the...
To the novice fencer, competition can be overwhelming. Besides there being three different weapons, each with their own unique rules and conventions, there are also two different formats to the competition – team and individual. I bet that the first image when many...
When your child starts competing on the regional or national level, school absences are almost inevitable. National level tournaments (NAC’s and Championships) run Friday thru Monday, and regional level tournaments, such as RYC’s, SYC’s, RJCC’s and ROC’s also often...
All eyes were on Rio this summer as the USFA was busy with promoting fencing in different places around the country in support of our accomplished athletes in the Summer Olympics. That’s rightfully so - the momentum and the press has never been better for fencing. But...
We always talk about getting “psyched up” for competition - but what if getting “psyched down” is really what we need to be doing? Fencing in competition is complicated stuff. There’s so much to it, so many things to think about all at once from your stance to the...
One of the biggest confusions among parents is figuring out how to get their child to qualify for Fencing Summer Nationals in the United States. And the main reason - the qualification path changes every year! Not only will your child change in age category and start...
Looking for some great advice about navigating fencing competitions? There is so much to the process of competing as a fencer - from regulations and preparation to how to deal with unexpected challenges that happen during a fencing bout. Here are seventeen of AFM’s...
Understanding fencing scoring is so essential to becoming successful as a competitor. Fencers are required to sign their scoresheets as soon as they have completed their bouts, but most often novice fencers just sign without thinking, assuming that the judges and...
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