Cross training in other sports or recreational activities.....

[thebigriddle]

Does anyone play other sports or recreation? What kind? Does it help in your fencing? One thing that I do know about after fencing for several years is that you don't develop other muscle groups unless you cross train.

[Dan H]

I find that ice hockey is pretty good for working on leg strength. Plus, you can knock your opponents over intentionally, and the worst that happens is you get sent to the penalty box for 2 minutes, as opposed to being black carded. Always a plus.

[Spanky]

its mountain biking and squash for me: stamina and leg strength. plus squash uses lunges but symmetically, i.e. u can lunge with either leg as leading leg...(i hope i made myself clear... brain's on the fritz!).
Some, i have heard it said, like cricket fro additional recreation. especially the batting, since it requires intense concetration, hand-eye-foot co-ordination and sometimes a lunge-like action.

[Zelda]

Its not really a sport, but Pilates has really helped my balance in fencing by helping me to train the adominals to hold me upright.

[JEC]

After Wells statements and the Yankees being pist off that he spill the secret that fine him 100K, there is no question that ...
Bbeer lifting must help

[i'mnottelling]

I like cycling and hiking for cardio and enurance training. Both put little stress on the joints and are great for staying in shape.

im'nt

[135711]

running and racketball

[shamshir]

hiking "puts little stress on the joints" ??

[DangerMouse]

Ultimate frisbee for me. It's a lot of sprinting that gets your legs in great shape. It's also a great burnout reliever. There are no referees, so it's about as opposite from competetive fencing as you can get. Except for the exercise. I think I'll go wake up now...

[oiuyt]

Does foil count as cross training?

[S. Fisher]

running, tennis, lifting weights, cycling

[Inquartata]

Originally posted by oiuyt
Does foil count as cross training?

I know it would make ME cross if I had to train in it.

[135711]

okay, let's stand up for foil. Foil is our roots. We need foil. In truth, I really enjoy foil and fenced it exclusively for years before switching to epee. Foil is great, it has everything a fencer needs,in all honesty, i don't like saber. Saber to me is just an excuse to bash each other, there doesn't seem to be very much finesse left in the sport. Foil on the other hand allows a fencer to exert themself, while preserving yourself a little. Saber fencers have more bruises, they get bashed on the arms and head, it doesnt' seem like fun. Even though epeeist hit mask arms and legs, it's not a swack smash with the side of a blade, it's completely different. Most foilists and epeeists, if they fence for over 4 hours know that they generally fence point on, and the flick is taking a nice back seat; thank heavens. I really wish it were possible for me to fence both weapons, but it's too much, the time involved is too much. Then there's the problem of competitions that run consecutively, foil on day one, eppe on day two, by day two, the muscles are too stale to fence fresh. If you fence lightly on day one, you just assure yourself you'll lose; if you fence all out as you should, then day two is going to be a problem.

[lfortier]

Are those big exercising balls beneficial as they say they are? Would they help any for epee?

[PeterGustafsson]

Hi!

I have been a indoor bandy (floorball) goalie, and I think that the two sports complement each other well. All goalies must have excellent eye-hand coordination, reflexes, and the ability to see a shot coming even if the ball possessor tries to hide the coming shot. When a 90 mph slap shot is shot in yor direction from 5 yards distance, you *must* react quickly and be in the right place beforehand, two things also necessary in fencing. The fact that being a goalie does not require all that much oxygen-transfer and blood pumping ability makes it possible to train as a goalie, and train the traits mentioned above without wearing yourself out so you can not fence.

As an added bonus, when one is an indoor bandy goalie the top of the shoes are almost exclusively worn, and the soles get extremely little wear. This ensures that you get the most out of your shoe investment.

Here is what it looks like:
http://www.usafloorball.org/

Have a nice time!

Peter Gustafsson

[oiuyt]

135711- If foil has everything you need why'd you switch to epee?

[thebigriddle]

The reason I bring up cross training. I feel that as an athlete you should cross train. Especially in fencing, because it can cause asymmetric development of the muscles. With other sports this allows the development of other muscles. I am find ying yoga to be very useful as well as cardio kick boxing. I think any sport that works the whole body is good. Of course training with the other arm is a plus. Beside I might not always be able to make fencing as often as I want.

[Tsu-La]

My coach says I should do one of these outside activities at least once a week for cross training:

Tennis, swimming, raquetball, or soccer (but he thinks soccer's a bit dangerous in terms of knee/ankle injures).

I play soccer , though I think swimming would be good too once it gets warmer. I just can't play tennis even if my life depended on it, and I have no idea how to play raquetball.

[RavRita]

I am a fencer and a long distance runner. Although long distance running is counterproductive to the quick movements that you need for fencing I find that it balances me out. I run marathons and the practice gives me the endurance for fencing all day long and helps me ignore the small injuries that might happen during a fencing event.

Doing other sports will also help you make more friends that do more than just talk about fencing.

Keep balance in your life, have fun and you will be a happier fencer.

[Peach]

Originally posted by RavRita
helps me ignore the small injuries that might happen during a fencing event.

Such as broken toes?