Why is fencing useful?
“Fencing a couple of centuries ago was not considered as such a sport, it was an obligatory discipline, not in all countries, of course. The child began to learn how to use a sword in early childhood, literally, when he takes the first steps. Today it is a very beautiful, elegant and in its own way noble sport, which girls enjoy playing with, ”says Alexei Egorov, trainer of the capital’s private fencing school.
The days of knightly tournaments are a thing of the distant past, but as if recalling brave warriors and paying tribute to them, people around the world are engaged in fencing. What kind of sport is this and how dangerous is sword fighting?
Noble sport for the most worthy
From the outside it seems that this sport is somewhat slow and monotonous, but the participant in the sword fight does not think so. It is quite difficult to master fencing, this is not just a technique, it is a philosophy, because together with sports skills a child receives knowledge about the knightly code of honor. From the first lesson, the kid seems to go on a historical journey, he is introduced to unusual equipment, as well as types of weapons. A competent trainer will always tell a couple of motivating stories about noble knights.
How useful is this unusual sport?
This is an interesting and unusual form of training. Baby refuses to go to baby fitness or even to the pool? Try fencing, he will definitely like it.
An experienced trainer will teach the child not only to be a fighter, but also to be a “little knight”, the baby will learn to respect the opponent, will be persistent and purposeful, but at the same time he will not forget about politeness.
Fencing will make your baby restrained, it is not customary to show emotions in public in this sport, and this is a very useful quality for a little man.
Fighting with swords is always stress, greater or lesser, but the child is worried in earnest. Already at the first training, the baby will have to overcome fear, fencing will quickly teach him not to panic in a stressful situation.
This sport is no less dynamic than team games, but at the same time the body develops gradually, the body does not experience beyond physical exertion.
Making a decision in seconds is another skill that a small swordsman will learn.
If a swordsman is attacked, say, by robbers, go hooligans, he is unlikely to be able to hit them with a sword in a dark gateway. But he will not give offense to himself. Each athlete knows how to stand up for himself, knows the basic techniques of self-defense, and more importantly, he masterfully avoids enemy attacks.
And, oddly enough, this is a safe sport, injuries are extremely rare.
Many parents consider fencing a dangerous sport, and this opinion is justified, because the children are using real melee weapons. But getting hurt by “sports” swords is almost impossible! The child is always engaged in special equipment that reliably protects the body, cuts or injuries are excluded. If the classes are led by a responsible trainer, you can not worry about the child.
What are the disadvantages of this sport?
Fencing is practically a “positive” sport, the disadvantages are not so significant:
Fencing requires vigilance of the eyes, during the attack you need to quickly switch your attention, and therefore in battle eyes are very tired. On the one hand, this is good, but if there are problems with vision, then excessive workload will only aggravate the situation.
Like tennis, this sport is “one-armed”, it can provoke scoliosis, as well as asymmetry of the right and left parts of the body.
If swimming, say, all muscle groups work, then when fencing, the main load falls on the legs and shoulder girdle, and therefore you have to introduce a special set of exercises for the press, lower back. Training lasts one and a half to two hours and is often exhausting.
To whom is fencing contraindicated?
Children with visual impairment and eye disease.
For any problems in the musculoskeletal system.
In chronic diseases of the internal organs, asthma.
When to send your child to class?
If you want your kid to become a champion in fencing, then for the first time you can attend classes already in three or four years. Take your son or daughter to adult training, tell him about this unusual sport, try to interest him. The next step is to get acquainted with the history of fencing and the main types of weapons, this will happen already in training at a sports school.
It seems to you that the three-year-old will not hold a long sword and cannot cope with it? Do not worry, the first year the baby learns to own her shortened version – the blade. He is selected not only by age, but also by the growth of the young fencer.
If fencing should not become a “life-long affair”, you consider it to be a fascinating occupation for a child and no more, then you can take him to classes at eight to ten years. It is worth remembering that fencing is an “adult” sport, truly serious results and high-profile victories an athlete can achieve no earlier than 18 years of age.
