Fencing Strength
Fencers want an explosive lunge and the ability to react powerfully. But they also need to be able to sustain that explosiveness throughout a long practice or tournament.
I’m going to give you five methods a fencer can use to develop their explosive capacity.
I’m Coach Rich, and I’ve trained over 100 fencers, both in person and online, to get more explosive, never tire in tournaments, and reduce joint pain so they can focus on winning more medals.
Drill 1: 10 seconds on, 50 seconds off
The first drill is 10 seconds of max effort followed by 50 seconds of active rest, for 8–12 rounds. It’s best done on an assault bike or rowing machine. You want some form of cardio or machine that allows you to produce max effort quickly, which is why I don’t like a treadmill for this: it takes too long to speed up and caps your top speed.
This drill trains something called anaerobic power, which is the rate at which your body can produce power without using oxygen.
Example in fencing
When an opportunity to attack presents itself, a fencer with low anaerobic power would initiate the action but be too sluggish or slow to land. A fencer with high anaerobic power would be able to produce immediate, violent acceleration with less effort.
Drill 2: 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off
The second drill is 30 seconds of max effort with 30 seconds of full rest, for 4–8 rounds, using the same type of cardio machines as drill one. However, it’s possible to use different tools for this one, since you have more time to build up to max effort. I like using sleds, kettlebell swings, and/or suicide shuttle runs.
This drill works anaerobic capacity, which is the total amount of work the anaerobic system can produce before fatigue slows you down.
Example in fencing
Imagine two fencers are in an intense bout. Fencer A is able to produce very explosive actions for the first three touches, but the brief rests between halts are not enough for their muscles to recover, and they’re not able to sustain that explosiveness. Fencer B, with high anaerobic capacity, is just as explosive on the fifth touch as they were on the first.
Drill 3: 90 seconds on, 60 seconds off
The third drill is 90 seconds on and 60 seconds of full rest, for 3–5 rounds. There are a couple of ways you can do this. The first is choosing one tool, like an assault bike, for the entire 90 seconds. The second is choosing three different tools, like a medicine ball toss, battle ropes, and a rowing machine, and splitting the 90 seconds into 30-second stations.
This drill teeters the line between anaerobic capacity, aerobic power, and something called lactate tolerance. Since it gives you less rest time than work time, it will train your body and mind to produce power through extreme fatigue. Rounds 1–2 aren’t so bad, but by round 5 you will be hurting, as long as you’re giving max effort.
Example in fencing
When you’re fencing a DE, it’s 14–14, and the bout has been intense, this drill will help you maintain technique and energy despite your body and mind wanting to quit.
Drill 4: 3–4 minutes on, 3 minutes easy
The fourth drill is 3–4 minutes on at a hard pace and 3 minutes of easy active recovery, for 3–5 rounds. Ideally, do 4 rounds of 4 minutes, which is the Norwegian 4x4 method. It’s best to use one cardio type or machine for this rather than a circuit or stations, so you can focus on maintaining your pace. This works something called aerobic power, which is the rate at which your body can use oxygen to produce energy. This is the first drill that involves more use of your cardiovascular system.
Example in fencing
Imagine two fencers toward the end of a bout get into fast-paced exchanges. Since they’ve been fencing for a while, their anaerobic systems are drained, and now their bodies rely heavily on their aerobic and cardiovascular systems to power their actions. Fencer A matches Fencer B’s intensity for the first exchanges, but eventually hits their aerobic ceiling and can’t deliver oxygen fast enough to the rest of the body. Their muscles burn with fatigue that isn’t clearing fast enough, and they slow down considerably.
Fencer B, on the other hand, is a total beast with high aerobic power. Their aerobic system is able to supply massive amounts of oxygen to their muscles per second and clears fatigue faster than Fencer A. This gives Fencer B a much higher chance of scoring the touch. Additionally, by the time they return to the en garde line, Fencer A is still trying to recover while Fencer B is barely winded.
Drill 5: 30–90 minutes easy
The fifth drill is 30–90 minutes on at a very easy pace, ideally in a Zone 2 heart rate. Running, swimming, cycling, or anything else you can sustain for a long period of time. This is known as steady-state cardio, and it builds your aerobic capacity: the total volume of energy your aerobic system can produce over a long period of time. It’s necessary to eventually work up to an average of 60 minutes per session, and staying in Zone 2 is important recovery-wise. Since we frequently fence and train at high intensities, knowing when to chill the F out is important so you don’t overwork yourself.
Example in fencing
By the later rounds of a tournament or practice, you’ve been subjected to repeated bouts of intense activity. If you had low aerobic capacity, you’d feel tired before reaching the end of the tournament, especially during a DE bout after being pushed into high-speed actions. You’d also feel sore and exhausted on the days between your practices and tournaments, and have a harder time recovering from training.
If you had higher aerobic capacity, not only would you have energy later in tournaments, but you’d also recover better from training, thanks to your body’s excellent ability to deliver more oxygen to all your muscles.
Choosing the right drills
Choosing the right drills for you depends on what problems you’re facing right now and where you’re at in your tournament season.
This is something I’ve helped over 100 fencers do, either through a premade program like the Hybrid Fencer Program or by including it in a custom training plan that’s tailored to their every need.
You can check out the details of the Hybrid plan here: Hybrid Fencer Program
If you’d like to get a quote for a custom plan, click here: Get a custom plan quote
Stay Strong 💪
- Coach Rich