Coaching fencing

Well in my excitement about aspiring to abandon public transport, I sort of forgot about the small matter that my career as a fencing coach is about to get underway in September.

The club in question is Streatham Fencing Club (no knife crime jokes please) which happens to a) be my local club (even though I have never actually been there) and b) has a coaching team headed up by one Mr Coton. Mr who? Mr Coton, my fencing coach from school in Hertfordshire.

Roger, a kindly gentleman who seems to be important (club president I believe), called me today to tell me more about the club, its structure and what I could be doing. It looks like that I will be taking some footwork warmup (it appeals to the sadistic streak in me). In addition, I will be teaching groups of new sabre fencers (swishy weapon hitting with blade edge) who have learnt the rudiments in foil (fiddly wobbly blade hitting with the point) and require conversion. I will also be able to give some one on one coaching to some intermediate students. Well, this is all terribly exciting and I have lesson plans and stuff to write... only one issue... swords on a bike.

The friendly people on the fencing forum have provided me with some ideas. These include wearing a sword bag across myself, which look something like this:

Arguably an option, but I am a little concerned about the balance and also increasing my width - sneaking through between buses could go a bit wrong.

The other alternative is something called a freerunner, a preferred option of motorcyclists. It is modelled here... I suspect they wear it pointing the other way up. However, as good value as Leon Paul kit is (love you Barry) it is quite expensive when I already have a kit bag as it is. My current kit bag is a wheelie one... maybe I'm putting myself up as a guinea pig to trial a trailer... maybe not...

Meanwhile... Amazon order (satnav) dispatched, JEJames (panniers) dispatched... APT-Day approaches

PS Other fencing suppliers do exist...