Is it too late to start practicing Spanish fencing Destreza?
At what age is acceptable to engage in fencing, in particular the Spanish school Destreza? – It turned out that this question worries many readers.
Today, fencing has several main directions. So, in children’s fencing more often come as children up to 10 years old and after 10-12 years of intensive training, some of them achieve significant results in one of the narrow specializations – epee, rapier or saber. They begin to engage in stage fencing in theatrical universities. Although fencing is enthusiastic and rather traumatic, historical fencing is done by people of a conscious age, usually after 18.
FACT: The last saber world championship (2006) was won by a female athlete from South Africa who started fencing after 50 years.
But all of the above is not martial art. Since combat fencing involves the possession of cold steel weapons (not imitation), including a stick or knife. Fencing at all times was an integral part of the education of the nobleman. And as you know, relatively recently, fencing from martial art has turned into a sport and reconstruction. Probably, because today you don’t especially go around the city with a sword. However, there is a certain category of citizens who have with them a stick / club / bat or various kinds of knives and how they know how to fence them when attacking those who do not have this with them. (I’ll say right away to those who say that they live in the age of firearms – how many do you know who always has it with them? And moreover, how many of them used it in time at a critical moment?)
Destresa is a martial art, and besides, it has a powerful scientific and philosophical base. Destreza brought up a person, turned him from a commoner into a nobleman: a capable, moral and intelligent person, distinguished by his power among others due to his efficiency.
No matter what leads you to Destreza — desire, circumstances, chance, or an informed choice — no matter what age you start studying Destreza, it is important how seriously you make efforts. And then your result will be developed logic, tactical thinking, analytical mind, quick assessment and prediction of the situation, the choice of the desired action with a victory (and this significantly reduces time), etc.
Such dexterity, trained through working with weapons, comes in handy in everyday life. In the training room, you still have the opportunity to miss, to work out the principle at a slow pace. But neither life, nor real battle will give you either extra time or the right to make a mistake. And those who believed that someone would take care of their safety, and those who “had everything” yesterday, today in a number of events are losing what has been accumulated. As the saying goes, “You won’t run away from fate.” The world is changing rapidly, and if a person is in no hurry to improve, does not predict options and cannot be ready for them, then he is unlikely to avoid defeat.
Destreza’s classes are available to both men and women who have reached 18 years of age and are limited not by age, but by a reluctance to be effective in battle and life. And it’s never too late to start.
Join the club. Once you have decided where you want to go, organize a trial session or trial period to form an opinion about the club. You can even just sit and watch how others are doing to get an idea of the coaching techniques and styles.
Learn to use the sword correctly and safely. It is important that you know how to hold the weapon correctly. Do not swing it strongly and do not point it at a person who is not protected by a mask. When you hold the sword, point its sharp end to the floor. If you are moving with a sword in your hand, do not hold it by the handle, but hold it by the sharp end. If you need both hands to put on a mask or take it off, be sure to lower your sword first.
Check out the basic terms. You need to have a good understanding of the basic concepts. Here are some important terms that you need to learn from the very beginning: warning, attack, parry, retaliation, counter-response. Attack is an offensive action. Parry is a defensive action. The counter strike is the counter attack after parry. A counter-response is an attack that follows a retaliatory strike.
