I had many doubts when I started taking fencing lessons. Was I strong enough? Would I be able to endure? Would I end up injured? Would this happen, or that? After a few months of it, I’ve learned several things.
1: I’m not going to fail. Once upon a time, I used to do yoga. However, during the last 10 years or so, I was mostly sitting, so I thought I would do terrible. It turned out I did just fine. No, I’m not going to become a champion – but I am on my way to become fit, I have a lot of fun, and I’m learning a beautiful new skill and art, which is the point of doing it in the first place.
2: I’m not the oldest one (not that it matters). Many people in my group are younger than me – the youngest one is 11 (younger kids have their own group). However, some are older, and the oldest one is our fencing teacher. So, I’m not too old. There is no too old when it comes to fencing.
3: I’m not the worst, either. With so many younger people, I thought I might slow them down. It turned out many of them tired just as quickly as I did. Fencing takes a lot of effort, period. And you build up stamina in time, so it becomes easier, until you get to the more difficult part. Then you build up some more stamina.
4: Strength isn’t all that important. Holding a sword – for the time being, a foil – is something none of us was used to. The weight of a foil is about one pound. A child can hold it, so your strength doesn’t matter much. However, since you’re not used to holding it properly, your arm will hurt for a while. It’s normal, and it will pass once your body learns this strange new thing.
5: Body quickly gets into better shape. Our bodies were designed to move, not to sit all day. They were designed to have muscles and stamina. Once we start moving them, especially if we do something that takes considerable effort, the results become visible really soon. After a week or two, I got muscles in my legs. After a month, my waist was 4 centimetres thinner – and I certainly wasn’t starving myself. And I’m getting better and better.
I believe that all of this applies to other things in life. We won’t fail, at least not if we keep trying. We’re not the oldest (and even if we are, so what?), and we’re not too old, either. Nor are we the worst. Strength doesn’t always matter, and once we start doing something, we gradually become better.
Have you learned something good recently?
A Kitty Dreaming About Wings 
I enjoyed your post. I’ve always been interested in fencing, but it’s a sport that isn’t as popular as others. I wonder where one would find a fencing class. I’ll look into it.
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Glad you enjoyed! It’s not as popular as some others because you can’t earn money from it. 😆 I found the fencing school by searching the internet for something in my hometown, and then I’ve choosen the one which looked best to me (in other words, offering historical fencing, and no competitions).
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That’s awesome that you took up fencing. Good for you.
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Thanks!
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Great post! It goes to show you that we can do anything we navigate our interest and physical activity toward. I’ve been going to the gym and lifting a lot and I feel like I’m getting bored and my body is getting used to everything over the past year or so. Your post makes me think that maybe I should try something different to get better results and have some enjoyment while I do so. Best of luck to you and your fencing!
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I thought I might become bored with gym or aerobic too — actually, I was certain I would become bored quite soon. That’s why I’ve chosen a skill, so there’s always something new to learn and to keep me interested.
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