Fencing and FM

Greetings,

Fencing and fibromyalgia. A person would expect that with the symptoms present in fibromyalgia it would preclude an individual from fencing. Well, I am happy to say that this is simply not the case. To tell the truth, if it was not for fencing my symptoms would be a lot worse and I would be substantially less active than I am now. Essentially this blog will go through three main sections, why fencing, benefits of fencing, and the balancing act. Each one of these will cover a different aspect with regard to fencing and FM and hopefully explain a little of my own situation. This will actually be the last of these truly introductory blogs, after this they will be on stuff which comes to mind for me on the subject.

Why fencing? Now, I have been asked that question more times than I would care to count. I have always been interested in swords and swordplay so fencing seemed to be the way to go. I actually developed the bug for fencing years before the symptoms of fibromyalgia actually manifested. There was no way that I was going to give it up. For me it is an interest area with a breadth of different subjects and points of view to look at. There is a high level of skill available to the practitioner if only they are willing to put in the work to get there. Other elements are present such as research into the various subjects and manuals which are available giving something else to do when not actually training or bouting. This is all beside the fact that I seem to have a natural talent for fencing to start with, how much talent, I will leave to other people to decide. The benefits of doing fencing, well I found out about them much later on.

The benefits gained from fencing are both physical and psychological. It essentially gives you the whole package to look at. From a purely physical point of view, and not looking at it in association with FM, it is an exercise which improves fitness and develops different skills. From the more FM point of view, it is relatively low-impact (note the word relatively) and it involves the movement and use of most of the joints in the body. The simple movements of fencing increase blood-flow to these areas of the body. It is due to this particular aspect that fencing has been a physical benefit to me. Fencing has kept my joints moving, supplying relatively regular exercise his conditioning and maintaining the condition of my joints.

The development of control is essential to fencing, this is physical control over your own actions, but also internal self-control. You need to be able to wait until the optimum moment to strike in order to be successful. The fencer who goes in like a raging bull will not do as well as the one who has self-control and reads and plans. For the person with fibromyalgia and a true passion for fencing, it also develops problem-solving abilities. When a person is stubborn enough not to let a little joint pain get in the road he tends to look at ways around this. Problems with walking or sore legs, simple fence from a chair, ask anyone who knows me about this one. I have strapped my sword to my hand in order to be able to fence because my hands were sore and weak. If there is a way around a problem, I have either suggested, tried or will give it a good think to figure it out.

There is always something to learn. The fencer who stops learning is one who is bound to get hit by the one who does not. There is physical skills to learn and to hone. There are also more intellectual pursuits to be made. The studying of Renaissance period manuals, examining techniques and finding ways to use them. The discussion of equipment and its application. There is always something to learn about fencing. The different schools of thought go with different skill-sets which can be learnt, which means that some subjects have a physical and mental aspect as well.

Achievements in fencing are great. Personal ones tend to matter to the individual more than anything anyone else will give them. I am proud of my achievements that I have made in fencing and without it I would not. Yes, I have been awarded several times for fencing within the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) a medieval and Renaissance group of which I am a member. In my case the personal achievements of getting a skill-set correct or seeing my students improve as they learn more feels more important to me. Every achievement should be noted in some form and recognised at least by yourself.

The balancing act is exactly what is involved in order to be active in fencing and achieve things. There are two aspects to be aware of, doing to much, and doing too little. From the fencing aspect it is the latter which is worse as your skills will begin to drop if you are not regularly training. In my case my FM actually gets worse if I am not fencing or doing something similarly active on a regular basis. Of course the other side is doing too much. In this particular case it involves overworking yourself resulting in physical symptoms such as fatigue and joint pain. If I have to make a choice of making the mistake of doing too little or doing too much, I will always go for the doing too much. I understand the results of doing to much, but the actual doing of this is actually so satisfying that I would rather put up with the inconvenience and pain than not fence.

I have had discussions with specialists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists, in all cases they have said that I would not be as mobile as I am now if it was not for fencing. It has in some small cases improved my condition, and in most cases maintained it at a level which I am happy to live with. Fencing has also given me the impulse to write all sorts of articles, let alone this blog. It is the real reason that I get out of bed in the morning. This particular hobby supplies my enthusiasm and motivation. In all cases when I talk to my doctor the question of "...and how will this affect my fencing?" will always come up. Fencing and FM do mix and mix quite nicely as far as I am concerned. Have a go see what you can do you may find that it has the same benefits for you, just remember it will take time.

Cheers,

Henry.