Being the mom of an elementary aged child, I have now gotten used to a calendar full of different extracurricular activities. Imagine my surprise and delight to add fencing to the list for my very enthusiastic six year old!
My daughter L was recently given the opportunity to try four weeks of classes with Darien Fencing Club. The class is coached by Dima Chumak who is an Olympian fencer (Beijing, 2008); he brings a wonderful balance of technique, discipline and fun to every class he teaches. Classes meet weekly for one and a half hours, and combine general conditioning and footwork skills with instruction on both offensive and defensive fencing maneuvers. Ranging in ages from 6 to 13, the class is specifically for beginning fencers. The club is held on Sunday afternoons so as to not interfere with other sports that kids may already be in to.
L and I arrived to our first class not knowing that much about the sport, but L was super excited to try “real life sword fighting.” My little six year old, a novice, was immediately welcomed into the group. The class began with an hour of conditioning exercises that develop the student’s agility, endurance, speed, and coordination. L has the tendency to be shy and reserved in new situations; however, she immediately immersed herself in the activities with a big old smile on her face. As the students worked on footwork skills, my daughter was given some 1:1 support to learn positions and necessary terminology. She was a quick learner and able to join in with the group with a Simon Says type game of fencing actions. The last half hour of the class is for fencing practice. The club has equipment for the students to use and even had a jacket and glove small enough for my young daughter ready for her to wear on the first day. This particular club teaches with epee swords where the entire body, head-to-toe, is valid target. Every other class, the students are wired to a computer program so that their matches are accurately scored.
Just in the four classes that my daughter attended, I was able to see why fencing is an incredible sport to get your child involved in:
1. It is strategic – it involves mind and body. Fencing is known as the “physical chess;” it really makes kids great at focus and problem solving in a mental/physical setting.
2. Offers a wide range of opportunities for the future that include travel and possible college recruitment.
3. It is empowering – L felt strong and powerful while engaged in the sport. I can see this building the self-esteem of all children, but especially females.
4. Great exercise! My daughter drank an entire bottle of water after her first class!
At Darien Fencing Club, their mission is to make sure that a young fencer is exposed to the sport in a way that will foster a life-long passion for the endeavor and give them the strongest foundation to take it further as they get older. They promote a team aspect and club-comradery among the kids who are “members” of Darien Fencing Club.
Interested in knowing more about fencing for kids or enrolling in a class? Contact Jeffrey Binder at (203) 539-6359 for more information or visit their website: http://darienfencingclub.com.
This post was sponsored by Darien Fencing Club, but the opinions are my own. Please support our sponsors.
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