Learn how to fence at Olympia Fencing Academy: www.olympiafencing.com

Train 1-on-1 with a Beijing Olympics fencer: http://ping.fm/6SKhx

So, What Are You Doing for Lunch?

St. Louis professionals are forgoing the french fries for fencing.

It’s noontime on a sunny Tuesday in St. Louis. You push your chair back from your desk, and with a slight smile (smirk?), you grab a stack of reports that are ‘must read’ and tell the receptionist you’re headed to lunch. Or so you say. Because in the trunk of your car you’ve secretly stashed your ‘workout clothes’: a pair of knickers, mask and saber. You’re not going out for a burger. You’re heading into battle.

Lunchtime is playtime for a growing number of business professionals who are learning the oldest sport of the modern Olympic Games. It’s all part of the adult beginners’ fencing classes at Olympia Fencing Academy, at I-170 and Olive in St. Louis. Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 12:55 pm, doctors, lawyers, C-level executives–you name it–put on their masks and pick up their weapons. Think of it as a new kind of self-therapy for The Great Recession.

“I think a lot more people have tried fencing than they’ve realized. If you’ve ever tried to hit someone with an object that you weren’t throwing, you were basically fencing,” jokes Tim Morehouse, a member of the U.S. Olympic saber team that brought home the silver medal in Beijing last summer. “And that’s what fencing is: You’re trying to hit someone with an object that you’re holding that’s an extension of your body.” By the way, that’s Tim in the photo above. I don’t think he’s hungry (for lunch).

Ask anyone who’s tried it, and fencing is quite a workout. But you do more than work up a sweat: According to one veteran fencer, “Fencing is such a sport of skill, physicality and intellect… nothing seems to combine so many diverse elements. It’s a beautiful sport. There is always something more to learn.” In fact, many fencers practice the sport for decades (try that with baseball or football). It truly is a sport for all ages.

Olympia Fencing Academy holds a variety of fencing classes and ‘open fencing’ for adults of all skill levels, from beginner to advanced, at various times throughout the day and evening. For a list of current adult classes, please click here: https://event-manager.compete-at.com/Manager/event/details.do?eid=1223 Or, for more information, call 314-993-9700 or visit www.olympiafencing.com.

Beijing Olympics Fencer Visits Olympia Fencing Academy Tomorrow: Sat. May 9th from 9 am to 1 pm. Everyone welcome.

Beijing Olympic Fencer Visits Olympia Fencing Academy on Saturday, May 9th. Click here for club info: http://www.olympiafencing.com

Bejing Olympic Fencer At Olympia Fencing Academy Saturday, May 9th. Click here for club information: http://olympiafencing.com

Beijing Olympic Fencer to visit Olympia Fencing Academy in St. Louis. Stay tuned for details: http://ping.fm/LNfLr

Physical Chess Camp at Olympia Fencing Academy. Info here: http://ping.fm/Kk2xp

What happens when chess gets physical? Choose your weapon here: http://ping.fm/6pvGm

What’s the only sport that puts a real weapon in your hand? http://ping.fm/lZdNW

Ready to try a sport with a ‘deadly’ weapon? We’re already there:
http://ping.fm/osoga

Why is the sport of fencing called ‘physical chess’? Find out at The Point: http://ping.fm/tXeJO

How to Play Chess (with a weapon).

Sometimes, chess players fight for real. That’s where fencing comes in.

Ask anyone who loves chess, and you’ll hear how it’s all about the strategy. The right-angle thoughts. And most of all, looking your opponent dead in the eye–smile–and finish him off with a single word.

Checkmate.

Chess has a lot in common with another ancient pursuit. We’re talking, of course, about fencing. What makes chess and fencing so much alike that the latter is often referred to as ‘physical chess’?

Anyone can play. You don’t have to be a classic American ‘jock’ to be a fencer. In fact, you don’t even have to like other sports all that much. To be fair, a few serious jock schools such as Ohio State have great fencing programs. But so does Columbia (which isn’t exactly known for its football team).

Gray matter, matters. Fencers tend to make pretty good grades in school, especially in math and science. They’re often detail-oriented and like debating ideas (or just flat out arguing, like any respectable Type-A would). At the same time, fencers are highly imaginative: It’s not a big leap from moving a knight on a chess board to wielding a saber in your own hand.

It’s not all about winning. Medals are great, but the values that fencers learn are just as important. Respect, camaraderie–and yes, even chivalry. Name another contest where you’re expected to pick up your opponent’s weapon and hand it to him, if he happens to drop it and is suddenly vulnerable to your attack.

Ready for a ‘real’ fight? Join us for Physical Chess Camp throughout June. We’ll combine the game of chess, the sport of fencing–and toss in a few math challenges for good measure. It’s a great way for kids to spend a week of summer vacation. And to see if ‘physical chess’ is the sport they’ve always wanted, but perhaps didn’t know existed. Until now, of course.

For more information or to register for Physical Chess Camp, please visit us at www.olympiafencing.com or call 314-993-9700. Classes fill up fast, so please get in touch, while you’re thinking about it.

Let’s Play Mind Games: Confessions of a Competitive Fencer.

“What do I like most about fencing? The ability to legally smack someone over the head with a blunt piece of metal.”

Tongue-in-cheek, of course. Because this fencer quickly follows up with this: “Seriously, it’s the combination of mental and physical agility, performed at high speed, to outwit and beat your opponent.”

Fencers never seem to be at a loss for words. (They are thinkers, after all.) Like this: “Fencing is such a sport of skill, physicality and intellect… nothing seems to combine so many diverse elements. It’s a beautful sport. There is always something more to learn.”

A beautiful sport. That, perhaps, says  it all. But, let’s keep listening: “The best feeling comes from the matches when you can say to yourself, ‘I was good, he was good. The match was excellent. Whoever wins does not make a difference.’”

Another fencer says, “It’s the feeling when you land that sweet hit, when it’s least expected.”

Beautiful sport, sweet hit. What is going on in the mind of a fencer? We can try to decipher something as arcane as, “The retreating counter-attack to the opponent’s thumb. Nothing feels quite so good.”

Or, we can accept a simple truth, like “Bruises. They’re badges of honor.”

And, the primal nature of it all: “You get to hit people with swords, and they shake your hand and THANK YOU afterwards.”

If you’re a fencer, tell us what draws you to the sport by leaving a comment below. If you’re not a fencer, what are you waiting for? Give it a try–we’ll provide all the equipment. Contact us at info@olympiafencing.com. Or call 314-993-9700.

Bored with Baseball, Sick of Soccer. And Now, A Nationally-Ranked Fencer.

Jack first picked up a baseball glove when he was five years old, because his best friend Nate wanted to play. Jack was always ‘game’ for a new game, so he played on Nate’s YMCA team and later, his grade school team. Jack threw the ball, he hit the ball, he caught the ball. In his words, baseball was “fine.” Then one day he told his mom and dad, “I don’t want to play baseball anymore.” When asked why, Jack said simply, “I don’t get the point. It’s so slow, so booooring.” Blasphemy! coming from an American child, especially one who lives in the hometown of the St. Louis Cardinals—where baseball isn’t just a sport, it’s a reason to live.

 

Nonplussed, Nate said, “How about soccer?” And Jack played soccer. He chased the ball, he kicked the ball, he cursed the ball. You can imagine what happened next.

 

Jack just wasn’t sure about the sports his friends played. Don’t misunderstand: He loved playing hard (he had the sprained ankles, jammed fingers and occasional broken bone to prove it). He just didn’t see what the big attraction was to baseball and soccer (and basketball and football and, well, you get the idea). Jack was ready to give up on sports for good. Until one day, he saw a poster for an after-school class called, ‘Physical Chess.’

 

Now, Jack absolutely loves chess. He likes the idea of facing off with his opponent, one-on-one. Tricking him. Outsmarting him. Beating him. And all the while, knowing that the achievement (or failure) is his and his alone. But the idea of physical chess was a mystery. Always the curious kid, he had to find out. So that day, he signed up for Physical Chess class. He hadn’t bargained for what came next.

 

The next day at 3:30 pm, Jack walked in to the school gym. Standing there to greet him was the former head coach of the Egyptian National and Olympic fencing teams. Towering over the 11-year-old, Coach Hossam Hossan handed Jack his first foil and mask—grinned from ear to ear—and Jack has never looked back.

 

So why did fencing ‘stick,’ when no other sport did? To hear Jack tell it, fencing has virtually nothing in common with the traditional team sports he had tried. Sure, there are opponents who square off, there’s a judge who calls the shots and the guy with the most points wins. But, that’s just scratching the surface.

 

There’s a deeper mind game going on in fencing: a constantly shifting flow of complex strategy that you play in your head, as well as with your wrists, shoulders, arms and legs. If you can think as fast as you move. If you can plot several steps ahead of the other guy. If you can bait your opponent. Outsmart him. And beat him to the touch. Then you’re hooked on fencing, and no average sport will ever give you the same thrill.

 

Today, Jack is ranked among the top fencers nationwide in his age group. He regularly competes at some of the largest and most prestigious tournaments in America, sanctioned by the United States Fencing Association (the organizing body of the U.S. Olympic team). He has trained with international and Olympic athletes. And while Jack might not always bring home a medal, he earns something far more valuable every time. Confidence.

 

In our next post, we’ll look inside the head of Jack and his fellow fencers: What makes a good fencer even better? In the meantime, if you’d like to learn more about Olympia Fencing Academy and ‘physical chess,’ please visit www.olympiafencing.com.

 

Fencing: The ‘Other’ Team Sport?

Imagine you’re a young student attending the first-ever ‘team sports fair’ at your school. You walk into the gym and there are five ‘booths’ in front of you, each one manned by a head coach eager to get your attention and size you up for the team. So, what are the teams? Why, the usual suspects of course: football, baseball, basketball, soccer and–what’s this?–fencing?  What’s Darth Vader and Jack Sparrow doing in my gym?

Welcome to fencing, the ‘other’ team sport. Misunderstood by most Americans. And irresistable to most kids who give it a try. As one of our 12-year-old fencers says, “It’s sports with a weapon. Who wouldn’t want to poke people and get away with it?” By the way, this fencer is ranked one of the best in the nation, for his age group. So what does he know that most student athletes do not?

Fencing is ‘physical chess,’ the perfect blend of physical and mental challenge. You stand toe to toe with your opponent–weapon in hand–with nowhere to run. And only one goal on your mind: to hit your opponent before he hits you. Sure, you have to be in extraordinarily good physical condition to succeed. But you literally have to think on your feet as well. Because above all, fencing is a game of outwitting your opponent, before he returns the favor. Fencers may be on a team, but when you’re on the strip ready to do battle, you’re on your own. Win or lose, it’s all up to you. For many student athletes, that’s the biggest rush of all.

So what makes a good fencer? Most fencers tend to think for themselves–on the strip and in life. They may play traditional team sports at school–often because their buddies do or their school requires it. But fencers prefer one-on-one competition above all else. Make no mistake: fencers are not loners. You’ll find few bonds stronger than the members of a fencing team rallying together to support each other, as well as the team overall. Rather, these kids just refuse to run with the herd. They’d much rather lead it. They’re not afraid to trust their own judgment and make tough decisions. On the strip, their very ‘lives’ depend on it.

Fencing isn’t big in St. Louis, yet. But we built Olympia Fencing Academy to crank up the momentum. Many of our team members are ranked nationally. All of them are good friends, and there’s always room for one more. If you know a student (or for that matter, an adult) who might like to try fencing, please get in touch with us at info@olympiafencing.com, call 314-993-9700 or visit www.olympiafencing.com.

In our next post, we’ll tell you about one 11-year-old who didn’t think he was much of an athlete, until he tried fencing. Today, he’s one of the most successful competitors in the country. (And yes, he’s on our team!)