There are lots of sports in the world: basketball, baseball, soccer, football, etc. But there are  underrated ones as well, like fencing. No, I’m not talking about the fences that you put in your lawn to keep people away. I’m talking about the age-old sport.

Fencing is one of the most fun sports that I have ever played. It tests your mind, skills and leg strength (your legs will suffer and burn but it’s worth it, I promise). There are three types of fencing: foil, èpèe, and sabre. Our John Jay team   only competes in foil and èpèe.

With foil, you have a lighter blade with a small guard where you have to hit your opponent’s torso, which includes the back as well to gain points. You usually have to be much more aggressive and fast while planning accordingly in the moment. 

However, èpèe is different. You have a much heavier blade with a bigger guard, and to get points you can hit any part of the body of your opponent. You have to be very cautious and strategic. You still have to be strategic for foil, but you have to be much more strategic in èpèe

Now let’s talk about how to get into the boys and girls fencing team for John Jay. For the boys, tryouts start in early September. You can email the coach for the boys team, Mr. Tan, at [email protected]. The girls’ tryouts start on January 1.

You’ll need to prepare before going to tryouts. You should focus on exercising and stretching on your legs and your core. The first few tryouts will focus on those exercises, and so if you don’t practice, you will not have a fun time for the first couple of days of tryouts. 

You should focus on the basic fencing movements: advance (move forward), retreat (move back), and lunge (primary attack). You can find out how to do these here: How To Fence: The Basics of Fencing, Taught by Olympians, Introduction to Beginners Foil – Part I. Footwork. 

Fencing can be hard at times and sometimes. You’ll sometimes feel like giving up altogether and just quit. But if you keep going and keep pushing forward, you’ll find out how fun fencing truly is with your own eyes, body, and soul.