From Monday the 29th of july to friday the 2nd of august, I went to an International sabre camp in Queenswood Girls School in Hatfield.
This camp focused on sabre fencing techniques, footwork and much more.
There were 3 main groups, a younger group with mainly beginner and intermediate fencers, a middle group with slightly older and more experienced fencers, and an older group with international junior and cadet level fencers. There were 3 main coaches and a support team to help the coaches and students.
We had 2-4 fencing sessions a day, and we also did things like outdoor fitness training and footwork training. On average, this added up to about 6 hours of fencing and fencing training per day.
Of course, we were given breaks and time to rest, but we were also trained hard and pushed to our limits in the best way possible.
We were given healthy nutritional food choices to give us energy, and a sufficient lunch break to rest our body.
This camp was from 9am to 6pm, and there was also the option to board, where you were provided with morning and evening meals, as well as evening activities.
There were some international fencers from different countries like France, Germany, China and more, who boarded at the camp.
During lunchtime breaks, we sometimes had talks about important topics that affected us and our fencing abilities, like the importance of sleep. These talks were optional, but very educational.
There were also activities like swimming sessions and a rounders tournament at the end of the day. On thursday, there was a family party/BBQ, where all fencers and their families were invited, and there was a BBQ and food provided. There was prize giving where medals and trophies were awarded.
Along with improving your fencing skills and learning more about fencing, this camp was also a great chance to make some new friends and meet people you hadn't or had barely met before. I know I definitley met new people and made some very good friends and many memories.
This was a great experience and I definitely took so much away from it, from new techniques to new friends.
This camp was organised by the Paul Davis Fencing Academy and Leon Paul Project, and sponsored by Octav Fencing.