When we discuss control in a bout, we are generally not talking about bullying the other fencer around but, rather, establishing a frame.

One of the most poisonous words that can appear in a fencer's mind is "should".

When most fencers and coaches analyze a touch, they look only at the final actions.

How does one judge what is correct or incorrect in fencing?

When I first came back to the US after spending 4 years in Poland, I ended up in the Midwest looking into a coaching offer from a club which has since dissolved.

I think a serious shift in thinking needs to take place in most clubs and with most coaches about how training is structured. It's a shift that I see happening in a handful of clubs, but is still a rarity.

You walk up to a girl, your shoulders slumped, and you mumble something in the hopes that she might like you. What will be her most likely response?

Reaction and its speed are tremendously important in fencing.

Possibly the most important and necessary thing to becoming a superior fencer is the ability to control movement on the strip.