Technical Lesson

Just came back from fencing and had a productive night. Learned about beat attacks, reviewed critical distance, and had a semi-private lesson. One of the things that I learned today that I need to keep in mind is to extend my arm before moving my body forward. This allows for more hits. I noticed a difference right away when I tried attacking with this simple rule. I also learned that when an opponent does not intend to proceed with an attack but simply makes a movement (no arm extension) with his/her body, that you should just go for an attack. When attacking, timing is also important. One should start off a bit slower with the attack and then speed up near the end.

Remember, arm before body, and varying speed.

Rusty

Started fencing again yesterday (last term ended mid-March) and I am convinced now that it is easy to become rusty at fencing after you stop for a period of time. By the end of the last term, I was hitting more than I was getting hit. I had finally started to figure out what worked for me. Yesterday, I felt as though I was starting from the beginning (which was of course frustrating). I began to think to myself, how can I practice fencing during the off time in order to prevent getting rusty? Keeping fit is not a problem, but what are some ways that I can practice fencing techniques without actually fencing somebody? Some obvious ideas would include:

- Practicing footwork.
- Practicing lunges.

Is there anything else? How do you practice your fencing techniques?

En Garde

Welcome to my fencing blog! Here I hope to share my fencing experiences, hear your experiences, share fencing techniques, discuss fencing techniques, ask questions, answer questions, discuss fencing gear, and so on (anything that you can think of).

I thought a good topic to start off this blog with would be to share what I like about fencing. The reasons why I enjoy fencing are for the following reasons:

1. Keeps you fit. Fencing is a good cardio workout as well as strength workout.

2. Good for the mind. It requires mental discipline and it sharpens the mind since participants are constantly trying to out-think one another. Also, every opponent that you fence with is different. This makes fencing continuosly challenging.

3. Burns calories. Fencing can be beneficial to those who wish to lose weight or maintain their weight.

4. Social. Fencing involves regular interaction with like-minded people.