Fencing Mental Training: How to Stay Calm on the Strip

Fencing mental training is the practice of building the habits that keep your head clear on the strip: what you tell yourself, what you do between touches, and how you handle the nerves that show up before a bout. Many fencers feel those nerves, especially before a first tournament. The goal of mental training isn't to make them disappear. It's to give you a few simple tools that let you fence well with them. This guide covers four tools that sport psychology research supports, how to use them in pools and direct elimination, and when nerves are a sign to talk to a professional.

These are general performance tips for fencers and parents, not medical or mental health advice.

Why fencing tournaments make you nervous

Fencing is one-on-one, fast and scored in front of everyone. Saber actions are fast, the referee stops the bout after each touch, and the next one starts again within moments. A pool bout ends at 5 touches, and a direct elimination bout goes to 15, according to the USA Fencing Rules for Competition (t.38 and t.39). That means a lot of small restarts, and every restart is a moment where nerves can creep in.

A racing heart, shaky hands and a busy mind before a bout are your body getting ready to compete. That feeling is common, and it doesn't mean you're going to fence badly.

Is it normal to be nervous before your first fencing tournament?

Yes. It's one of the most common questions new fencers post on fencing forums before their first event. A lot of the worry comes from not knowing what will happen. Our first saber tournament guide walks through registration and what the day looks like, and our guides to saber fencing pools and direct elimination explain how the format works. Knowing the format won't take the nerves away, but it leaves fewer unknowns to worry about.

Tool 1: Call it excitement instead of trying to calm down

Most people assume the best way to handle pre-performance nerves is to calm down. Harvard Business School researcher Alison Wood Brooks tested another approach in a 2014 study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Across experiments with karaoke singing, public speaking and math problems, people who reappraised their anxiety as excitement, for example by saying "I am excited" out loud, felt more excited and performed better than people who tried to calm down.

Brooks's explanation is that anxiety and excitement are both high-energy states, so relabeling the feeling as excitement is a smaller shift than trying to switch to calm. Brooks also found that the shift helped people see the task as an opportunity rather than a threat.

How to use it: When your heart starts pounding before your pool, say to yourself (or quietly out loud) "I'm excited" or "Let's go." Don't fight the feeling. Rename it.

Tool 2: Build a routine for the reset between touches

A pre-performance routine is a short, repeatable set of thoughts and actions you do before you perform. A 2021 meta-analysis by Rupprecht, Tran and Gröpel in the International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology pooled studies across 15 sports. It found that routines improved performance, including under pressure, and that the benefit held regardless of the type of routine, age, gender or skill level. In other words, a simple routine you actually use works.

Fencing gives you a natural slot for one. After a valid touch, both fencers are put back on guard in the middle of the strip, and the referee restarts the bout with "On guard," "Are you ready?" and "Fence" (USA Fencing Rules for Competition, t.22). Our fencing referee commands guide explains each call. That short reset is your routine time.

A between-touch routine can be as simple as:

1. Let the last touch go. Turn away for a second, whether you won it or lost it.
2. Take one slow breath as you go back on guard.
3. Pick one cue for the next touch (see Tool 3).
4. Set your feet and your hand on the line the same way every time.

Practice it in club bouts first, so it's automatic by the time you're at a tournament.

Tool 3: Use short instructional self-talk

Self-talk is what you say to yourself, and research suggests it matters. A meta-analysis by Hatzigeorgiadis and colleagues in Perspectives on Psychological Science (2011) reviewed 32 studies and found a moderate positive effect of self-talk interventions on sport performance. Two findings are useful for fencers:

• Instructional self-talk (cues about what to do) worked better than motivational self-talk for fine motor tasks.
• Self-talk worked better when athletes trained it, rather than just trying it on the day.

So instead of "Don't lose this touch," pick a short, specific cue about the action you want, like "distance," "hand first" or "small parry." Keep it to one or two words, choose it during your between-touch routine, and practice using it in training.

Tool 4: Rehearse bouts in your head

Imagery means vividly picturing yourself performing a skill or a situation. A 2021 meta-analysis by Simonsmeier and colleagues, also in the International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, combined 55 studies. It found that imagery interventions improved motor performance as well as motivational and emotional outcomes, and that imagery combined with physical practice worked better than physical practice alone. More intensive imagery training was linked to bigger effects.

How to use it: For a few minutes before practice or the night before a tournament, picture the strip, the salute, the referee's "Fence," and yourself executing one action you've been drilling. Include the feeling of nerves and see yourself running your routine anyway. Imagery adds to training on the strip. It doesn't replace it.

How to stay calm in a fencing bout

Staying composed during the bout itself is where your routine and self-talk do the work. A few fencing-specific points help:

• In pools, bouts are short (5 touches), so don't wait to settle in. Use your routine from the first halt.
• In direct elimination, saber has a one-minute rest when the first period ends, which happens when one fencer reaches 8 touches or three minutes of fencing pass. During one-minute rests, a person named before the bout may have access to the fencer (USA Fencing Rules for Competition, t.39). Use that minute to breathe, drink water, listen to your coach and pick one cue for the next period, not to replay every touch.
• After a bad touch, your routine is the reset button. One touch is one touch.
• Between bouts, move around and stay warm, and avoid watching your own results like a scoreboard.

If you want to work on this with a coach, a private saber lesson is a good place to rehearse your between-touch routine and cue words under game-like pressure.

Anxiety while fencing and fencing mental health: when to get help

Normal competition nerves rise before a bout and settle down afterward. It's a good idea to talk to a doctor or a licensed mental health professional if worry about fencing, or anything else, sticks around and starts affecting sleep, school, work, eating or your enjoyment of the sport, or if you dread going to practice.

Some resources:

• USA Fencing says it offers free, confidential mental wellness support to its members. Check usafencing.org for current details.
• The Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) keeps a public directory of Certified Mental Performance Consultants (CMPC) you can search by location and sport, for help with performance skills like the ones in this guide.
• In an emergency, USA Fencing points members to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988) or the nearest emergency room.

Make mental training part of practice

Mental skills improve the same way footwork does: a little practice, often. Pick one tool this week, probably the between-touch routine, and use it in every club bout. Add a cue word next, then a few minutes of imagery before tournaments. If you're still early in the sport, our guide to how long it takes to learn fencing explains why patience matters, and USA Fencing tournament types can help you pick a first event that fits.

Frequently asked questions

What is fencing mental training?

Fencing mental training means practicing the mental skills that help you perform in bouts, such as a between-touch routine, short self-talk cues, imagery and ways of handling nerves. Like technique, these skills get better with regular practice.

How do I stop being nervous before a fencing tournament?

You probably won't stop the nerves completely, and you don't need to. Research by Alison Wood Brooks found that calling the feeling excitement worked better than trying to calm down. Pair that with a simple routine you've practiced in club bouts.

What should I think about between touches in fencing?

Let the last touch go, take a breath while you reset on guard, and pick one short instructional cue for the next touch, like "distance" or "hand first."

Is anxiety while fencing normal?

Feeling nervous before and during competition is common. If worry lasts beyond competitions or affects sleep, school, work or daily life, talk to a doctor or a licensed mental health professional.

Do fencers work with sport psychologists?

Some do. In the US, the Association for Applied Sport Psychology lists Certified Mental Performance Consultants in a searchable public directory, and USA Fencing says it offers free, confidential mental wellness support to members.

Sources (checked November 4, 2026): Brooks, "Get Excited: Reappraising Pre-Performance Anxiety as Excitement," Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2014; Rupprecht, Tran and Gröpel, "The effectiveness of pre-performance routines in sports: a meta-analysis," International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology; Hatzigeorgiadis et al., "Self-Talk and Sports Performance: A Meta-Analysis," Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2011; Simonsmeier et al., "The effects of imagery interventions in sports: a meta-analysis," International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2021; USA Fencing Rules for Competition, October 2026 (t.22, t.38, t.39); USA Fencing, Member Wellness Program; Association for Applied Sport Psychology, CMPC Directory.