Over the years, I have mentored several of the best fencers. Before meeting these athletes, I knew very little about the sport. But my clients taught me many of the basics and some of the subtleties that are an important part of the world of fencing. The fencers educated me on the rules, the equipment, and the psychology that goes on on the track and in matches.

For me, fencing is quite a fascinating sport. It is a combination of boxing, martial arts, combat and ballet. Great fencers are great athletes with quick reflexes, great balance, and exceptional stamina. People who are successful at fencing are disciplined, focused, resilient, creative, and intelligent. Great fencers are quite cerebral and are also very adept at anticipating what their opponent will do next. To be successful at fencing, you must know how to attack, how to defend, and how to counterattack. Just like boxing, offense and defense can change very quickly in this sport. Fencing is very mental. There is the inner mental aspect of being confident, focused, resilient, disciplined, balanced and relaxed.

And then there is the external mental part of the game that involves developing the right strategy to beat your opponent. Fencers tell me that their sport is very much like a game of chess.

What motivates someone to take up fencing?

When I advise a fencer, or any athlete, I always ask them how they got interested in their sport. I am also curious what they like about the sport, when they started and if they have competed or played other sports. Knowing this information is useful for understanding the fencer’s motivation and personal sports psychology. Some of the fencers I have mentored have told me that they were motivated and intrigued by dueling scenes they had seen in movies about Zorro and The Three Musketeers.

A fencer confessed to having seen an Errol Flynn movie and being totally fascinated by one of the action scenes. Recently, a top young fencer who was suffering from some performance anxiety came to talk to me for help with the mental part of fencing for him. During the initial interview, this young man explained that the duel scene in the movie Star Wars got him hooked on fencing. In fact, I integrated images from Star Wars into the hypnotic technique I taught this young man to enhance his performance.

Several fencers I have mentored seem to enjoy using dueling scene footage as they gear up and prepare to compete in a match.