FENCING EXERCISES WORKBOOK | MARCH 2017

BETTERFENCER.COM

Injury Prevention Training Program Worksheet

Based on conversations with Dr. Scott Weiss

Founder of Bodhizone.com
Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC)
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS)
Doctor of Medical Qigong Therapy (DMQ)

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE:

Each slide below contains information about the exercises described in the Better Fencer article

Use the Scheduler on the next page to track your exercise plan and measure your progress (you
can always print more or edit your own at bit.ly/fencingexercisesworksheet)

Additional pages give further information about :

The core exercises, choosing number of reps and sets, progressions on the exercises
Editable spreadsheet can be found at bit.ly/fencingexercisesworksheet
 Exercises to Improve Lunge

1. Lateral Broad Jump

1
● Get into an en garde position
● Lift your front foot off the ground and hold
● Using your arms to help propel you, jump as far as you can
● Focus on “sticking” the landing with the back foot landing
facing the same direction as when you jumped
● Once you complete the full set, repeat on the opposite side

2. Standing Long Jump

2
● Stand with feet hip distance apart
● Bend your knees and swing arms backwards
● Swing arms forward and jump and land with both feet at the
same time
● Maintain balance and try to stick the landing

3. Speed Skaters
3
● Stand with feed hip distance apart
● Lift one leg and leap in that direction
● Land only on the foot that started off the ground
● Alternate back and forth, ensuring that only one foot is on the
ground at a time
● Ensure you are moderately balanced before moving onto the
next jump
 Exercises to Improve Pulling Distance

4. Reverse Long Jump

4
● Start in en garde position
● Raise back foot a few inches off the ground
● Use your front leg to leap backwards
● Land on both feet at the same time
● Maintain balance and technique
● Complete set and repeat on other side

5. Pistol Squat
5

● Stand on one leg

● Slowly squat without your raised foot touching the floor
● Maintain control and balance throughout
● Start with a 45 degree bend, and work your way up to 110
degrees
● When you finish the set, do the same on the other leg

6. Vertical Jump 6

● Start in a standing position with feet slightly wider than hip

distance apart
● Bend your knees and pull your arms behind you
● Swing your arms in a pendulum motion upwards as you jump
● The goal is to get as high as possible
 Exercises to Improve Arm Extension

7. Theraband Thrusts
7
● Attach resistance band to stable object
● Face away from stable object
● Hold on to other (knotted) end
● Perform simple fencing extension at normal fencing speeds
● Retract your arm slowly, counting to three in your head
● Perform on both arms

8. Medicine Ball Toss

8
● Use a medicine ball you can comfortably toss up in the air and catch
● Find a wall, and stand a distance away equal to your height
● Face the wall in an en garde position
● Holding the ball in your back hand, twist and shove the ball towards
the wall
● Try to hit the wall with as much force as possible
● Repeat on both sides

9. Bench Dip

9
● Face away from stable bench
● Place palms on bench with fingers facing forwards
● Grip the front edge of the bench with your fingers
● Extend your feet in front of you with your legs bent at 90 degrees
● Bend your arms and lower your body while your feet remain in place
● Straighten your arms to return to starting position
● Do not dip past 90 degree elbow bend
 Exercises to Improve Close Out
10

10. Trunk Swivel

● Connect one end of resistance band to stable pole or column

● Face the column in an en garde position
● Hold onto the with your front arm mostly extended 10
● Move your feet backwards until there is a little resistance
● Pull the band to the side by rotating your trunk
● Hold for a moment, and return to neutral
● After you finish the set, repeat the exercise rotating the other direction
(same arm)
● After you finish both of these sets, repeat with the other arm

11. Anterior Plank with Arm Extension

11

● Start in pushup position, and move arms to directly under shoulders

● Bend elbows 20 to 30 degrees
● Keep the rest of your body as straight as possible
● Hold

12. Reverse Fly

● Use adjustable workout bench set to approximately 30 degrees 12

● Lay face down with chin over the edge of the elevated edge of the
bench
● Grab dumbbells in each hand and slowly lift to the ceiling without
bending your elbows
● Reach shoulder level, then slowly lower dumbbells back down
Sets & Repetitions
Lateral Broad Jump – Sets & Reps
How many you choose to do in a session
depends on your fencing level. If you are a
beginner, start with two sets of five
repetitions and gradually work your way up.
If you are more advanced, you can work up
to three sets of 12-15 repetitions, or more if
that is not challenging enough.
Standing Long Jump – Sets & Reps
As with the previous exercise, if you are a
beginner, you should start with only a few
jumps, working your way up to the number
of repetitions and sets that are challenging
for you. If you are advanced, work up to at
least three sets of 12-15 repetitions before
you move to any progressions on the
exercise.
Speed Skaters – Sets & Reps
Beginners should start with 1-2 sets of 3-5
repetitions and focus completely on
performing the elements correctly. More
advanced can work up to three sets of 12-15
repetitions before adding the progressions
below.
Reverse Long Jump – Sets & Reps
Beginners should start with one to two sets
of 3-5 repetitions and focus on performing
the elements correctly. More advanced
fencers can work up to three sets of 12-15
repetitions.
Pistol Squat – Sets & Reps
Using the modifications above, beginners
should start with 2-5 repetitions on each leg
focusing completely on controlling and
performing the elements correctly. More
advanced levels can work up to three sets
of 12-15 repetitions per leg.
Vertical Jump – Sets & Reps
As this is a common movement, you can
begin with as many repetitions as you feel
comfortable with. More advanced fencers
will want to work up to three sets of 12-15
repetitions before moving on to
progressions of the exercise.
Theraband Thrust – Sets & Reps
For beginners, start with two-three sets of 5
repetitions. Advanced fencers can work
their way up to three sets of 12-15
repetitions.
Medicine Ball Toss – Sets & Reps
For beginners, start with two-three sets of 5
repetitions. Advanced fencers can work
their way up to three sets of 15-20
repetitions, increasing the weight of the
medicine ball if this becomes too easy.
Bench Dip – Sets & Reps
Beginners should start with one to two sets
of 3-5 repetitions with focus completely on
performing the elements correctly. More
advanced fencers can work up to three sets
of 12-15 repetitions.
Trunk Swivel – Sets & Reps
Beginners should begin with light resistance
and perform two sets of 5 repetitions.
Advanced fencers should work towards
three sets of 12-15 repetitions.
Anterior Plank with Arm Extension – Sets
& Reps
This is an muscular endurance exercise so
beginners should start with an amount of
time that they are able to complete
successfully. This can be as little as 15
seconds. If you are finding it difficult to
complete 15 seconds, then modify the
exercise so that you are on your knees
instead of your toes. Advanced fencers
should work their way up to three sets of
holding the position for three minutes.
Reverse Fly – Sets & Reps
Beginners should use very light dumbbells
(two pounds) and try two sets of 8
repetitions. More advanced fencers can
increase the weight of the dumbbells to five
or even ten pounds and work towards three
sets of 15-20 repetitions.
Lateral Broad Jump – Progression
There are two ways to make this exercise more challenging.
The first is carry more weight while you are performing the
lunge movement. For example, you can hold light dumbbells
(2-5 pounds) in your hands or, as Scott prefers, wear a
weighted vest. Another method is placing a source of
resistance behind you, attached to your waist. This can be
done with a large resistance band or bungee cord looped
around your waist and then attached to a stable wall or door.
Of course this can also be accomplished with a trusty friend or
partner willing to hold the resistance band for you. The
strength of the band and how far away you stand from it
determines how challenging the exercise will be.
Standing Long Jump – Progression
One way to make this exercise more challenging is to begin
each jump with a plyometric start. Find a low, stable box or
bench which allows you to stand safely above ground level
(approximately 12-20 inches). Begin with your feet close to the
edge, feet about hip distance apart. With a small jump, drop
off the box, landing on both feet (same distance apart). Then
immediately launch into your long jump. You will have to work
out the proper coordination for this so that you can still use
your swinging arms to propel you forward but also not resting
too long before launching into the jump. You want to imagine
that your legs are like a rubber band; when you first land, your
muscles stretch out, and when they snap back into place, that
is your long jump. If you wait too long, the plyometric effect is
lost.
Speed Skaters – Progression
This is quite a technical exercise so being able to complete a
balanced landing is essential before proceeding. Once you
are confident that you can, the way to progress this exercise
is to make the landing a little more challenging. You can do
this in several ways. The first is to complete the exercise
without shoes on a forgiving surface like grass. This forces
you to work a little harder to hold your balance as you land.
The second way is to do the exercise on a surface that
absorbs some of the impact of your landing such as a
gymnastics fitness mat that is used for tumbling (because the
mat compresses as you land, your muscles will have to work
harder to control the weight of your body).

Yet another way the exercise can be enhanced is to do it

barefoot on a less stable surface, like sand. In this case, when
you land, the surface actually moves slightly under your foot
which means you have to really challenge yourself to stay
upright (this will also build ankle strength). The good news is
that if you fall, you’ve got a softer surface below you to
cushion the impact. You can also try the exercise with light
dumbbells in each hand, but leaping with your own body
weight is preferred so you don’t compromise your technique.
This is one of the exercises that shouldn’t be done in timed
intervals (for Power) because doing so could compromise
your ability to land the leap properly before beginning the
next jump.
Reverse Long Jump – Progression
To make this exercise more difficult, you can switch up the
landing. But before you try the advanced progressions, first try
pushing off your front foot and landing on only your back foot.
Like the speed skater leaps, you should pay close attention to
your balance and make sure you are completely stable before
you begin another repetition. Once you have mastered this
you are ready; proceed to an advanced progression which is
to push off the front leg and then land only on the front leg.
This will shift your balance forwards, and because you have
momentum going backwards, places a lot of strain on the
muscles of the front leg to control your landing (recall what we
mention about eccentric motions being very important in
strength training). Do not, however, modify this exercise to
train Power (by adding a time limit). Trying to perform this
variation at speed will compromise your ability to maintain
your balance, risk injury and diminish the value of the
exercise.
Vertical Jump – Progressions
A vertical jump typically relies on explosive power in both
legs, however the main action we are training for (pulling
distance) relies primarily on the strength of one leg (your front
leg). For that reason, it can be very beneficial to also do this
exercise on one leg at a time. You will find that it’s much more
difficult to coordinate your balance and the height that you
can reach is significantly reduced. The landing is especially
important when you are jumping and landing on one leg; you
will want to be careful and safeguard your foot and ankle from
awkward landings. It’s important to do this exercise on both
legs to balance out the strength you are building.

If you are able to comfortably perform three sets of 12-15

repetitions then you can progress the exercise by introducing
a time limit and trying to do as many repetitions as you can
within that time frame. Start with as many vertical jumps as
you can do in 30 seconds using both legs. Then work your
way up to one minute. Then try this with the same time
limitations using one leg at a time.
Bench Dip – Progression
All you need to do to make this exercise more challenging is
change the position of your feet. The first progression is to
extend your legs until they are completely straight. This will
increase the body weight that your arms must lower and raise.
Then, to make it even more difficult, find another bench or
stable object of similar (or lower) height to put in front of you
and place your feet on it. By changing the angle of your legs,
your arms will need to carry even more weight to complete
the exercise.

The final progression is to introduce an element of instability

which forces your arms and core to work even harder. For this
you can use a physio ball or a chair with wheels on the bottom
(like you would use in an office). Place your feet up on the ball
or chair and carefully complete the exercise as before. You
will notice that it’s very difficult to do more than a few
repetitions with both the extra weight and an unstable surface
supporting your feet!
Theraband Thrust – Progression Medicine Ball Toss – Progression
To make this exercise better simulate actual fencing, it can You can enhance this exercise several ways:
also be performed with a handle or weapon. You can either
attach the resistance band to a small handle (e.g. the last 12
When you are very comfortable with the basic exercise, one
inches of a broom stick) or directly on your weapon itself. If
variation is to close your eyes during the toss. This overloads
attaching it to your weapon, you will have to get a little bit
the body’s system and challenges your proprioceptors (your
creative, either tying it around the foil or épée pistol grip or
sensory receptors focused on balance), muscles and tendons
the base of the saber guard. Make sure it’s secure before you
to work harder.
begin the exercise and then practice the same movements as
above with a target in front of you. This helps the action feel
more realistic, thus integrating it deeper into your fencing You can also place a time limitation and try to do as many
muscle memory. throws as possible in that period (if you have a partner to help
by recovering and tossing you the ball as it hits the wall).
Focus on catching, twisting and releasing the ball as quickly
Over time, you might be tempted to add additional resistance
as possible without losing any acceleration. Beginners should
to the exercise, however, this has a tendency to compromise
start with 30 seconds; advanced fencers can work up to two
your technique. For example, additional resistance can cause
minutes.
you to roll your shoulder slightly inwards to bear the extra
weight. So rather than adding weight, it’s better to convert the
exercise to train Power by adding a time limit and performing Any of the above progressions can also be done with a
as many as possible within that period. Start with 30 seconds, heavier medicine ball. However, if you feel like you are
then work your way up to one minute on each side. You must compromising the technique (e.g. you need to take an extra
be especially attentive to your technique. Quality is always step to throw the ball) then you are using too much weight
more important than quantity! and should return to a lighter ball.