History and Purpose

I'm not about to detail the history of fencing from a mode of combat to a modern sport; there are plenty of books out there that will do that for you. I will assume that if you are reading this you have an interest and know something about the topic. This history is more of an attempt to establish my credentials and explain why I have started this blog.

I've been involved in fencing for the last 20 years and have been a coach at various levels for the last 15. In my youth I was more competitive and achieved modest success at regional level in the UK. However, as I've mellowed in age and outlook I've found that I get more and more satisfaction out of my coaching. I have worked with both children and adults and have coached at four separate clubs in Norfolk. I fence both foil and (occasionally) epee but only coach at foil. I have never been able to raise any interest in sabre whatsoever - sorry sabreurs! I am a qualified coach with both the British Academy of Fencing and British Fencing but my views are purely my own and do not reflect anyone else's opinions on fencing. It is fair to say that Norfolk is not exactly the hub of the fencing world in the UK and that if you want to fence/coach at elite level then the home counties are the place to be. I don't claim to be an outstanding coach, in fact I could probably be classed as a bit of a grass roots journeyman coach, plying my skills in my own little niche. I am an amateur in the sense that I make no money and earn no salary for my time, all my efforts are for free and the fun of it. I do work with a Professional Coach and have been assisting him for the majority of my career, although he's long since been comfortable enough to let me get on with it in my own way.

During the last 15 years the number of people I have coached runs into the hundreds. Only one of these has gone on to an elite level and she is currently (at time of writing) the number 1 female foilist in the UK. I claim absolutely no responsibility/credit for this. Her path and success have been crafted by her talent, determination and self belief plus many better coaches than I. I only make this point to show that only the minority of people involved in fencing (and any other sport) ever reach the elite peak of their pursuit. The vast majority of us find other ways to get a sense of achievement from fencing, whether it is social, physical fitness, personal progress or just enjoyment. This blog is all about my own personal view of fencing which is underscored by the premise that there is more to fencing than just scoring points at all costs. It is a sport that has a long tradition behind it and it is this that I have become more drawn too over the last few years. I still believe that competitive fencing is an integral part of the sport and it is important to win but not at the expense of behaviour, attitude and technique. Recently I have been aware of the fact that fencing (and indeed many martial arts) is becoming popularised by the emphasis on winning and gaining awards. Obviously in past times when faced with an armed opponent the objective was to stay alive, to win at all costs. The Eastern martial arts started from the same basis but in evolving into an art managed to incorporate self development and awareness as a goal. Western fencing has never done this, possibly due to the fact that the Western mind is different, less spiritual, more materialistic and as a result more competitive. Over the last few decades fencing has become increasingly focussed on competition rather than form which raises the dilemma that if there is only room at the top of the success ladder for a few, what are the majority to do? I believe that by considering the traditions and discipline of fencing and combining them with lessons learned from other disciplines, fencing can become an effective means of self improvement, intellectual challenge and physical exercise. The purpose of this blog will be to explore those ideas in greater detail.

This blog is predominantly for my students as a supplement to my lessons in the salle. As such, you will not find detailed expositions of techniques in these entries as this is not intended as a beginners guide to fencing, although I will discuss basic techniques as a foundation of understanding. These entries are meant to act as a stimulus for the more experienced fencer to explore their sport and themselves in a deeper way.