Long Break from Fencing

[freerider258]

Hey everyone,

I tried searching forsimilar threads, but couldn't find any. Maybe the wrong keywords but whatever.

So basically, I am taking a 6+ week break from fencing this summer to attend a non-fencing camp. I am on my high school team, and feel as though this break will screw up my season in November. I started last July and taking this long of a break is like 20% of my career. Yes, there will be some athletics/free time where I can run around and be a kid, but I'm not going to look like an idoit advancing and retreating. And no, I'm not bringing my gear. I'll probably suck upon my return in August, but for the time at camp I was wondering what I could do. I have the book, "The complete guide to fencing" so I expect to read that a lot, but I feel there really is not much I could do.
I am asking for advice for what I should do before, during, and after the camp. I also go on vacation for a week too, so I'll basically be up at my club about maybe around 3-5 times the entire summer. Taking this long of break I know will screw me up. But I want to approach it with caution, knowing how to get right back into the sport upon returning.
Thanks for reading this and any advice would help. Also, if any of you have similar experiences to this, please share what your approach was.

Thanks!!!

[Nolano]

I actually think it'll screw you up less than you think. It sucks not being able to fence, but last summer break when I had no fencing, while I was rusty when I came back, it didn't take me long to get back where I was, and farther. However, I was pretty new to the sport at the time, so I'm not sure how it'll go this summer.

[tchwojko]

Having lost count of how many breaks I've taken from fencing, I can say that your head might be in a better place after a break, even if your technique suffers a tad. I've come back from months away and performed better than when I left.

I think the biggest danger is getting injured because you're too pumped up when you get back.

When you start up again, focus on the basics (which you ought to do anyway), and things will come back very quickly, and possibly better than before.

But, your mileage may vary.

Enjoy the break.

[irishfolker]

Keep up with your stretching and general conditioning while you're at camp. You won't look silly that way.

[usafencer]

Last summer, I took off about 5 weeks total attending a (non-fencing related) camp and then vacationing with my family. At the camp, I really didn't do anything at all to keep my in fencing shape, but when I was on vacation (the final two weeks of the break) I took a 20 mile bike ride, or went swimming, or running etc. every day. I fence at a pretty high level, and I'd been fencing for about 5 years at the time, so longer than you, but when I came back it only took about a day to get back to where I was.

I'd recommend starting slow the first day or so, and definitely making sure you're completely stretched out, but as long as you stay in fine shape over your break you should be fine.

Also, with regard to being back by November, you should be completely fine. The first NAC after summer, the October one, I actually did better than usual, and kept progressing throughout the season.

[Inquartata]

You can hope that the Wilgus Effect works for you.

Although why anyone would want to do a camp for anything other than fencing, well, I confess that I am mystified...

[Zilverzmurfen]

Try to do something to stay fit (running or whatever you choose to).

It's not necessarily a bad thing to have a break from fencing for a couple of weeks -- it can sometimes be beneficial. Especially if you find yourself a little "stuck" and uninspired adn/or have reached at plateau.

[counterattack]

At risk of just saying "ditto", ditto. Time away from fencing sucks because you are away from fencing and fencing is almost the most fun thing you can do with your time. But it isn't really bad for your fencing and often can help a little with the non-physical part of the game. I have taken at least a month off every year for the last few. The first few times due to injury, but then when I wasn't injured and fenced through the summer one year I found I wasn't progressing like I had been. I took a month off and it really refreshed me and I came back and was immediately progressing again with a fresh outlook and fresh legs.

[pinkelephant]

5 weeks isn't long. Try 10 years.

[Inquartata]

Er---no.

[headcut]

Taking time off is not that bad. 5 weeks is pretty short and can benefit you by letting you give a break to the muscles you use in fencing. Getting away from a sport for a short time can help you feel refreshed when you come back, both physically and mentally. I'm coming back from not having competed in 30 yrs!!! and when I first fenced after this layoff, I can't believe how much I remembered and how much had been ingrained physically in my muscles.

So if you had been training correctly (muscle memory) you should see no deterioration of skill (that is after you take a few practices to get back to your normal drills) and may even feel better having taken time off.

Not sure if you've been introduced to creative visualization, but this is an absolute must to have in your repertoire of practice. If, at camp, you want to still practice but don't want to look "silly", sit or lie down in a quiet setting and close your eyes. Relax your body. Now envision that you are on the strip. You're fencing one of the toughest opponents that you have ever faced. Envision that your footwork and distance is impeccable and that you control the bout through this. Your hand is lightning quick and all your actions are crisp and clean. Envision that you are landing touches at will and that the strategy you planned is working flawlessly. This is the mental aspect of preparing/practicing. Do this at camp and you will be surprised at how little you will lose from your time off. You will also improve the things you envision, particularly any problem skills you might have had in the past. When you're envisioning, everything you "see" should be positive. And... above all, have fun at camp.

[freerider258]

Originally Posted by Inquartata

Er---no.

Yes, I did laugh out loud at this one.

Originally Posted by Inquartata

You can hope that the Wilgus Effect works for you.

Although why anyone would want to do a camp for anything other than fencing, well, I confess that I am mystified...

1. What's the Wilgus effect?
2. Well, there are some things in life a little more important than fencing, especially if you're a student

Originally Posted by Nolano

I actually think it'll screw you up less than you think. It sucks not being able to fence, but last summer break when I had no fencing, while I was rusty when I came back, it didn't take me long to get back where I was, and farther. However, I was pretty new to the sport at the time, so I'm not sure how it'll go this summer.

Yea, I actually think that this break will do more good than bad. After states this year, where I lost and was extremely upset, I attended a concert right after and was very at ease with myself, and accepted the loss and definitly saw the DE in an entirely different way. So, while I am hard at work studying my music, I'll definitly see fencing a different way, sort out my goals and past achievements, and plan out the best future for myself.
And the visualization tip really can help me. This will be the first break from fencing I have ever taken, so physically, it might take me a while to get back into it, but mentally, I really think I'll have a new and exciting approach to fencing upon my return. My mental game really is lacking too, that's why this break should really help me.

[Schiavona]

Originally Posted by Inquartata

You can hope that the Wilgus Effect works for you.

Although why anyone would want to do a camp for anything other than fencing, well, I confess that I am mystified...

Thunder Ranch sounds like a lot of fun!

[piste off]

Originally Posted by Inquartata

You can hope that the Wilgus Effect works for you.

Wuch you talkin' bout, Wilgus?

R-

[Inquartata]

Originally Posted by freerider258

1. What's the Wilgus effect?

Years ago, there was a sabre fencer at our club named Mark Wilgus. From time to time, he would vanish for a few weeks or months---submerged in school, whatever. When he came back he would fence better than he had before, sometimes markedly so. We christened the phenomenon the Wilgus Effect. ( Normally it is short-lived, but we have observed its operation in many other fencers since. No one is sure of the cause.)

2. Well, there are some things in life a little more important than fencing

I reject this hypothesis categorically and with extreme prejudice.

Originally Posted by Schiavona

Thunder Ranch sounds like a lot of fun!

Not enough to interrupt fencing it doesn't.

[victord66]

I actually took off 25 years after having studied with Fred Wach in Toronto in the 70's and to my amazement I had retained a lot of what he taught me. Of course I fence veteran now and and am somewhat slower but I still give kids half my age a good run for their money. I guess fencing is like riding a bike, no?

[Grasshopper]

Fencing has no off-season. Get a stick and poke things. Start with rocks and then move to living things that can actually hurt you back -- badgers, racoons or beavers. If you break your stick, just follow the beaver back to his dam and take one. He can find more!

[bunbury]

Originally Posted by pinkelephant

5 weeks isn't long. Try 10 years.

10 years isn't long. Try 30 years.

[Timberwolf_CY]

Quick, lets compete over who can make people feel the most sorry for them!

::shakes head::

I took a break for about 5 months (yeah, I know, try more) and I spent some time with a beginner's class here in St. Louis to brush up and take a class taught by a real teacher. Turns out, well, I think personally, I am a better teacher of the basics, but the instruction did warm me up and teach me a few new drills, so it wasn't bad. Anyway, about the 4th week in, I sort of broke off from the class at the indirect encouragement from the coach and started practicing with the regular fencers. On top of that, I have been doing the workout before the practice actually starts, which has allowed me to practice using my back leg for my lunge (I knew to do it before, but it wasn't in my muscle memory, so...) which has revolutionized my fencing. This and other tweeks to my game has instilled what I would call the "2nd Renaissance" for my fencing. I am doing way better than I was before, not just my lunge has improved.

So, a break could be very good for you. Switching clubs has helped me a great deal too, the one I am with now is more serious, which is good for me because I've always been more of a "serious" than "laid back" fencer (though not necessarily overly-competitive). The break definitely gave me a new fondness for fencing. The only thing I regret now about moving from college is only fencing once a week, it makes improving a slower process. But I am improving, and that's what counts.

[Phantom5588]

Originally Posted by freerider258

I'm not going to look like an idoit advancing and retreating.

Now there's your problem. If you're so worried about other people thinking that you look silly doing drills, then maybe you need to reconsider your priorities. Does fencing matter enough to you to risk other people thinking that you look like an idiot because you're devoted to the thing that you love?

Luckily, Beethoven didn't stop composing masterpieces just because someone may have thought that his wild hair looked idiotic.

For the record, I want it noted that I never even began to mock the fact that you mis-spelled "idiot."