Take the ready

When talking about fencing, swords and rapiers, most imagine the times of magnificent balls and daring duels. And only a few associate this word with modern sport. Why is it worth doing fencing, and what will give lessons in this ancient sports art.
What for?

Explain why it is worth doing fencing, in words is quite difficult. To understand this sport, it is necessary to achieve certain results in technology and tactics, because this fight is not only physical, but also intellectual.

In many sports clubs, fencing is now a special kind of fitness, which helps to keep fit, develop coordination of movements and speed of reaction. But best of all, this sport develops such a quality as anticipation – the ability to anticipate the development of a situation, not only on a spatial, but also on a psychological level. The fight can be compared with the children’s game “Stone, scissors, paper”: each partner thinks a combination, and changing it during the fight may simply not be enough time. What will the opponent make the next time – paper or scissors? So intuition gradually develops.

With each enemy, the battle is different. Your task is to understand what techniques your opponent uses and how to outwit him: to think of some combination, to choose a distance, speed and execute it. All this happens in a very short time. Sometimes the audience will not even have time to blink an eye, as the athlete completes a whole tactical move. You will learn to evaluate the situation and calculate the further actions of the enemy, guess his plan, see his mistakes and quickly use them for your own purposes. Good quality, which is definitely useful in life.

To whom?

It was believed that fencing is a sport for men. However, it is not. The fair sex can also learn how to use knives. In addition, unlike, for example, boxing or even football, fencing is not a very traumatic sport. During the fight, there is no direct contact with the opponent, because you are wearing a fencing costume (each one necessarily says in Newtons the force of the injection (shock) that it can withstand). So the maximum you can do is pull your leg or get a bruise.

Fencing is available to almost everyone, regardless of physique and physical data. Whatever the person, he has his own advantages that he can use, and cons that his opponent can use. A trainer will help everyone find important individual qualities and develop them in order to apply them in sparring in the future.

How are your workouts?

In fitness clubs, fencing is taught professionally. The only thing that will distinguish you from real athletes is the number of workouts. Trainings of amateurs, as in big sports, are divided into individual and group. Classes begin with a standard workout. First you need to prepare the muscles and joints, then there is a special warm-up – namely, movement in the fencing rack and injections into the target (if you are engaged in a sword or rapier).

Did you come for the first time? Then first you have to work out with the coach separately. In individual training, you and your trainer will practice different techniques, get the basics of the theory, and analyze previous fights. Then in group classes, as a rule, more intense and more interesting, you will try to apply the acquired knowledge in a battle with the enemy. Group training takes place in the form of combat practice: students fencing with each other, all this is recorded in the protocol, and the winner is revealed. Groups are small (3-4 people).

Optimal combination of fencing with swimming and exercises in the gym. During training, a sufficiently large load falls on the upper shoulder girdle, and during swimming you relax it.
In the gym, special attention should be paid to the lower body, legs. It is necessary to “pump” the ankles so as not to twist the legs and back, so as to avoid curvature. At the same time, one must carefully shake hands, otherwise the speed of their straightening is lost.

Rapier is a stabbing weapon 110 cm long and weighing 500 g, the hand is protected by a round guard with a diameter of 12 cm. During the battle on rapiers, it is necessary to injure the enemy and at the same time avoid an injection. Modern rule determines that an attack by an adversary must be repelled before a response is launched. The judge stops the fight when the device registering injections signals their application. Only injections applied to the body are counted. Injections into the arms, legs and mask are invalid.

Sword is a stabbing weapon 110 cm long and weighing up to 770 g, a flexible steel blade of trihedral cross-section, the hand is protected by a round guard with a diameter of 13.5 cm. In fencing on swords there is no priority for action. The device records only the injection that was applied earlier than the other for 0.04 seconds.