Why Fencing Is the Best Sport For Your Kids

What do Mark Zuckerberg, Tom Cruise, Will Smith, and David Beckham all have in common?

They all love Fencing! Zuckerberg was captain of his college team, and the latter three all fence together with Tom Cruise leading the instruction.

Many successful people out of the limelight enjoy the lifelong sport of Fencing as well. We've found many of our students come from debate club, Model UN, chess club, kids in band, taking music, and robotics clubs.

Has your kid displayed disinterest in playing team sports like basketball or football?

Fencing is excellent for honing concentration, precision, confidence, tactics, speed, flexibility, balance, dedication, and the ability to win and lose gracefully.

We find that many kids don't feel drawn to the more prominent sports; those team sports don't suit them for whatever reason.

These kids would often love to have a physical outlet to learn about life, competition, winning, and losing.

What exactly is Fencing?

According to Wikipedia:

"Fencing [1] is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern Fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also saber); winning points happens through the weapon's contact with an opponent.

Fencing was one of the first sports to be played in the Modern Olympics. Based on traditional swordsmanship skills, this modern sport arose at the end of the 19th century.

There are three forms of modern Fencing, each of which uses a different kind of weapon and has different rules; thus, the sport itself is divided into three competitive scenes: foil, épée, and sabre. Most competitive fencers choose to specialize in one weapon only.

Fun fact: Competitive Fencing is one of the five activities featured in every modern Olympic Games, the other four being athletics, cycling, swimming, and gymnastics.

Three Benefits of Fencing

Fencing has many benefits and deserves due consideration for anyone interested in trying something different.

The 3 benefits we'll cover are:

Fencing as an individual sport
Fencing as a safe sport
Fencing as a lifelong sport

Let's jump in.

Fencing is an Individual Sport

Individual sports offer a lot of benefits.

Our individuals have always preferred to succeed on their own merits. While there is a team feeling in training, it is up to the fencer to bring out the best for themselves.

The fencer must motivate themselves to train, motivate themselves to perform, and accept their defeats alone instead of blaming teammates.

That teaches character.

In team sports, it can be easy to blame team members and hide in the crowd. Not so when you're the only one on the fencing strip, and all eyes are on you.

Maybe there's a reason top movie stars and business professionals gravitate towards the sport?

Fencing: Safer than Table Tennis.

Many parents worry about their child's chances of getting injured, however slight, which can ruin the enjoyment of watching their child grow and win.

But don't worry, Fencing has a lower injury rate than Table Tennis!

That's right, all those late nights in the dorms playing Ping Pong put you at more risk of injury than your kid will face during their career in Fencing.

A study of injuries occurring in Olympic competition ranks Fencing as having one of the lowest injury rates, making it one of the safest Olympic sports.

Graphic by Jen Christiansen, Illustrations by MCKIBILLO; Source: Lars Engebretsen, University of Oslo) https://www.fencing.net/13020/fencing-safer-than-badminton/

In that study of injuries from the 2008 Olympics, only five summer Olympic sports posted lower injury rates than Fencing. Those were diving, synchronized swimming, rowing, kayak, and sailing.

Furthermore, the sport offers excellent physical benefits.

The bouts are short and quick, which helps train the anaerobic system of the body. Very much like football does. Reflexes and flexibility are paramount and well as speed, precision, and determination.

Fencing is a lifelong sport.

Because of Fencing's low injury rate and individual nature, competitive Fencing continues well after most other sports peter out.

Olympic fencers tend to be older than most other sports, with national team members often in their thirties during the big competition.

It's not just the Olympics though – adult fencing competition is enriching and taken very seriously on all levels.

Fencing is a sport for a lifetime with excellent local, regional, national, and international fencing opportunities, so competing adults can continue their fencing career all their lives.

The Bottom Line

Should your kid do Fencing?

Of course! It's easy to try, and the first lesson is free.

This piece covered individual sports' benefits, the low injury rate of fencers, and how Fencing is a lifelong sport.

If this sounds intriguing to you, please get in contact or drop by.

Our open times are listed below.

Come Visit Us

2840 Girard Boulevard Northeast

Albuquerque, NM 87107

505 872 0048

REGULAR HOURS

Mon. - Fri. 3:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Sat. 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

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