Chance to talk up fencing to several million boys. What to say?

[prototoast]

This thread was started in the Coaching Corner....

I guess it is impossible to discuss anything besides certification in the "Coaching Corner." My apologies.

the OP started another thread asking for coaching advice recently....it appears that he is taking me up on the USFCA's offer for training. It seems like a few people are getting the info they needed.

Well in this thread the OP started a thread asking for suggestions for things to say to attract a large audience of boys to the sport of fencing. Suggesting he bring up coaching certification was not the information he needed, it was the information you wanted him to get.

[RITFencing]

If the USFCA does not promote coaching education and training, who is going to do it….with current budget crunch, I am afraid USFA programs will be cut back.

I completely agree with you, and I'm happy that the USFCA is increasing their efforts to educate. The lack of quality coach eduation in the USA is, IMO, a big problem. It's difficult to set up a centralized academy or other institution in such a large country, so I think regional seminars and training sessions are definitely the way to go.

Just remember that not all education is formal training, and sometimes just advice given from one coach (or even fencer or ref) to another can sometimes be very valuable.

[jBirch]

...on to the OP...

To me, one of the biggest problems with the depiction of our sport has been that it's only for "geeky" kids when, like most sports, we want to attract the "cool" kids.

I think emphasizing the Olympics (it is an Olympic year, after all) and the passion that we all hold for the game is important to start. We also want to emphasize the individual element of the sport and the "I'll eat your heart out on the piste, but we'll go hang out afterwards" attitude most competitors have.

But after that...where to go? Perhaps the travel component (we do travel more then other sports for our tournaments)? Or maybe a story about "fencing weapons" and all the run ins with authority we get?

Perhaps the "learn to think coolly under pressure" element too?

I dunno.

It's a hard problem.

Oh yeah, and if you have any really good looking girls or really cool looking boys, make sure that the reporter meets them.

James.

[MdA]

.... At least when you started your own thread it wasn't completely inappropriate for the context like it is in this thread.

I started a new thread....and will leave you to your discussion of the Boy's Life magazine article.

Steel on steel vs verbal or written advice

[parryDoh]

I completely agree with you, and I'm happy that the USFCA is increasing their efforts to educate. The lack of quality coach eduation in the USA is, IMO, a big problem. It's difficult to set up a centralized academy or other institution in such a large country, so I think regional seminars and training sessions are definitely the way to go.

Just remember that not all education is formal training, and sometimes just advice given from one coach (or even fencer or ref) to another can sometimes be very valuable.

Informal training can be very valuable. But after being a competitive fencer for 10+ years, working one-on-one with many skilled coaches throughout the country, I was blown away by how much I didnt know after attending one of the USFCA clinics. I barely scrape by the USFCA's Monituer certification, which is the lowest level of certification. Every coach in the US should at least attend these clinics to stay current on the correct/current training methods. MDA is doing a great job, Keep up the good work.

And to get back on topic, why not leave a link to the USFCA in the magazine article? Any scout leader wanting to teach fencing should learn to teach it correctly.