Fencing As Exercise

The sport of fencing is an excellent means of exercise. Besides providing a good general cardiovascular workout, fencing is a weight-bearing exercise, meaning it's good for bone health and leg strengthening. Fencing can also be a social activity, ensuring your workout is something to look forward to. As many fencing clubs have regular meetings, there's the additional commitment factor to help ensure one attends and keeps up the practice.

  1. Health Benefits

    • The swashbuckling action of fencing often works out stress after a hectic day. Because it provides a cardiovascular workout, it strengthens the heart and lungs while improving general stamina. It is also believed to reduce cholesterol, which would, in turn, reduces the risk of heart disease. Fencing provides an aerobic workout that burns calories and helps to tone muscles, keeping the body in better shape. And it's long been determined that people who feel better and look better maintain a more positive mental attitude and possess greater self-esteem.

      In studying your opponent and making defensive and offensive decisions, fencing also works out the mind, much like playing a game of chess. Lastly, it provides the psychological benefits of developing a social network with like-minded people who also enjoy fencing.

    Fencing Clubs

    • Fencing requires a partner. If you don't have someone to fence with, join a fencing club. Even if you have someone, consider joining a club, as fencing against different opponents will sharpen your skills. Moreover, if you are interested in trying fencing as a fitness program, you will need to learn the basics---most fencing organizations offer classes. Classes are a good way to develop a regular habit of working out.

      Even though the class is likely to meet just once a week, make practicing at home another two or three times a week a regular habit. For any fitness program to generate results, it must be done on a consistent basis. Generally, this means working out three or four times a week. Remember that fencing is more than an exercise, it's also a sport. While you don't have to be a skilled fencer to enjoy fencing or to gain the associated health benefits, a certain degree of competence is required to ensure you don't injure yourself in practice.

    Warming Up

    • Before any fencing session, be sure to warm up your muscles. Jog in place or do jumping jacks to get your blood flowing. Five minutes should be plenty for a vigorous warm-up. For something less vigorous, give the muscles 7 to 10 minutes. Then spend another 5 to 10 minutes doing stretches to limber the legs and arms. You will learn a series of good stretches in most fencing classes. The actual amount of time required will depend on what shape you're already in. Those more physically fit may warm-up and stretch out much quicker.

    Fencing Routine

    • Create a 30-minute routine in which you advance and retreat using basic steps mixed with crossover advance and retreat steps. Perhaps you advance twice, retreat once, then crossover advance and crossover retreat twice. Repeat or change up your stepping pattern. Add in a basic extension attack at the end of an advance. Repeat the stepping pattern while going through the eight common parries. Perhaps run through the entire stepping sequence for each parry. Finally, practice in a full lunge and add it to the end of an advance. As you become fitter, increase your routine, first to 45 minutes, then to an hour.