What to expect in the first year

[Rambler]

My 10 year old son began fencing epee this summer and is loving it. We seem to be part of a good club, and he is fencing two times a week. The coach has said that we should think about getting the gear and that an open tournament in December is something to strive for. The beginning class structure seems consistent: 30 minutes of stretching and drills, 30 minutes of bouts.
The coach said they would tell us when it is time to move our son up to the advanced class and was not willing to talk about timeframe. Also we were invited to consider attending (not competing) the closest NAC.

My questions are really related to what we should expect in this next year.

• Is it normal to be in the beginning class for 3 months, 6 mo, 1 year, more?
• How do classes change as he progresses?
• Should he be practicing anything at home?
• How as a parent do I best support him so that he develops a good foundation?
• Is it normal to compete in your first year at this age?
• Should he compete in multiple tournaments?
• What is the normal "lifecycle" for a competitive fencer starting at his age (1 tournament a year for first 2 years, NAC next 3...)?

I have read the parental handbooks online and learned alot, but still don't really know what to expect and don't want to appear like an overeager parent ready to push their child into something they are not ready for.

Any advise would be appreciated.

Rambler

[Allen Evans]

Have you had this conversation with the coach at your son's club?

If so, what were the answers?

If not, why not?

AE

[noodle]

Originally Posted by Rambler

My 10 year old son began fencing epee this summer and is loving it. We seem to be part of a good club, and he is fencing two times a week. The coach has said that we should think about getting the gear and that an open tournament in December is something to strive for. The beginning class structure seems consistent: 30 minutes of stretching and drills, 30 minutes of bouts.
The coach said they would tell us when it is time to move our son up to the advanced class and was not willing to talk about timeframe. Also we were invited to consider attending (not competing) the closest NAC.

My questions are really related to what we should expect in this next year.

• Is it normal to be in the beginning class for 3 months, 6 mo, 1 year, more?
• How do classes change as he progresses?
• Should he be practicing anything at home?
• How as a parent do I best support him so that he develops a good foundation?
• Is it normal to compete in your first year at this age?
• Should he compete in multiple tournaments?
• What is the normal "lifecycle" for a competitive fencer starting at his age (1 tournament a year for first 2 years, NAC next 3...)?

I have read the parental handbooks online and learned alot, but still don't really know what to expect and don't want to appear like an overeager parent ready to push their child into something they are not ready for.

Any advise would be appreciated.

Rambler

allen's advice is good. i'll add a bit to it to put it into perspective:

not all classes are created equal. not all students are created equal. we can't give you details on what your class structure will be (beginner/advanced, etc.) because every salle is different. these are questions for the coach at your salle. we can't tell you what your kid should do because not all kids are equal. he might be average, he might be advanced. he might like to compete, he might not. etc.

[SJCFU#2]

Your son can compete at age 10, however he will be limited to age-restricted events for at least a couple of years yet (probably for the better - competing against adults who have a considerable advantage in reach probably wouldn't be much fun). Whether or not he should is another question (and every child is different in this regard).

An NAC is usually not the best place to start competing (even in age-restricted events). Start with local events if possible - they cost less and are generally a lot less stressful.

Before you do enter that first tournament, take the time to Read Purple Fencer's guide to first timers (there's a link to it in his signature at the bottom of each of his posts).

Final thought - listen to his coach (after all, he probably knows a lot more about fencing than you do), but remember that the final decision is yours (at least for the next few years).

[dcmdale]

Originally Posted by Rambler

My 10 year old son began fencing epee this summer and is loving it. We seem to be part of a good club, and he is fencing two times a week. The coach has said that we should think about getting the gear and that an open tournament in December is something to strive for. The beginning class structure seems consistent: 30 minutes of stretching and drills, 30 minutes of bouts.
The coach said they would tell us when it is time to move our son up to the advanced class and was not willing to talk about timeframe. Also we were invited to consider attending (not competing) the closest NAC.

My questions are really related to what we should expect in this next year.

• Is it normal to be in the beginning class for 3 months, 6 mo, 1 year, more?
• How do classes change as he progresses?
• Should he be practicing anything at home?
• How as a parent do I best support him so that he develops a good foundation?
• Is it normal to compete in your first year at this age?
• Should he compete in multiple tournaments?
• What is the normal "lifecycle" for a competitive fencer starting at his age (1 tournament a year for first 2 years, NAC next 3...)?

I have read the parental handbooks online and learned alot, but still don't really know what to expect and don't want to appear like an overeager parent ready to push their child into something they are not ready for.

Any advise would be appreciated.

Rambler

Lots of good questions.

Each club is somewhat different in its structure and so it is difficult to make generalizations about some of these. However, nothing in what you related sounds abnormal. Many clubs have some kind of introductory class followed by a beginners class. Some have advanced beginner and/or intermediate classes. For 10 year olds, 2 classes / week for 1 hour each is pretty common.

Kids develop at different rates and, in my experience, coaches tend to move kids along in accordance with skill and motivation rather than on a particular time frame. My daughter was routinely placing top-16 at NACs by the end of her first year. My son was still in the beginner class in the same timeframe. Same club. Same coach.

That your coach has suggested the purchase of equipment and the possibility of a local event should be taken as an indication of the development path that the coach is seeing for your child. Coaches often don't advocate purchase of equipment until/unless they think that the child has at least enough future to justify it and, in my experience, they don't talk to you about participating in an event unless they want you to be shooting for it.

As your child advances, the biggest change you will see is individual lessons. While there may be an "advanced" class, generally fencers that are being moved towards serious competition will start getting individual lessons, often initially in addition to the group footwork lessons. I've known of a few clubs that have actual advanced classes, but I think that they are the exception.

At 10, there is no great hurry to push your kid along in fencing. Yes, I know that in some other sports starting at 10 is too late. That isn't true in fencing. There are many very successful fencers that started much later. The most important thing you can do at this stage is to keep it fun.

If home practice is fun, then do it. If your coach suggests it, consider it, but you know your kid better than the coach. Be smart about your kids best interests.

Once you start competing, he will probably want you to compete in most appropriate events that are coming down the line, but he will be judging what is appropriate. He won't want your kid participating in events that your kid will be creamed in or will otherwise hurt development. He will get annoyed if you go to events without his approval. He will decide when national events are appropriate.

The biggest thing for parents of 10 year olds to remember is to temper immediate goals for long term development. It is easy to get excited/dejected about how a kids is doing today, but realistically the next 8 - 10 years need to be looked at as entirely development. Kids that are winning NAC's at 12 often aren't even fencing at 14 or 16, often because of parental pressure to keep it up. Fencing is a sport that rewards patience.

[Rambler]

Thanks for all the input.

I have talked to the coach and gotten their input on these same areas. My purpose for asking the forum was to see if you all had radically different views to any of these than the coach.

Fencing is different from any sport I have been involved in before, and the limited options for clubs, teams, coaches, competitions, etc. makes it harder as a parent to know what to expect. It is not like Karate, where there is a different dojo on every corner and you know 15 other kids in your neighborhood that take karate and got their black belt on average in x years...

What I don't want to be is the overbearing parent pushing my son too hard, but I also don't want to sit by for three years assuming he is progressing, and finding out that there are things I should have paid attention to earlier to make his experience better or his training more effective.

Plus I don't want to get the coach frustrated by asking 10 questions every time I take my son to practice!

Thanks again!
Rambler

[MyrddinsPrecint]

A few more things to add---

It's a great idea to VISIT a tournament before your son competes in one. It doesn't have to be a NAC unless it's particularly close. A youth tournament, even an open, visit first, and see if it's something that exicites your son BEFORE you have him do it.

College students regularly freak out over their very first tounament, up to and including crying. They're not the most well adjusted of my acquaintences, but even as an adult, the first tournament is scary. Having some idea of what goes on without any pressure can help a lot.

[journalmom]

If you want to know about tournaments, ask a parent of a fencer at your club who's been competing. When we started competing at local tournaments, we were so naive. We didn't know f.net or USFA existed so you are ahead of the game. Find a Mom or a Dad who's been doing this for a few years. They'll be more than happy to tell you. They'll also know which tournaments to go to locally. They'll also know the etiquette, rules, and what to expect.

When my son went to his first tournament, my husband thought the tournament was over after the POOL and started to pack to leave. Of course, he lost all his bouts and thought it was like the Tae Kwon Do tournaments so they were eager to get out of there. One parent told him about the DE and they stayed.

Other knowledgeable parents can educate you a lot about tournaments themselves. Coaches will be the ones to ask about lessons and when he should start competing.

For registering for local tournaments check askfred