Pre-Season Fencing Prep: 3 Things to Do Before You Suit Up

The off-season is ending and it is tempting to walk straight back onto the strip at full speed. Don’t. Three things done in the last couple of weeks before the season protect your body and set up the year: build a strength and conditioning base, warm up properly on fencing days, and go in with a growth mindset.

Ease in with a strength and conditioning routine

When you have not fenced for a while, jumping straight into full bouting is how you get hurt. Ease in instead with isometrics, some basic strength work, and mobility, so your body is moving well before you ask it to move fast. A simple fencing strength and conditioning programme in these weeks rebuilds the tissue tolerance you lost over the break and makes the first month of the season feel far smoother.

Take longer, intentional warm-ups on fencing days

On the days you do fence, give yourself more time to warm up than you think you need. Rushing straight into speed work with muscles that are achy or not used to being activated is a fast route to a strain. Be intentional: raise your heart rate, open the hips and shoulders, and fire up the muscles you are about to demand a lot from.

Go in with a growth mindset

Before the season starts, reflect. What did you do last year, what could you do better, and what are you genuinely looking forward to? Fencers who set the year up as a chance to improve — rather than just repeat last season — train with more purpose and handle setbacks better. The mental framing you choose now shapes how the whole year feels.

The takeaway

Pre-season is not about cramming fitness in the last week. It is about easing your body back into load, respecting the warm-up, and deciding what kind of season you want. Get those three right and you suit up ready, not sore.

Want a pre-season plan mapped to your competition calendar? Train with Coach Rich.