BENEFITS OF FENCING IN AN ADD WORLD

---

Lots of Distractions Abound

Most young children I know treat the world around them in a very different way than I did when I was their age. I had a quiet desk in my room where I could do my homework with no interruptions, it is not unusual to see a 10 year old splayed out on the floor, doing their math homework while the television blares, siblings run around, and the laptop computer on the kitchen bar "dings" with each new email arrival. Fast forward a few years, and that 10 year old is 13, with the added sensory input of the text messages arriving on the cell phone which has appended itself to their hand. 

Enter Fencing as an Active Outlet

Adults don't have it much better these days, unless they have made a conscious decision to take things one at a time, they may find themselves juggling the emotional needs of children, the basic food and shelter needs of their family, work requirements, and myriad other demands.

Enter fencing

Spend time at any fencing practice and you will quickly learn that a sport which looks overtly physical actual demands an "alert brain." 

This article is entitled, "Benefits of Fencing in an ADD World." Although the title is intended to appeal to a wide array of people dealing with sensory overload and difficulty focusing, there is a young fencer who overcame many of the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder to achieve a national fencing championship: Corwin Duncan. Corwin, who won the U16 Epee national championship in 2005 and the Junior U18 national fencing championship in 2008, believes fencing has been the perfect avenue for him to focus his energies. 

In a digitalsports.com feature, Corwin discusses his fencing journey. Eschewing traditional team sports, he states, "You really have to be able to control yourself in a lot of ways, to be able to bring that focus to bear when you're at step one of the script. You can't be absent minded at all." 

It may seem like an oxymoron, but the ability to relax is a key to successful fencing. If you have ever gone through a workweek without ever really losing that "gotta get it all done NOW" tension, it is possible that fencing will help you "thrust" all of that tension out of your mind for an hour (and have effects that last even longer). 

The Denver Fencing Center (DFC), in its "Parent's Guide to Fencing," lists "self control" as one of the seven reasons children should fence. DFC asserts that fencing is more effective than sports that involve simply kicking or hitting a ball, because in those sports strategy and self-control can easily become an afterthought. In fencing, however, self-control and body-control are what keep the fencer from getting hit. DFC advises parents that, "by fencing, your child will gain greater self-control and increase concentration. Soon enough, this self-control will begin to extend to other aspects of their life." 

Some fencing instructors teach children to fence both with their preferred hand and with their non-preferred hand. This approach helps children with focus, academic skills, and gross motor coordination.

Besides all the great things fencing does for your mind, it doesn't hurt that fencing burns 400 calories an hour --- who doesn't want to "focus" on a more fit physique?Source: http://www.squidoo.com/fencing4add

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For more information on how to learn to fence, email: swordsmen101@yahoo.com (With your inquiry, please include your age, location, and how you found out about our classes.)

If you live in the areas of Winchester, Virginia Purcellville, VA Berryville, VA Lovettsville, VA, Leesburg, VA Frederick, Maryland Brunswick, MD Boonsboro, MD Martinsburg and Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, this class is within about a thirty minute drive of your location.