Earliest age to start

[swordsen]

As for 14 being "too old", I seem to recall that Nhi Lan Le (96 Olympics) was in her 20s when she started fencing.

[Mo]

I don't think there is a case of TOO OLD but possibly too young.
A very young child can have a great deal of fun with wacky wackers. I think the kid should lead on this but,
spending a bunch of money on a kid under 9-10 for lessons is kind of silly.
They are not gymnasts. Fencing lasts a lot longer.
The Momster

[Fencergrl]

Our club accepts them as young as fencing age 8 (meaning, if they're 8 by Jan. 1 of that season) for group instruction. Any younger, and they *have* to be in private lessons, no exceptions. We used to have a stricter, "No one under 9 years" policy, but it's amazing how much parents want to push the envelope. As soon as you put down an age limit, it takes about 5 minutes before a parent calls, "My child is age (your minimum minus one) years old. Can he/she participate?" I don't get it.

Anyway it was decided that because there will always be parents pushing the envelope, swearing that their kid is different and special and all, that we say that the age limit is for groups, and allow any kid of whatever age to take private lessons.

I have a age 9 age limit. The few times I've accepted 8 year olds, I have always felt sorry for the kid. They just can't keep up. I'll bend the rules a little and will accept them if they are almost nine. Usually it's the younger brothers and sisters who approach me asking me why their mother tells them they can't fence until they are 9. I encourage them to play other sports and have their older sibling teach them some footwork. Then a few months before they turn 9 I'll make a special exception and let them into my fencing classes. They usually go away satisfied that they are special.

The only 8 year old I ever had who did okay was one with an older brother in the class. That was a good fencer and was able to help his little brother in class and at home. Which is why I now encourage younger siblings to get their older fencing sibling to get them started on the footwork. Getting the footwork is hard at that age.

[Rock]

Our guideline is that the student be able to stand upright (unless he/she has a disability preventing it), and to focus on what we're doing for 5 to 7 seconds at a time over 2 to 4 minutes.

I've worked with a couple of 2 to 2 1/2 year olds (still in diapers) who after maybe 8 to 10 lessons (each 4 to 6 minute max) could physically be on guard, advance, retreat, extend, lunge with hit straight, disengage, or cutover, retake the guard, parry counter-of-6 or 4, riposte from either one, and counter-riposte.

They had no concept of the "structure" or "sport" of fencing, of course; they were just having fun exploring moving, rhythym, manipulating something, tactile stimulation, interpersonal interaction, and thinking.

Based on what I remember from physical development classes and maybe some common sense, I don't feel comfortable putting a metal mask on the skull and neck of a student younger than about 5 1/2 - and even then, only a light one.

For the younger kids, I first used a very light-weight toy fireman's helmet that had a clear plastic visor. Later I started using the Zivkovic (?) plastic masks that go with the plastic beeper foils. Even though I didn't touch the student in the lesson (with my foil or sabre), I think that it's important that they associate the game of poking people with safety first.
At a very young age, they learn that putting on the face protection is an integral part of of the "poking people/ patty cake with a stick" game. From the kid's point of view, the mask is just another thing they're playing with; I make them tell me whether they want to wear the red mask or the blue mask today to get them to focus on the mask being the "most important thing" we do, before we get to the fun part "stick"-playing game.

I found some toy plastic foils for 2 or 3 dollars that happen to have very light weight, have perfect foil balance, and are scaled for a 2 or 3 year old. For 4 and 5 year olds, I usually use the lightest #0 foil blade I can find, with the plastic core of a BG French rubber grip.

It seems that around 3 1/2 or 4 the students start to get excited about putting on the "special" jacket, too.

Anyway, regardless of their long-term competitive ambitions, very young children can acquire fencing motor skills.

[Applesauce and Foils]

I have to agree with Rock on the point that young kids can learn fencing to some degree. Not that I would coerce little kids into it or try to make fencing stars out of them, but if they're wanting to do it for fun- heh, why not let them try?

As some of you know I recently started teaching. The age limit I started with was 6, much to the delight of some very eager 6 year old boys that have started taking lessons. They are not perfect, but then, neither are the college students I am taking lessons with. And the kids actually try harder and exhibit better behavior on a regular basis than older people.
So far, the biggest "problem" with this age is the next to nothing attention span, and the fact that they get carried away easily. And I think this last part has to do with their attention span. They know they're not supposed to go in whacking crazily, they just forget.
Overall it's been a real pleasure to work with the kids. It's very satisfying and I can tell the kids love it.

On a technical basis, here's what my students can do:

Advance and retreat well (when they're thinking about it, during drills)
Come on guard very well
Perform a reasonably good parry 4
Make a nice PIL attack
And- the big shocker - they UNDERSTAND RoW! They can explain it better to me, and follow it better, than a lot of grown-ups. That is something that never ceases to amaze me. I guess for them, it just makes sense as the rules of the game.

Usually, if there's any kind of problem, it has to do with their emotional state. Sometimes they get upset after losing several bouts, sometimes they're frustrated when they can't perform a certain move the right way/fast enough, sometimes I think they're just tired. But writing all this, I'm thinking, which one of us doesn't experience all that anyway? Kids just need more positive encouragement, less regimented routine, more "this is fun, not work!" type of coaching.
And that can be draining. But it is very rewarding!

AF

[telkanuru]

I'm of the opinion that kids should be able to play at fencing as soon as they can walk, but should not be pushed or prodded in any serious way until the age of 10-12 or so.

[Enh4nc3d5p4rk]

Ivan J. Lee, two time olympian, and A-rated sabre started at the age of 14 and originally started as a foil..

[piste off]

Ivan J. Lee, two time olympian, and A-rated sabre started at the age of 14 and originally started as a foil..

See, maybe one of your weapons will grow up to be an Olympian (or at least a person).

R-

[Phincer]

See, maybe one of your weapons will grow up to be an Olympian (or at least a person).

R-

I can't give you any more rep by pressing a button. Here it is publically: Thanks for the chuckle.

[Mo]

It is never time to push or prod a fencer. If they want to be a fencer that is up to them, not up to the coach and not up to the parent.
Parents support, they shouldn't push.
Be a facilitator for your kid....

The Momster

[SabreReedfrost]

At least 7 for starting. I would prefer 8 or 9... Kelly Williams started fencing in college, and hse started in foil... and look where she got.

[fencefoilepee]

My son's case is unusual. He started at age 5. He suffered a massive stroke when he was younger, and utilized the footwork and drills in fencing as part of physical therapy to "acquire back his right side", which was paralyzed by the stroke.

It took some really fancy talking for me to get his coach to accept him. (This was 13 years ago). He would only do the footwork and the lunging drills and blade drills, which, he was urged to be right-handed - even though it was his damaged side. The "therapy" worked. Slowly, over the years, he acquired his right side back.

When he was 10, the moves that he'd been practicing all those years started to come together. By aged 12, he was taking private lessons, and not long after that, he became competitive and earned his first rating.

However, that being said, my reasons for putting him in fencing at 5 are a bit different.