I spent last weekend at a training event and the upshot of it is – I’m now a qualified fencing coach!
It’s the most exciting thing to happen to me since I attended the same event two years ago and became an archery instructor. I can now reach teenagers two weapons and I have the certificates to prove it. Ok, the fencing was less than a week ago. The certificate won’t come in the post for at least another three weeks. That means I don’t actually know what my title is, exactly what course I did but I think I’m a British Fencing Core Coach.
(Warning: there is only one picture today. Sword-fighting doesn’t really lend itself to photographic documentation unless you’ve got your own photographer, ideally in a mask.)
It’s less exciting and glamorous if I specify that the swords are plastic. They look like the steel foils I’ve used before but they’re pretty much totally harmless. Bonus: you can wear a plastic mask and a protective tabard. The high-necked jacket and skirted mask that go with steel weapons touch my throat and that triggers my ridiculously over-sensitive gag reflex so plastic fencing is so much more physically comfortable for me.
Training involved a very little book work. Mostly just what we read in our breaks. The theory was delivered by our instructor, a junior world champion in the 70s who’s fenced at three summer Olympics. That’s enough of a pedigree but… he had a plastic hand and when you’re being taught to use a sword by a man with one hand, it does feel pretty piratical. Also makes you wonder how dangerous a steel épée could be.
We started with a taster session, which introduced us to the basics we ourselves will be teaching. The safety talk (which is pretty much the same as the archery one, substituting a different weapon), the on-guard position, basic footwork, hit, lunge, parry & riposte. He also mentioned “right of way” and scoring but we all know that’s going to be far too complicated.
Learning to coach it took the form of splitting into groups of four and taking it in turns to coach four different elements. I don’t like teaching – or even pretend teaching – when I know I’m in the presence of someone more knowledgeable so that was uncomfortable. And I’m almost certainly not going to be teaching people in their late 50s. The oldest learner I anticipate having is currently 25. The vast majority of them will be seven to seventeen.
Of course, we did a bit of fighting. I learned that I can pin some opponents to the marquee wall because I can use my footwork. On the other hand, I had one opponent who relentlessly whirled her sword in circles and while that’s not proper fencing, it’s absolutely unbeatable and I’d recommend that technique if you find yourself in a real fight. Hurts when you get repeatedly hit on the hand, even with a plastic sword.
So that was my weekend. I can teach you to fight with a plastic sword and I’m very proud of it.