Just come back from my first fencing lesson and i.....

[TomWainwright]

LOVED IT! he started out telling me about all the equipment the different weapons etc. he then showed us the en guard (sp?) position and the lunge basic parry and the spinny parry thing (cant remember name the one where you move the blade around your opponents to block it) then he paired us up with some (slightly) more experienced fencers and we fenced for the last 15 minutes which was great fun i loved the way that there were tactics to it as well as general technique and i loved using the spinny parry thing (whether i was doing it right was another matter. Also waiting to begin watching the more experienced fencers fence was fun to. only problem was it screwed up my driving lesson which i had immediately after as i couldnt stop thinking about it. Im using Foil at the moment but eventualy id like to try out the other weapons to see which one i like best. Thanks to everyone who convinced me to take it up i cant wait untill next week.

Ps any tips for a beginner?

[melihop]

Keep beaing enthusiastic!!! And having fun!!! Try as hard as you can! But mostly have fun!!!!!! (sure, its not the best advice to do well... but you will do better if you are enjoying it, than if you are taking it way too sereiously)

[Zilverzmurfen]

You see? You should listen to us, we're very wise people!

It's great to hear you enjoyed your first fencing experience! If your club has the oppurtunity to show you the different weapons it's great if you get the chance to try them all out to see which one suits you the best/you like the most.

As for beginners tips...
Well, this is the most important tip you will ever get: have fun.

You may be a child prodigy at fencing, but if you're the least bit like me it might take you a while before you actually 'get into' fencing. I remember becoming very aware of my movement when I took up fencing. For the first couple of weeks I would (more or less subconsciously) think to myself marché, marché, marché, rompé, marché etc. when walking around.

I'm sure I looked really .

Once you start bouting try to think positive. Losing badly (as I'm sure you'll do in the beginning) can be very frustrating, but try to think to yourself that "if I can score just one touch in this bout then I have won!"

I wish you many years to come with this beloved sport!

[esskreemr]

In addition to ZZ's excellent comments, I'd like to add the more effort you put into fencing, the more you will get out of it.
*Don't be a clubflower. Ask others to fence with you during free fencing. Even fencers who are more advanced will fence and may give you a few pointers.

*watch others and learn, not every move is in a book.

*there are many layers/levels to fencing. It's easy to get frustrated by a lack of progression. If you make it through the frustration, the epiphany will be amazing

* Be aggressive, each of the weapons rewards assertiveness both in metality and form. Conversely, each of the weapons punish over-aggressiveness...

*Enjoy yourself! Particularly while you're learning. Don't worry about winning or losing right of the bat. You'll actually find, if you watch, that you will learn more through losing than you will through winning. That being said, winning is always fun

[ThatReallyHurt]

LOVED IT! he started out telling me about all the equipment the different weapons etc. he then showed us the en guard (sp?) position and the lunge basic parry and the spinny parry thing (cant remember name the one where you move the blade around your opponents to block it) then he paired us up with some (slightly) more experienced fencers and we fenced for the last 15 minutes which was great fun i loved the way that there were tactics to it as well as general technique and i loved using the spinny parry thing (whether i was doing it right was another matter. Also waiting to begin watching the more experienced fencers fence was fun to. only problem was it screwed up my driving lesson which i had immediately after as i couldnt stop thinking about it. Im using Foil at the moment but eventualy id like to try out the other weapons to see which one i like best. Thanks to everyone who convinced me to take it up i cant wait untill next week.

Ps any tips for a beginner?

Very, very good news indeed! Nice work, and I'm really glad to see you went down and tried it out!

All the stuff you're describing - I still feel that same excitement and high every time I go fencing, even when I lose horribly (which happens quite a bit). The others in this thread have given great advice, all I can do is reiterate. Have fun - it's the most important thing. There are going to be nights when you think "guh, I don't feel like going tonight", but let me tell you - once you're there, you'll feel like a million bucks.

Wow - I'm really happy for you and pleased you're so enthusiastic about it! Enjoy the sport!!!

[Coup de Grace]

You did it! Congratulations. The hard part is over. Now you can get in the mix. All great comments below. I have nothing meaningful to add. Have fun with it.

Fencing is like the mafia. Once you're in, it's hard to leave.

[silsbeel]

Glad you tried it! Really glad you liked it! Have fun!!!

[Alain]

Well done, lad! It's good to hear that you enjoyed your first lesson The only tips would be to follow the advice of your coach, be patient, practice, and most importantly have fun!

Best of luck!!!

[tjv]

[QUOTE=TomWainwright]LOVED IT!

Congratulations on jumping in, Tom--you're an inspiration. When you mentioned you were 6'6" it got me thinking what an advantage that would be. At 5'8" I wonder how shorter fencers strategize. I would assume that foil would offer the most height advantage. I've been looking for some film clips of Chinese fencers, reading somewhere that they've done well and assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that they are not generally as tall as their opponents from other countries.

Jim Vieth