After a long hiatus... now what?

[Kat1e]

Hi, I'm sort of new here. Well I've been reading these forums for while a while, but anyway...

On to my question.

Two years ago, I stopped fencing, with a little over a year and a half of experience under my belt. Unfortunately I wasn't the one who wanted to stop and now I have to opportunity to get back to it.

But I am curious... I know fencing is a lot of muscle memory and stuff, so do you think after two years I'm going to be really, really bad - almost like I've never fenced before? Or do you think it will come back to me, like riding a bike?

Anyone who's taken long hiatuses from fencing, if you can give me your experiences with this I'd really appreciate.

BTW - I started doing epee the last two months I was fencing and totally fell in love with it, and then my foil game fell apart. Do you think when I start again it would be ok to just go straight to epee or do you think I should go back to foil for a while? I really don't want to do foil, but my coach is one of those strong believers in "Foil for beginners" so I wonder if after two years I'll be seen as a total first-timer again.

Thanks!

-Katie

[FusionWhite]

I think you should be able to pick it up again pretty quickly. I would be willing to be after just a month or two you'll be near where you were before. As for going straight to epee I think you'll also be OK.

[tbryan]

Originally Posted by Kat1e

But I am curious... I know fencing is a lot of muscle memory and stuff, so do you think after two years I'm going to be really, really bad - almost like I've never fenced before? Or do you think it will come back to me, like riding a bike?

From my experience with multiple breaks from fencing...

When I first return to fencing, I'm always amazed at how much I remember and can still do. Then again, I'm also amazed at how poor my execution is (huge parries, awkward footwork, etc.). I'm thinking, "Gee, that would have worked if I had done it the way it happened in my head."

Depending on what you've been doing, be very careful. If you start bouting your first week back, you may find yourself doing some action that your body is no longer prepared to do. Just be sure that you don't injure yourself right when you're finally getting back to fencing.

The smoothest return to fencing that I made involved several months of 3 - 4 days / week in a gym doing weights, cardio, and stretching. During the last month before I went back, I started doing some footwork exercises in an unused aerobics room. It still took me a few weeks to get my distance, timing, and bladework under control, but it was a much shorter ramp up to competing again.

Originally Posted by Kat1e

would be ok to just go straight to epee or do you think I should go back to foil for a while? I really don't want to do foil, but my coach...

I don't see any reason to start with foil again, but you'll only be able to do what the coach permits at his club. If he's not inclined to let you go straight back to epee, I doubt that the opinion of some stranger on the Internet is going to influence his decision.

[HDG]

Taking the beginning foil class might not be a terrible thing -- just to retrain yourself in the fundamentals at a reasonable pace. I did it once a few years back after a miserable NAC performance (still taking private lessons as well) just to go back and hone the fundamentals.

[Kimmuriel]

My problem is very similar to yours. After 1 year of fencing I stopped it, because I had run out of money, my club's price is extremely high compared to the statutory minimum wage in my country. So I quit fencing on July. But I was lucky and became a scholar and gained some money, so I decided to go back to the beloved pistes of my club. I have started it on Wednesday last week. I've forgot a lot of things and my physical strength is very poor. I've lost a lot of weight and became very thin. My armed hand cannot hold the weapon for 15 minutes! My hand is seized with a cramp much more intensively than when I hold a weapon for the first time in my life!
So my fencing skills in a big trouble, I can't use any tactics if I am simply not capable of holding that damn épée firmly enough.
But I also have some positive experiences, because during just a few days of practicing I have learned some new tricks by myself, so my actually poor condition does not mean that I am not able to shape my skills. So I will start to train for gaining a general good condition, and after that I will go for real fencing.

[Kat1e]

Thanks everyone for the good advice. You guys told me what I wanted to hear.

I've been doing a LOT of stretching, lunges and squats too so hopefully that will help.

A small part of me wants to go to a completely new club, join a beginner class and then blow everyone away as some fencing prodigy as I secretly have everything I learned previously come back to me. Hahaha or not... I can't leave my club. I haven't stepped in there in two years but it feels like home still.

Kimmuriel,

Sorry to hear about a less than smooth return to fencing. Maybe to help the strength in your hand you should get a stress ball or something like that. Everything else though sounds like it's just going to take time to regain your strength.

Oh well.. better to get strong then re-learn fencing than do it weakly and form bad habits. Probably the only advice I can give you (though I don't know how qualified I am to give advice at all, haha!)

-Katie

[Cgriml3y]

I fenced for 3 years then quit for a year. >> then now I've been back about 4 months and I think I'm finally better then I used to be. don't know if that correlates at all but, just thought I'd throw that out there.

[HDG]

Sometimes a clean start is just the thing.

[InFerrumVeritas]

I took a year hiatis from fencing, came back and after two weeks was back on track. It just takes practice before and after to relearn the muscle memories. You brain knows they're there, but your body thinks they are bigger than they should be.

[Kat1e]

I'm actually feeling quite confident about this. I picked up my practice foil today and did some lunges and stuff and I felt like I "had it". Despite my lack of endurance there was a swiftness, an agility, an understanding that I don't think was there before.

Do you think that maybe just watching and thinking about fencing for two years, and letting everything I've learned "sink in" is actually beneficial? I wonder if any world class fencers have taken hiatuses (or maybe it's ruined some!)