I used to talk too much during lessons. This caused two problems: it broke up the flow of the actions in the lesson -- and fencing is just about feeling actions flow as it is about doing actions correctly -- and it kept me from connecting with my students on an emotional level.

Fencing operates in a lot of areas at once: technical, tactical, physical, and emotional. The fencing lesson should incorporate these elements as well. By talking too much, I kept my students from connecting ...