‘Why introduce fencing into your school?’ - An Introduction from England Fencing.
The European martial art, fencing is often described as ‘physical chess’ and it suits everyone from 8 to 80 because it relies just as much on mental prowess and tactics as on physical agility. Yes, there’s controlled aggression but there’s also elegance in the balance and movement involved and sporting behaviour in the rules and regulations of the game. The large mental element involved is where fencers aim to outwit and outmanoeuvre their opponent. An hour’s active fencing burns over 350 calories and a competitive 9-minute bout can use up as much energy as a 1-mile run!
Fencing as a PE Activity. Fencing, even at novice levels, provides effective cardio-vascular and skeleto-muscular exercise, with benefits for improved posture whilst at the same time requiring mental/cerebral effort thus improving reaction times. It teaches hand-eye co-ordination, improves proprioception, core stability and balance, mobility and sporting etiquette, discipline and social behaviours. It suits all age-groups and children of all shapes, sizes and degrees of fitness because fencers can develop and participate to a level that suits them. In addition, there are opportunities for cross-curriculum work in language, history, maths and science.
It is also novel and different (let’s face it, few other sports offer the possibility of safe one-to-one non-body-contact combat with pointy metal sticks!), often appealing to those who do not naturally gravitate towards the commonly offered field and/or team sports. Fencing also assists in the development of timing, distance and speed for other sports.
A typical 90-minute session (or double period) would include warm-up and stretches, reaction-time exercises and fencing-related games, footwork practice, group lessons on technique and tactics, and free-play, all under the close supervision of a properly qualified and insured coach. Perhaps because of the potential health and safety challenges, fencing equipment is designed for maximum protection and health and safety is the prime concern at every session. The space required for a class of 12 is approx one Badminton Court, or the size of the average school gymnasium.
Children as young as 6 can be introduced to the sport via the Mini-Fence® system, using foam weapons and simple plastic masks. Mini-Fence® is designed to be taught by non-fencing specialists and does not require a qualified coach. It comes complete with detailed lesson plans for a 10-week programme. Fencers learn how to move, attack and defend, they develop a sense of distance, timing and speed as well as learning to use tactical blade-work and the co-ordination of hand, eye and feet so that they can score a touch on their opponent’s target without themselves getting hit. It’s true that there’s no quick pay-off (not like using an exercise bike or running machine) because it takes about four or five sessions to get the hang of the various moves. Nevertheless, experience has shown that even children with challenging behaviour can be successfully engaged with positive results for improved concentration and social behaviour. It is immensely rewarding for those who persevere and children have great fun learning along the way. After foam weapons there are plastic weapons that also are safe to use with a simple plastic face-mask.
For those who wish to progress or who are starting at a later age, then fencing with metal weapons and the full equipment is recommended. There is a progressive pathway available in the sport, comprising link and hub clubs and a competition framework for after-school competition as well as a comprehensive timetable of national competitions especially for children.
To discover more about opportunities for school fencing competitions and England Fencing’s National Competition Framework for schools go to click here.
It’s fun, it’s fast, it’s fencing!
Mini-Fence® is a registered trade name of Leon Paul Equipment Co Ltd.
