Fencing
By Dr. Selim Erhan, TLT Editor | TLT From the Editor January 2023
There are many benefits to this sport that can last a lifetime.
As this is the first article for the coming year, and we are looking forward to a new year, I wanted to dedicate this article to future generations. With this in mind, I want to reach out to parents and introduce a sport from the inside out and hope some of their children will follow this path that has brought most of us fencers lifelong benefits.
Fencing is not a well-known sport, mostly because it is not really a spectator sport. Each move takes less than 1/20 of a second and happens in such a narrow area that it is difficult to see from far away. However, to a fencer, that is a long time—long enough to practice not only thinking but fast, controlled thinking. Physically it is challenging, too. One has to move the whole body in sync with thoughts. This builds endurance, strength and fast reflexes—actually, more fast thinking and reacting rather than just reacting! It’s exactly like playing chess at high speed. These are all very good skills for young people. Of course these take a long time to develop. But again, one can fence at any age if one trains well. Parents also will be happy about the part where participants do not get hurt or injured. Maybe, once in a while, some suffer from a bruised ego, but that too becomes part of the benefits.
These benefits are only the beginning and are followed by deeper, lifelong habits once one becomes fairly comfortable with the moves, hones responses, achieves good physical shape and achieves a mental state that gets accustomed to performing under pressure. These deeper skills are applicable to every aspect of one’s life. The benefits stretch from professional to personal life because one starts developing a deep respect for the other side. One has to understand what an opponent is planning to do. This means fully concentrating on the other side. This type of intense focusing allows one to empty one’s mind from any distracting thoughts or emotions. There is no place for anger, hate, impatience or selfishness. To try to understand what the person across us is thinking develops a respect for the other side, and forces acknowledgment to the other side. This other side later becomes a customer, colleague, friend, spouse or child.
One can easily see how beneficial these skills are in professional meetings, social events or family interactions. One learns to tailor moves and thoughts around the person we are communicating with. Learn to keep all channels open! I had once heard an Aikido master say, “You have to love your opponent.” At the time I did not understand what he meant, because how could one love someone that is attacking to harm us? But later I learned that anger or fear or any other emotion will prevent us from seeing and from handling delicate situations. On the other hand, love opens all channels between two people allowing them to fully understand the other person.
Another huge benefit comes when one learns to be humble because one sees or is shown that there is always room to improve. Mistakes, misunderstandings and lack of physical responses all lead to “How did that happen?” moments. The only way to prevent it from happening again lies in striving for improvement that in itself brings great satisfaction.
All these benefits without really getting hurt! Is this not a parent’s dream?
Dr. Selim Erhan is director of business development for Process Oils Inc. in Trout Valley, Ill. You can reach him at serhan@processoilsinc.com.