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What I have been up to and what I have learned

Kozushi

Level 7 Valued Member
The past few years I have added historical and modern fencing to my judo and thus have found it harder to regularly schedule kettlebell training, although I still do it. I'll just write some things I have learned, that apply to my own body and lifestyle, not necessarily to others' bodies nor experiences, and if anything seems interesting or useful to others, then that would be good:

  1. Fencing is very different from lifting weights. Swinging heavy kettlebells and deadlifting nearly 400lbs did not seem to prepare me for holding up long 1kg pieces of steel (swords) for hours on end training, nor for the rigours of the body positions, guard postures nor footwork. After 2 years of fencing, I am just now starting to be able to wield the swords with some ease, especially the realistically-weighted historical ones.
  2. Fencing is a lot faster paced than judo and the footwork is more vigorous, which has ended up making my judo a lot better than it was before I started fencing. This I think is an example of how training something that is not your sport can make you better at your sport, providing that this other thing is a tougher activity. Judo seems like slow motion now to me given how fast paced fencing is. Judo though is tougher in terms of its body rotation movements and application of force, and when it comes to something called infighting in fencing, I seem to have some advantages from my judo career. Effectively judo and fencing to me come together as one now, the theory behind both is exactly the same with distancing, timing, creating opportunities to attack, and leverage advantages and disadvantages, psychology. They are equally complicated and for exactly the same reasons.
  3. Fencing has taught me to rely on my legs for strength instead of arms, and this has helped me greatly in judo. Legs are far stronger than arms and your balance depends on them anyhow, so may as well rely primarily on them.
  4. I still believe that walking is an essential activity to keep fit and healthy. It seems that since it is the most natural movement pattern that our body expects us to do a lot of it. When I don't exercise walk I develop imbalances in my physique and experience back and spinal discomfort.
  5. Staying hydrated is very important. If not, cramps.
  6. Not eating solid food after 7pm daily has gotten rid of fat and makes me look and feel leaner, it also gets rid of my gastric reflux problem. I eat what I want before 7pm but then after 7pm I eat no solid food at all. I allow myself some milk or juice or coffee or whatever if I need something to keep my stomach comfortable.
  7. I was going on only 1 meal a day, in the late afternoon for over 3 months this past year (July to October). What I noticed is that while I lost 18kg (I went from 107kg to 89kg) that I plateaued at the 89kg mark and could not lose more. I also was starting to look gaunt and sickly. I then one day got a very painful case of constipation. After this I went back to eating up until 7pm daily, so effectively 2 meals a day. My weight has gone up a bit back to 93-4kg, but I look and feel great.
  8. I take vitamin D, C and multivitamin pills.
  9. I train 2 nights judo, 3 nights modern and historical fencing a week, so 5 nights total.
  10. Some forum members are interesting in learning languages for professional or personal reasons, so I'll add in that I exercise my muscles for speaking languages by reading a lot out loud. I have taken this concept from Strongfirst principles of constantly putting strength first - make your lungs and mouth muscles stronger for the specific language you are trying to master. It totally works. Different languages use your throat, mouth muscles and breathing patterns differently, so you need to exercise these muscles specifically in the context of speaking this target language.
  11. Also using Strongfirst principles of putting strength first, I have focussed on developing my specific strength systems for my new love which is fencing. Just as the old masters wrote, your theory means nothing unless you are practiced enough and strong enough to implement it in reality.
 
@Kozushi
No more kendo…?
I will never say ''no more'' kendo. I miss it a lot. It's just how my schedule turned out for the time being. My kids do judo with me, so the judo gets prioritized and one of them does fencing too.

I have a small problem with kendo, not a fatal problem, but a small problem nonetheless. As an educator I have to talk all day long. All the shouting in kendo is very hard on me. Fencing and judo are both silent activities. Otherwise, kendo operates fully under the same principles as fencing and judo. Kendo is extremely similar to fencing (of course). It should be easy to get back into it when the time presents itself. I was trying to just drop in to kendo from time to time, but this is not so good as it has its own strength systems that need nurturing, which are different from those of judo and fencing in a lot of respects even if the logic of it is the same. To just jump into it from time to time when I have a free day is inconsistent and I think wastes the senseis' time and patience. When I can commit to a regular schedule again, and if they will let me back in, I'd love to continue my kendo journey!
 
I like the info regarding fencing and fitness. I used to use swords in kung fu (not the floppy wushu swords, heavier and stiffer ones made of stuff like spring steel) many years ago and I think that the ability to manipulate objects away from our center of gravity is somewhat undervalued. Like you said, it’s totally different from strength training with heavy weight which are lined up with our center of gravity.
 
I'm pretty sure Mark Rippetoe wrote an article about S&C for fencing many years ago. It might be worth looking into.
Here's a link to the article. Not paywalled. Interested as both of my boys fence. Here are the recommendations:

"1. Explosive multijoint exercises, such as the power clean, the power snatch, and the push jerk. The inclusion of these movements is contingent on the availability of qualified coaching assistance, because they cannot be taught by inexperienced coaches. Therefore, despite their high degree of usefulness in the conditioning program, they must be considered optional.
2. Core strength exercises, such as the squat, the military press, the bench press, the deadlift, lat pull-downs, the chin, and the high repetition vertical jump. These exercises should be considered essential, and every effort must be made to include them in the program.
3. Assistance exercises, such as the lunge, hammer curls, the wrist roller, and various grip exercises. These exercises have been chosen for their specific application to fencing. In obtaining help with the implementation of the program, a credentialed professional should be sought. The National Strength and Conditioning Association certifies degreed strength professionals and maintains a directory of these individuals. USA Weightlifting also has a coaching certification program and can be contacted for help in locating qualified coaches. "
 
Here's a link to the article. Not paywalled. Interested as both of my boys fence. Here are the recommendations:

"1. Explosive multijoint exercises, such as the power clean, the power snatch, and the push jerk. The inclusion of these movements is contingent on the availability of qualified coaching assistance, because they cannot be taught by inexperienced coaches. Therefore, despite their high degree of usefulness in the conditioning program, they must be considered optional.
2. Core strength exercises, such as the squat, the military press, the bench press, the deadlift, lat pull-downs, the chin, and the high repetition vertical jump. These exercises should be considered essential, and every effort must be made to include them in the program.
3. Assistance exercises, such as the lunge, hammer curls, the wrist roller, and various grip exercises. These exercises have been chosen for their specific application to fencing. In obtaining help with the implementation of the program, a credentialed professional should be sought. The National Strength and Conditioning Association certifies degreed strength professionals and maintains a directory of these individuals. USA Weightlifting also has a coaching certification program and can be contacted for help in locating qualified coaches. "
Definitely my kettlebell strength was an asset in terms of explosiveness and endurance getting into fencing 2 years ago. I do notice that when up against fencers with obviously less of this kind of strength, that what I would describe as my ''sheer energy'' can be overpowering in my favour, but this advantage falls away when dealing with more higher skilled fencers, who of course have developed exactly the strength they need for the sport... through training the sport. Fencing seems to be very much based on what I would call ''dynamic balance''. This is a very nuanced thing. For example, taking one shuffle step backwards has a different balance dynamic to it from taking two shuffle steps backwards in sequence, and going one forward followed by one backwards or vice versa is different again! This is just legwork. As for the hand work, very strong weird little muscles and tendons in the joints of the arm and hand are needed, and it has been very hard and a long process for me to develop these. Also, a particular strength system has to be developed for this very eccentric (literally eccentric) and nearly isometric stress put on the body that seems to have very little to do with what would typically be considered to be healthy strength training. Fencing is definitely a good workout, and builds transferable strength. My legs are being kept quite strong as is I think my core and everything to do with my right arm and hand. I have to say that I seem to have added strength through fencing, and I feel this added strength impact my judo positively. Maybe 1kg at arm's length for 2 or 3 hours at a time has some equivalency to a lot heavier weight at closer quarters. Definitely a challenge keeping the sword out there for so long and moving it around!
 
I like the info regarding fencing and fitness. I used to use swords in kung fu (not the floppy wushu swords, heavier and stiffer ones made of stuff like spring steel) many years ago and I think that the ability to manipulate objects away from our center of gravity is somewhat undervalued. Like you said, it’s totally different from strength training with heavy weight which are lined up with our center of gravity.
If you fence with the swords, this puts a lot of even more added strain on your hand and arm etc as you can't follow through with your movements and you have to change out of one to another in the middle of doing it. Lots of interruption and abrupt changes in movement patterns when fencing against an opponent. Quite challenging!
 
I hugely underestimated how much strength building fencing achieves. This is of course most evident in the thighs and legs generally, but not just there. Because of the distended postures of fencing, my arms, shoulders and back get stronger too. In any case, it is a very different kind of strength from weights where you are keeping the heavy weight close to your body. And, it is different from kettlebell swings too because you are not really swinging the sword (even though you might expect this), you are holding it out mostly like an isometric exercise, for hours at a time!
 
Different languages use your throat, mouth muscles and breathing patterns differently
hmmm, now I feel that i must learn 3 more languages to support my bad Saxophone habit!

Very interesting writeup. thanks for sharing!
 
hmmm, now I feel that i must learn 3 more languages to support my bad Saxophone habit!

Very interesting writeup. thanks for sharing!
I'm a full time language instructor, so this is one of my ''trade secrets'' so to speak, hehe.
Basically, read a lot out loud to yourself and listen a lot to the language so you know what the target sounds are. Then, keep trying to improve your pronunciation. Of course, this will help your comprehension too.
 
Something else I think I have learned:

Sodium intake counts if you are doing a lot of exercise. We sweat out a lot of salt. I have taken to drinking a bit of warm soup broth in the evenings instead of eating solid food. This reduces caloric intake while still allowing me to replenish my sodium. I was suffering from a lack of energy a lot of the time before I started to do this. I have noticed that this also reduces my appetite, since it seems it was particularly the sodium my body was craving. Everything in moderation though!
 
The different martial arts are all good. They teach a different tactical approach to fighting and usually emphasize different contexts in a little different way. I don't think generally speaking that any one is better than any other as long as they are based on some kind of common sense and experience. They all operate under the same scientific facts of nature and human psychology and kinetics. What I like about martial arts that also have a combat sport component (like judo, BJJ, boxing, fencing, kendo etc) is that they are also strength building activities. Strength is really number one in life. We need to develop and maintain our strength through resistance training and through pushing ourselves to stay alive and well. Otherwise we can see around us everywhere the consequences - people who suffer every moment through lack of strength. The universe weighs down on us and we have to push back through training. Combat sports develop and maintain strength, and this is most excellent.

On this same topic, I have noticed how much my judo and fencing skills depend on my strength developed for those specific skills. For example the foot sweep moves in judo depend on timing of course and positioning, but also on my body having the strength to apply the movement forcefully. It has taken me years to hone my body for specific moves like this one. Same goes for fencing. The power and speed for the movements depends on a lot of physical training of exactly the target movements and repetition. Being strong for one technique does not mean you are strong at a different technique.
 
Would you say Turkish getups helped for the shoulder stability/strength aspects of holding aforementioned 1kg or heavier sword?
 
The different martial arts are all good. They teach a different tactical approach to fighting and usually emphasize different contexts in a little different way. I don't think generally speaking that any one is better than any other as long as they are based on some kind of common sense and experience. They all operate under the same scientific facts of nature and human psychology and kinetics. What I like about martial arts that also have a combat sport component (like judo, BJJ, boxing, fencing, kendo etc) is that they are also strength building activities. Strength is really number one in life. We need to develop and maintain our strength through resistance training and through pushing ourselves to stay alive and well. Otherwise we can see around us everywhere the consequences - people who suffer every moment through lack of strength. The universe weighs down on us and we have to push back through training. Combat sports develop and maintain strength, and this is most excellent.

On this same topic, I have noticed how much my judo and fencing skills depend on my strength developed for those specific skills. For example the foot sweep moves in judo depend on timing of course and positioning, but also on my body having the strength to apply the movement forcefully. It has taken me years to hone my body for specific moves like this one. Same goes for fencing. The power and speed for the movements depends on a lot of physical training of exactly the target movements and repetition. Being strong for one technique does not mean you are strong at a different technique.
Great post here. Thanks for sharing this.
 
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