Fencing is gaining new popularity ahead of the Olympics. So I trained with Team USA's Maia Chamberlain. Here's what it's really like to fence a champion.
Like many cusp Gen Z millennials, my first introduction to fencing was through the 1998 film"The Parent Trap." If you haven't seen the movie in a while, there's an iconic scene where twins Hallie and Annie , who'd been split up as babies and 11 years later wind up at the same summer camp, reunite during a fencing match. The scene involves some serious footwork and tricks , trash talk, and of course a big reveal when the masks come off, putting the twins face to face.
I quickly learned that fencing requires a lot of mental stamina. You're constantly thinking about moves and counter moves, trying to anticipate what your opponent will do next."I'm sure people have told you, but it's very much physical chess," Chamberlain told me at the Team USA Fencing media day, just a few weeks ahead of our lesson. But I didn't have a full appreciation for it until I was across from her myself with a saber in hand.
It's better to be"strong and wrong" or imperfect in an attack than it is to give a scared or half-baked attempt, Chamberlain told me, encouraging me to let go of the fear that was visibly inhibiting my cuts. It's a lesson she learned from her coach and one that she says has carried into her personal life.
Alexis Jones Standard Fitness Olympics Athletes Editor Experiments
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