Fencing Strength
How do you choose a fencing coach? It is tempting to just chase accolades and results, but the coaches who actually change your fencing tend to be chosen for something bigger.
Look beyond the results
The best coaches I worked with did not make me better only through their fencing IQ — it was the character they instilled in me. Accolades tell you someone can fence; they do not tell you whether they can develop you. Results are a starting filter, not the whole decision.
A good coach develops the human, not just the athlete
Whether it is your technical coach or your strength coach, the good ones go holistic — how is your sleep, what habits are you working on, how do you handle pressure? A better you off the strip is a better you on it, and a coach who only cares about reps is missing most of the job.
Ask what you want to adopt
When you are weighing up a coach, ask which qualities in that person you would want to build in yourself. Character, discipline, the way they handle setbacks — you absorb more of that than you realise. Choose the human, not just the CV.
If you want a strength and conditioning coach who looks at the whole athlete, work with a Fencing Strength coach one-to-one.