As coaches we often get this question from parents and fencers: When is the right time to start competing? And no matter who is asking, my answer is always the same: Competing is an integral part of the fencing learning process. There are plenty of fencing competitions for all ages and levels. As long as you have the desire to improve your fencing and a strong will to learn, competing can start after a couple of months of training. This year, we started a new sabre class at o

Fencing is often called “physical chess” or “chess with swords” to highlight the importance of one’s mental game in the sport. When you start fencing, the focus is going to be on learning various techniques for footwork, blade-work, how to control your lines, and, in the case of foil and epee, tip control. There are many ways to learn those skills following different schools that originated mainly in Europe. But the essence of fencing, like in any martial art, is in how you m