Fencing

Fencing is a challenging sport. It might look easy — and honestly, when I first joined, it was. In about a week I was able to beat every kid in the beginner class. But it only stayed easy for a little while. The difficult thing about fencing is the mental demand. I had to learn so many moves, constantly had to keep my posture in check, to guess my opponent's next moves, and correspond accordingly. What made the mental and physical exertion worse was, at one point, every person surrounding me while fencing seemed better than me. They were fast, their posture was perfect, and they could do multiple things at once.

I was on the verge of quitting. I couldn't beat any kid in the advanced class, and I was too embarrassed to fence them. But one day I decided to just watch them. I should have been considering how much they actually practiced. The students weren't born pro fencers — they put in effort every day. They never slacked off. I saw that the only way to overcome a challenge is to have the mindset to do so. Now it's been two years since I joined fencing. Every day, I try. I practice to the best of my abilities. I was able to fence and defeat my first advanced opponent, and I was invited to the advanced class.

Fencing has taught me that challenges can appear anywhere, and you can't just give up. The only way to reach your goal is to face it. Don't quit because you can't do it; try harder and overcome it. Thanks to fencing, I've learned that I'm the only person who can control my life.

— Misheel Tamir

I've always heard Epee 2.5 was THE book for understanding tactics in epee, but it was impossible to access. Apparently, they have released an updated version on Amazon now.

Original created by The Fencing Coach

DENVER (AP) — When Kirsten Hawkes, a one-time elite fencer, reached out to her childhood coach for advice about starting her own fencing club, their meeting turned awkward right away.

It began, she said, with an unwanted kiss on the lips when the two met at a bar during a fencing tournament in Minneapolis last October. A few hours later, as she and the coach were saying good-bye, Hawkes said he forcibly kissed her — “stuck his tongue in my mouth,” she told investigators.

Hawkes filed a complaint against the then-assistant coach with the U.S. Paralympic team to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, whose mandate is to combat sex abuse in Olympic sports. But it didn’t take long for her to realize she was pitted against not just the coach, but one of the most renowned sports attorneys in the United States.