Methods of Fencing

In the spring of 1986 my sister decided to try the sport of fencing in her limited spare time.

In between working full-time and volunteering with the Girl Scouts, she started taking night classes and really enjoyed it.

The sport of American Fencing is going through a renaissance now.

Saddled by a Hollywood image as “a rich man’s sport,” the practice has been called the ballet of the sports world.

The drive for safer fencing was prompted by the 1982 tournament death of a Soviet champion. Since then many space-age materials and technologies have bee incorporated into the sport making it one of the most progressive sports in the world. In the hands of a highly-trained athlete even the heaviest blades seem lightweight.

There are many methods of learning fencing but only one will make you a champion according to one writer who fences.

In the past Masters (teachers) swore their students to secrecy.

Lessons last between 20 minutes and one hour.

Each instructor has their own personal style and each lesson a purpose.

Elite fencers use all the methods available to them.

Illustrated by hundreds of archives from the world of British fencing A Century of Fencing in Britain charts the major developments in the sport that have occurred over the past century.

Though British Fencing is still a minor sport it has achieved great success in the past 100 years and continues to offer people of all ages the simulation of stretching both mind and body in a way that can be found in this incomparable of all sports, according to Malcom Faree.

The modern Olympic sport requires fencers to be the fittest of athletes and have levels of skill which require many hours of dedicated training.

Fencing for those in wheelchairs is a major sport in disabled competitions and Britain has won many medals at fencing in the Paraplegic Games.

A large number of clubs exist throughout the United Kingdom now. Most clubs are affiliated to the British Fencing Association (BFA).

Fencing is considered by some experts to be one of the safest of sports with even minor injuries uncommon.

Fencing should never be tried without the right teacher, clothing, and equipment.

It is not expensive to start fencing.

After a few weeks of lessons new fencers may wish to buy their own equipment which they can do a little at a time.

Before being able to take part in fencing some basic understanding of the skills of the sport are required.

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