Fencers,
The Capital City board met Wednesday to discuss the upcoming months under the COVID protocols.
We not only want to ensure that practice is safe for those allowed to attend, we want to ensure it is valuable and fun.
We may not be able to fence bouts right now, but we can use this time to improve fencing skills so we win more bouts in future!
As such, we are offering a structured series of fencing clinic for youth during our January – March practices.
The province has clarified that youth are those who are 21 years old and under and participants must remain 3 meters apart at all times (i.e. no bouts permitted).
The Board has hired Isaac Carter-Hughes to design and present the clinic. We have built targets and added equipment to assist with circuit drills.
Fencers will receive group instruction (socially distanced), one-on-one coaching, and an instruction sheet so they can replicate drills during home practice.
There is no extra costs beyond regular club fees to participate in this program ($40/month, $10 drop in).
Practice starts Monday January 11. Practice times are:
Mondays: 8 – 10 PM
Wednesdays: 7:30 – 9:30 PM
Once adults can return, they may join the clinic. We will continue recording videos to allow online use and will share the program for each night with the videos.
Each night will focus on a specific skill set. The first four sessions are:
– Aggressive Footwork,
– Agility and Directional Changes,
– Defense and Counterattacks,
– Lunging and Posture.
A sample schedule for one night is at the end of this email.
This three month clinic is possible due to the bequest from Yonas Sedak to support youth fencing at CCFC.
Happy New Year!
Stacy
Sample Schedule
Day One, Monday – Agressive Footwork
Warm up
Light jog, high knees, butt kicks, lunge walk, fencing steps, offhand fencing steps, arm circles, rotator cuff movements
5-10 mins
Exercise: Strict Footwork/Distance
Maintain distance to leader utilizing strict form, no one leading should be trying make it too difficult to follow.
2-3 mins per leader
Exercise: Advancing Lunges
Start in en guard, take one step and lunge and recover. Next take two steps and lunge (recover), followed by three steps and a lunge and of course recover. Repeat exercise, try to improve speed whilst maintaining form.
7-10 mins
Drill Circuit: Footwork (3 full rotations)
One: Hop back, hop forward and then lunge with a recover. Try recovering forward as well as backward. Someone has attacked you, you hop back and their attack falls short, you then capitalize.
Two: Step back, hop back, then three steps forward. Begin slow, committing the movement to muscle memory, imagine someone is chasing you and they give up their attack.
Three: Hop forward, two steps forward, then finish with a flèche. You see a hesitation and you begin to chase, before they set up their defence you attack.
3-4 mins
Blade Work: Attack-On-Fer
Find a comfortable lunging distance from the target. Press the blade, imagine a light parry, or an extended beat, then continue your attack. There’s a few ways to do them, here’s a few. Detach from the blade then attack. Hold blade contact and slide through. Press and disengage. There’s no need press or hold overly aggressively, just enough to get the job done.
5 min intervals
Stretch
Quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, biceps, triceps, shoulders, obliques
Capital City Fencers' Club 