Is it unsafe to fence? Is it true that a fence is harmful? When it comes to fencing for their small children, folks commonly ask these questions. Fencing is one of the safest sports in the world, despite the fact that it involves “hitting” each other with metal blades and other weapons. Isn’t it incredible?
From the protective costume to computerized point-scoring, from proper movement technique to the malleability of the weapons, everything about contemporary fencing is designed with safety in mind. Fencing is the best combat sport to learn if you want to learn a combat sport that isn’t likely to damage you.
Fencing necessitates a high level of mental agility – maybe more than any other sport – but it also necessitates strength, balance, dexterity, and motor abilities. All of this adds up to a sport that is unexpectedly tough. Fencing injuries are quite rare when using proper technique and training.
In fact, from the beginning of your training with us, one of our key ideas is to teach proper technique and movement! We recognize that the key to long-term success in any activity, as well as in life, is to move correctly, care for our bodies, and treat them with respect– to transport the manner our bodies had been designed to transport.
One thing to keep in mind is that practicing fencing, like any physical activity, might leave you sore, especially if you’re a rookie fencer! Beginner fencers use their bodies in novel ways, and their first few classes are likely to focus on muscles they’ve never worked on before! Remember the first time you went to the gym to work on your legs and couldn’t walk for the following three days? After your first few fencing courses, you’ll probably feel the same way, which is a sign that your strength and fencing abilities are improving!
Is Fencing Dangerous?
Fencing, on the other hand, isn’t risky. According to research from the University of Oslo, which we mentioned in an earlier blog article, it is the 8th safest Olympic sport!
Long answer: As with any sport, injuries may and will occur. Just like when we bend down to pick up the vacuum cleaner or some boxes to transport at home! Fencing injuries are almost often caused by poor technique or worn-out joints, and they are easily avoidable.
Only five sports had fewer injuries than fencing during the 2008 Olympic Summer Games, according to research by Junge A, Engebretsen L, Mountjoy ML, Alonso JM, Renstrom PAFH, Aubry MJ, and Dvorak J (2009) who all are connected to the University of Oslo. These sports were diving, synchronized swimming, rowing, kayaking, and sailing. Soccer had the most injuries, followed by taekwondo, field hockey, handball, and weightlifting, according to the same survey.
Furthermore, the study found that contact with another participant was responsible for one-third of all Olympic sports injuries. Body contact is forbidden in fencing, and in some circumstances, the competitor might be disqualified if the contact was instigated.
I mean, it’s hard to believe, isn’t it? Let me clarify a few things about fencing, because many people think of it as Zorro slashing the other person’s shirt into bits, leaving a “Z” on the garment, or Musketeers killing each other over breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even a glass of wine with their pals. The goal of modern fencing is to score points using the tip of an extremely flexible, light blade.
The point is not at all sharp, making fencing quite safe. The fencer’s torso is completely coated with Kevlar, the same material used to produce bulletproof vests. (Of course, we didn’t try to shoot it to see whether it worked; we just use fencing blades.) The fencer’s head is completely covered by a metal mesh mask that can withstand forces far greater than the fencing blade.
There are a plethora of studies available on the internet, all of which show that fencing is not a dangerous, risky, or possibly high-injury activity.
Fencing injuries sometimes occur, although they are mostly pulled or strained muscles, bruises, or sprains. These injuries may all be avoided or mitigated with adequate training, warm-ups, and stretching. After all, similar incidents occur while youngsters are playing on the playground. Fencing, as we can see, has a very minimal risk of harm. Focus, self-discipline, comradery, respect, and other advantages will be discovered as children, teenagers, and adults discover the sport’s limitless potential. These abilities will benefit you for the rest of your life and will last a lifetime.
As a fencing academy, we focus all of our lessons on teaching our students the proper skills for fencing safely and enjoyably, and we lay a strong emphasis on their safety and well-being. We are continuously on the lookout for pupils who are using bad form and technique. When we notice a pupil using improper technique, we remind them and demonstrate how to improve it.
On the other hand, one of the first lessons we teach our pupils is that they should not be scared of being touched. We recognize that new students are sometimes scared, and the first question on their minds is always, “Does fencing hurt? ” They bounce proper in after being “struck” some instances and realizing it does no harm at all!
Finally, we don’t give any of our kids steel weapons until they’re ready to use them for safety reasons. To ensure that everyone is practicing properly, we educate everyone to pay attention and focus on what they’re doing. We only give them a weapon to fence with once they’ve proven they’re responsible enough to handle it.
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The 5 Most Common Fencing Injuries Are:
Blisters and Calluses: As you use your weapon more frequently, blisters and calluses build on your weapon hand.
Bruises: Fencing bruises are frequent on the fingers, front legs, hands, and wrists.
Muscles and Ligaments in Strain: The hamstrings are the most stressed muscles and ligaments on a fencer’s body. Other body regions that require special attention during fencing include the shoulders and neck.
Fencer’s Elbow: Fencer’s Elbow is a word used to denote tendinitis in a fencer’s elbow. It commonly develops in the weapon-holding arm’s elbow as a result of excessive elbow usage.
How To Prevent Fencing Injuries?
So, this far we learned much about fencing and injury bad vibes. Let’s talk about ways to avoid self-inflicted injuries! These are all elements we incorporate into our curriculum to ensure that children learn about safety from the beginning, and you’ll recognize some of them if you participate in any other sports or athletic activities!
Lack of right warm-up and stretching: The simplest manner to think about our muscle tissue is like cheese, we need to heat them up earlier than we use them so that they emerge as extra malleable, otherwise, muscle tissue may be pretty brittle and might tear if we push them too hard. Stretching plays a comparable feature however additionally allows us to flush our joints with fluid to shield the tendons & ligaments. At our Fencing Academy, we region an extraordinary deal of emphasis on warming up and making ready our bodies earlier than each magnificence as fencing may be pretty taxing.
Repetitive movement: Overuse accidents are precisely what they sound like – over time, acting the identical actions once more and once more, without schooling assisting muscles, wears away at our bodies. Think of the way all of us begin off evolving to expand knee and lower back pains as they get older. The first-class manner to keep away from overuse is to study accurate techniques, so you’re now no longer setting your joints into undue strain and don’t push thru the ache whilst you begin to hurt! You also can take nutrients, nutrients, etc. that will help you with these, however, seek advice from a scientific expert earlier than taking any new medication.
Lack of after-care: Fencing may be a tiring recreation and as such, it’s particularly critical that you rest! Your muscle groups want time to get better after fencing training or bouts, similar to another workout. Make positive you’re ingesting masses of water – hydration is the whole lot to our bodies. Try to get good enough sleep too, as a minimum of 7 and a 1/2 of hours a night time and ideally throughout everyday night time-time hours (10-6). Finally, try and go teach assisting muscle corporations like your core, decrease back, abductors, adductors, and glutes. These will assist guide your stability in addition to calves and decrease legs.
Is Fencing Safe?
Yes! Fencing is one of the most secure sports activities you may participate in and you may have a blast doing it. Our recognition is on coaching our amateur fencers, each adult and children, now no longer most effective the proper manner to the fence, however the proper manner to educate and put together for any bodily activity, keep away from injury, and maximum importantly, be secure at the same time as having an outstanding time! Our fencing academy has grown to become novices into international champions and Olympians so if you’re contemplating taking over fencing, we’re certain we will assist educate it to you, so get in contact with us now and discover if fencing is for you!
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