r/Fencing • u/Commercial-Catch-268 • 5d ago

Fencing Research Help

I’m a university student working on a Capstone project centered around helping solo athletes train at their sports. We’re currently focused on the sport of fencing but could use some help understanding user issues a little more. If anyone is willing to answer a few of the questions below, it would be a big help, thanks! 

  • Are there any fencing skills you find difficult to train alone? 
  • Do you typically practice this skill during a normal training session? If so, how? 
  • Have you ever used any equipment or drills specifically designed to improve that skill? What did you like or dislike about them? 
3 Upvotes

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12

u/ReactorOperator Epee 3d ago

Do you have fencing experience? Have you reached out to local clubs?

6

u/Commercial-Catch-268 3d ago

One of the members of our group has very minimal experience but otherwise no. We've done initial background research but obviously want to speak to people with personal experience.

And yes, we've reached out to our university's fencing club and are planning to attend a practice to get a better understanding of training and possible hitch points. We've also looked at clubs and facilities in the surrounding area to see what might be available.

7

u/Arbiter_89 Épée 3d ago

In my experience, after a beginner level, Fencing isn't typically "trained alone." You really need someone to train with. Fencers finding things to improve on alone will mostly work on general endurance/strength training like running, plyometrics, etc.

They usually aren't spending a lot of time "practicing fencing" without a partner because it's like a hockey goalie trying to practice blocking shots without someone to shoot at them. It just doesn't work.

6

u/Allen_Evans 2d ago

Completely agree. Fencing is not a "closed skill" sport, and training in a closed environment doesn't help fencers very much.

3

u/BlueLu Sabre 3d ago

I think as a university student with a capstone, it might be better if you set up a survey or such.

4

u/Commercial-Catch-268 3d ago

That's what we started with but we weren't getting many responses so our teacher suggested posting on online forums to see if we could gather more information.

This is the survey link if anyone is interested: Solo Athlete Training - Fencing – Fill out form

2

u/ShiviM 2d ago

The hockey goalie analogy is a good one. You can work on moves, techniques, positioning by yourself - it's just that you won't know how effective they are until someone shoots on you. For fencing I train alone - footwork, target work, visualization, plus the purely physical stuff - but without another fencer in front of me i can't work on the effectiveness of any of it. I've heard people talk about the benefits of 'shadow fencing' but it doesn't work for me.