A child who does not like team sports often does well in an individual one, where their progress depends on them, nobody waits for them to pass, and nobody blames them for a lost game. The usual choices are swimming, tennis, gymnastics, martial arts, climbing, running and fencing. Each asks something different of a child, so the best one is the one that matches what your child likes doing. Fencing sits between the two worlds: you compete alone, one partner at a time, but you train in a group and you can fence in team events.
Why some children dislike team sports
The reasons parents give are usually one of these: the child gets little time with the ball, feels the pressure of letting the team down, finds the noise and the crowd too much, or simply does not like the game. An individual sport removes most of those. It keeps what sport is good for: moving, learning a skill, a coach, and other children around.
The individual sports most families look at
Swimming. Asks for regular practice and patience with technique. Progress is easy to see, in strokes learned and in times. Mostly a child against the clock.
Tennis. One opponent across a net, a lot of hand-eye coordination, and a long learning curve before rallies feel fun. There are doubles too.
Gymnastics. Strength, flexibility and body control, and a lot of practice on single skills. Children compete, if they compete, in front of judges who score them.
Martial arts. One partner at a time, often with belts that mark progress. Many styles involve close contact: strikes, throws or holds. Fencing vs martial arts compares the two in detail.
Climbing. Problem-solving on a wall, strength and balance, and a child sets their own pace.
Running. The simplest to start, and the hardest to make interesting for some children. Good for a child who likes to measure themselves.
Fencing. One opponent at a time, with a blade, in full protective kit. It asks for quick decisions, timing and footwork more than strength. A referee or coach starts and stops every exchange, so the action comes in short bursts.
What makes fencing different
Most individual sports are you against the clock, the judges or the course. Fencing is you against a partner who is thinking too, so every bout is a small puzzle: when to attack, when to wait, how close to stand. In sabre, a rule called right of way decides who, if anyone, scores when both fencers hit at the same time, which means timing counts as much as speed.
It is also less lonely than it sounds. Children train in a group, with partners their own age, and fencing has team events: three fencers on a side, in a relay to 45 touches. Is fencing a team sport? explains how that works.
How to choose
- Ask what your child likes doing, not what sport they think they should do. Running around, solving puzzles, swords, water, climbing trees: each points somewhere.
- Look at the class, not only the sport. A good first class for a child who disliked team sports is one where the coach explains, everyone gets a turn, and the child sees themselves learn something.
- Try more than one. A trial class is the cheapest way to find out. At our club the first fencing class is free.
- Give it a few weeks. Many children are unsure after one session of anything.
If your child is quiet or shy, is fencing good for shy kids? looks at what they meet at a first class, and for a child who finds it hard to focus, is fencing good for kids with ADHD? looks at the research. A teen starting a sport late has its own guide, and fencing vs tennis, soccer and chess compares fencing with three common choices.
Trying fencing at our club
Children start from age 4, in groups by age: Saturday 9:00 to 10:00 AM for 4 to 6; Monday and Wednesday, 6:00 to 7:30 PM for 7 to 11; Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 6:30 to 8:30 PM for 12 to 18. The first class is free, we lend the mask, jacket, glove and blade, and parents are welcome to watch it. Your child's first fencing class, step by step walks through the day.
Call Coach Pasha at (408) 592-1244. If he is on the strip, leave a voicemail: he calls back within 24 hours. Or leave your number and he calls you.
