How to Improve at Fencing

At a high level of competition, fencing moves are blurs of motion that are truly appreciated only when viewed in slow motion. The sport requires exquisite hand-to-eye coordination and reflexes, tremendous speed and great flexibility. Developing these skills is not easy.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Find a coach or fencing academy to tutor your progress. Without the direction and discipline offered by these resources, improvement is virtually impossible. Begin your search for an academy or instructor at the website of the United States Fencing Club.

2. Focus on footwork. Polish your forward and backward crossovers, half advance and half retreat, advance, retreat and lunge, on guard and on guard forward, jump forward, fleche, appel advance and appel lunge, slide and check.

3. Progress to compound footwork. Integrate the double advance and double retreat into your set of skills. Then add advance lunge and the jumpforward lunge.

4. Work with these movements until they are as natural as walking. As you practice, add stretching and leg strength exercises as well as lower extremity weight training to increase your agility and speed.

5. Concentrate on initiating all your movements with your legs and not your trunk. Add variations in pace. This is one of the key skills used by international champions to force opponents off-balance.

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Resources

• United States Fencing Club