The Champion's Grind

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Research Corner

You’ve probably heard of the “10,000-hour rule,” but what does the data really say about expertise and mastery in sports like fencing? Although there have been entire books (and PhDs) dedicated to this exact topic (see below), here’s the tl;dr of the subject:

• Deliberate Practice Matters More Than Just Hours – Research from people like psychologist Anders Ericsson (author of Peak) shows that how you practice is more important than how long you practice. Elite athletes engage in structured, deliberate practice, always with a specific goal, not just aimless repetitions.

• Years, Not Just Hours – A study of Olympic-level competitors found that they averaged 10-15 years of structured training before reaching world-class status. In HEMA this typically means top fencers have put in thousands of hours across multiple adjacent disciplines or prior sports - building movement skills and athleticism in olympic fencing, martial arts, or other sports in addition to the time they have spent with HEMA-specific training.

• Consistency Is Key – Studies on expertise emphasize that long-term consistency beats short-term bursts of effort. Even if you can’t train 30 hours a week, training smart and consistently over years will lead to major gains.

• Cross-Training Helps Develop Mastery – High-level athletes virtually ALL engage in cross-training in the form of strength training and other forms of physical conditioning. This variation helps refine movement patterns, prevent burnout, and most critically, reduce injury risk. Cross training helps build the body up so that it can handle the physical and mental stresses of sport.

Want to go deeper? Check out "Bounce" by Matthew Syed for insights on talent vs. effort, and "Peak" by Anders Ericsson for a breakdown of how deliberate practice works.

HEMA Hot Take: S-Tier Commitment

After speaking with several of the top competitors at SoCal, one thing became clear: their commitment is on another level that clearly separates them from many “recreational” HEMAists who hit up sword class once or twice a week for exercise. Many of them are putting in 25-35 hours per week to their fencing, which includes:

• Fencing time (sparring, drilling, lessons, and coaching their own students)

• Strength & conditioning (gym time working on strength, agility, and mobility - and recovery!)

• Cross-training (other martial arts like thai boxing, wrestling, and jiu jitsu, or olympic fencing and other related disciplines)

• Film study & strategy (watching fight footage, reviewing matches, mental prep)

It’s not just about talent—it’s about commitment and at times, sacrifice. These athletes structure their lives around their training, giving up free time, social events, and sometimes even career opportunities to pursue excellence.

Of course, most people can’t commit 30+ hours a week to training, and that’s okay. The key takeaway is this: elite performance isn’t accidental—it’s built through structured, intentional work.

The take home message? “Raw Talent” is a myth. Dedication, time, and grinding through the hard times (wisely) are what ultimately make a champion.

Coach’s Corner: Riding the SOCAL Wave

With fencers fresh off SoCal Swordfight, now is the perfect time to take and use that momentum to help our students improve. Whether they won medals or felt like they struggled, it’s important to help them reflect on the experience they had.

Here’s how to help them get some immediate wins from the SOCAL excitement:

✅ Self Reflection – If fencers attended the event have them review all of their footage on their own to see what worked, what didn’t, and identify patterns. Encourage them to send you a list of 2 or 3 things they think they need to work on to improve their results. Fencers who didn’t go but want to participate should review footage from their intended competition level (A, B, C tier) and look for things that stood out in other fencers.

✅ Celebrate Wins – Some fencers can be highly self critical and forget about the things they DID accomplish during tournament weekend. No matter the result, every fencer did something well. Maybe they landed a technique you’ve been working on in class, kept composure under pressure, or simply showed up and fought hard despite challenges. Encourage them to recognize progress and acknowledge the work they put in leading up to the event.

✅ Set New Goals – What’s next? Identify specific, actionable training goals based on what was learned at SoCal for good or for bad. Along with this, they should be considering when their next competitions are and what is feasible in terms of correcting mistakes between now and then.

✅ Adjust the Training Plan – If there were consistent themes among your fencers in terms of what they struggled with or were defeated by, start adjusting that spring training plan. Don’t be afraid to get creative on the issue - host an inter-club sparring day, bring in a guest coach, or ask for input from other coaches you trust.

The best clubs don’t just train hard for a tournament—they adapt and continue to train after. Look for the lessons learned in each tournament and use it to refine your coaching approach moving forward.

The Part Time Athlete

The reality is, many of us have a hard enough time just carving out enough time to get to class a few nights a week. Even if you’re not a full-time athlete, you can still make massive improvements by training smarter, not just harder. Time efficiency and quality matter more than sheer hours spent swinging a sword.

Here’s how to make the most of the time you do have:

Consistency: Show up to all of your HEMA and marital arts classes consistently. Every time you take a week off or skip out on that second or third practice in the week you are not just missing out on opportunities to train, you are actively setting yourself back. Our brains NEED consistency and repetition to build the neural pathways we need for complex actions and “muscle memory”.

Time-Block Your Training: Schedule gym time and cross-training like an appointment. Unlike HEMA practices where your friends wonder where you are when you skip out, solo conditioning doesn’t come with built in accountability.

Shorter & More: A knockout 90 minute gym session sounds cool, but actually it is less effective for athletic conditioning than three 30 minute workouts. Don’t worry so much about length and just focus on getting in more opportunities to train.

Cross-Train Effectively: Other martial arts & olympic fencing classes are a fabulous way to build skills that are highly transferrable to HEMA. Especially if you are limited to just one or two HEMA classes a week or coach your own HEMA club, these types of classes can be a key way to continue to develop and test new skills.

Analyze & Reflect: Watching fight footage, keeping a training journal, and visualizing your fencing can help sharpen your game without adding extra physical hours. If you travel for work or have a long commute to fill, this can be a gamechanger.

Conditioning Move of the Week

Dumbbell/Kettlebell Bench Pullover

Perfect for longsword fencers, this movement strengthens the shoulders, chest, and lats while reinforcing stability and mobility in the same overhead position used in Vom Tag or a high Donna.

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