Fencing Strength
Tendonitis and overuse injuries are not rare in fencing — they are common. The repetitive, asymmetrical demands of the sport, combined with the high training volumes that competitive young fencers accumulate, create conditions where joint pain is a predictable outcome for many athletes.
The good news is that it is manageable, and in many cases preventable. Three approaches make the most meaningful difference.
1. Speak with a Doctor Early
The first instinct is often to manage through the pain — to reduce training load and see if it resolves on its own. Sometimes it does. But when pain is persistent, getting a proper examination from a qualified medical professional is not optional, it is the starting point.
Coaches and personal trainers cannot diagnose what is structurally wrong. A doctor can. An early assessment provides the data needed to make a plan — whether that means a short period of reduced loading, physiotherapy, imaging, or something else entirely. Waiting means the problem usually gets worse, the recovery timeline gets longer, and the intervention required gets more significant.
Being data-driven about injury is the same mindset applied to training: working from accurate information produces better outcomes than guessing.
2. Reduce Volume and Load
Training two to three hours per session, at high intensity, five days a week is neither sustainable nor optimal for developing young athletes — and it is a particularly high-risk pattern when joint pain is already present.
When pain is consistent, the response should be a deliberate reduction in practice frequency and a change in how some of those remaining sessions are structured. Designating certain sessions as genuinely light days — where intensity is reduced and volume is kept low — gives the affected structures time to recover between demands.
The competitive fencing calendar does not always make this easy. But continuing to load an already irritated tendon at the same volume and intensity is the most reliable way to turn a manageable problem into a serious one.
3. Strengthen Tendons and Muscles Systematically
Reducing load creates space for recovery. Building structural capacity prevents the problem from returning.
A properly structured fencing strength and conditioning programme — built around fundamental movement patterns, slow eccentric loading for tendon adaptation, and isometric holds for tendon strengthening — does two things simultaneously. It reduces injury risk going forward by making the muscles and connective tissues more resilient to the demands of fencing. And in many cases, it actively helps resolve existing joint pain by providing the progressive stimulus that tendons need to adapt and strengthen.
This is not generic gym work. Exercises need to be chosen specifically, loaded appropriately, and progressed methodically. Random training at high intensity will not accomplish this and may make things worse.
The Bigger Picture
Joint pain in young fencers is not something to simply endure until the season is over. Left unaddressed, overuse injuries compound. The pattern is familiar: pain is managed through the competitive season, the athlete is never fully healthy, and eventually something more serious gives way.
The three approaches above — early medical assessment, deliberate load management, and targeted strength work — address the problem at different levels. Used together, they create conditions for genuine recovery and, over time, a fencer who is physically more capable of handling the demands of high-level competition.
Related: The Exercise That Builds a Bulletproof Lower Back for Fencers — slow eccentric loading for posterior chain resilience. Why Fencers Need to Pull: The Dumbbell Row — the most commonly neglected upper body pattern in fencer training and why it matters for shoulder health.
For young fencers dealing with pain or injury history, a custom fencing training programme built around their specific situation is the safest and most effective path. Coach Edriss works specifically with developing athletes and designs every programme around what each athlete can currently handle.