From youth, to teens, to seniors, men and women across the country are learning to fence.  It's a great way to get and to stay in shape.  Anyone can learn to fence safely while having a great workout and lots of fun.

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Fencing is commonly referred to as “physical chess” as it is both physically and mentally challenging.  The sport is fast, athletic, and is more like an intense, unscripted dance rather than the choreographed scenes commonly seen in film or on stage.  High-level competitive fencing requires stamina, skill, strategy, sharp reflexes, self-discipline and superb mental focus.

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All fencers learn to analyze problems, think fast, and make complex decisions.  These are excellent skills that can help anyone reach their potential in many areas other than just fencing.  Some of the additional benefits of fencing include:

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·       Developing discipline, focus, mental preparation, and the skills for dealing with success or failure

·       Building stamina, strength, balance, coordination, and confidence while improving reflexes

·       Promoting self-control, self-esteem, and self-assurance

·       Enhancing concentration, decision making skills, and judgment while improving strategic and tactical

        planning considerations

·       Teaching how to set goals and make plans to meet them, as well as learning to deal with the fear of

        failure

·       Provides a safe and healthy outlet to relieve stress

·       Is a fun place to meet people and develop life-long friendships

·       Fencing is a NCAA sport and many universities provide scholarship opportunities

·       The sense of accomplishment that comes with learning something new

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Fencing is a life-long sport that can be started as early as 7 or 8 and continue to an old age.  One of the fencers in our St Louis division recently celebrated his 83rd birthday and regularly enters competitions!  While contact sports are tough on the body and become increasingly difficult as we age, fencing, like golf and tennis, is a sport that can be continued regardless of age.  Competitive age brackets for fencers start as young as 10 and under and continue up through the veteran age brackets of 70+.

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By enrolling in a beginning fencing class today, you could discover a lifelong passion and a way to stay active for decades to come.  Fencing is particularly beneficial for children as they learn good sportsmanship and self-discipline at an early age.  They learn how to compete independently as well as for a team while becoming physically fit and healthy.

 

Additionally, the sport of fencing is by its very nature competitive. In any given encounter, one person will be victorious, and one will be defeated; there are no ties.  Learning to accept victory gracefully is at least as important as learning to overcome defeat with poise; there is a lesson in every bout regardless of the outcome.  Thus, fencing by its very nature teaches sportsmanship, resilience, and mental toughness. 

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