Be brave, have fun, stay curious.  Play the game.

This is our latest motto, which will always keep us going! Right?

Ben and Chris talk about the latest developments in their training and what we can all continue to work on from home and what might change with the return of fencing looming…

We cover our thoughts on the recent Sabre and Epee Olympic qualifiers (this was recorded before the Foil event in Doha) and label one athlete as the Federer of the fencing world.  Of course, we also talk about the Olympics and Ben’s experience as an Olympic training partner for Rio 2016.

We also cover why gratitude in the sport is important and another very curious topic…what makes fencers that originate from Guadeloupe so successful internationally? 

There’s also a teaser in here about a big announcement that is to come in the next episode!

Fenced In:

https://www.instagram.com/fencedinpodcast/

https://twitter.com/fencedinpodcast?lang=en

J4G Design Ltd: https://j4gdesign.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/j4gdesign/

Ben Peggs: https://www.instagram.com/benpeggs/?hl=en

https://m.facebook.com/BenPeggs1990/

Budapest Sabre results: https://fie.org/articles/1040

Kazan Epee results: https://fie.org/articles/1044

Doha Foil results: https://fie.org/articles/1046

Dan Berke is a tech head turned fencer who spotted an opportunity to make life at his club a little easier through technology. Now it’s 2021 and you have probably all used Fencing Time in some capacity either as a fencer, tournament organiser or spectator. The app grew naturally, with word spreading regionally...then nationally...then finally to the FIE who now use it at the worlds biggest events. 

Dan still works as a software engineer while running Fencing Time and finding the time to speak to those using it to continuously find improvements. We get to hear his journey, where Fencing Time has taken him and what he misses most about life pre-pandemic. Enjoy!

You can get in touch with Dan by sending an email to [email protected]

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As COVID continues to reek havoc through all of Europe and with stricter measures being taken Nationally, what effect is this having on our mental health and our fencing? We thought it was time to check in with psychology again. 

In this episode Ben and Chris are joined by British Fencing’s Lead Athlete Development Programme Sports Psychologist - Dr Jonathan Katz. Jonathan’s expertise has taken him to multiple Paralympic Games, European, World and Commonwealth Championships, making him an ideal person to talk to when things don’t go smoothly,  a little like trying to fence during a global pandemic! 

Showing his cool, calm demeanour throughout this intricate episode, Jonathan talks us through some of the common myths surrounding psychology and mental training asking us the most important question - “What function does your sport serve for you and is it meeting that function?”

With high levels of national stress, maintaining mental health is challenging and with fencing restrictions becoming increasingly tighter, most of us are at risk of losing our deep emotional drive that creates the 'personal high' experienced at the core of our magnificent sport! 

Jonathan goes deeper to explore what makes top athletes tick and how psychology training has changed in his long and decorated career -
“The idea that people can improve their mental skills in just the same way as their physical skills has resulted in psychology being more of a proactive component in the sporting environment”.

Through JK’s experience with show host, Ben, we discover what more British fencers could be doing to gain greater understanding of their progression and developing more of a ‘learning’ mindset - “It may not have gone as you intended, that doesn’t mean it was wrong. It means it was different”. Coining one of his most favourite phrases, Jonathan explains how easy it is to create habits. Leading to the name of this episode - “Practice makes Permanent”! 

If you’d like to know more or speak to JK directly, you can get in touch via:

Thanks Chris. Should be good for me to go live. Please let me have the various 'handles' where folks can find the podcast so I can place on my social media.

Twitter: @DrJonKatz
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/drjonathankatz