This summer has been great, but I am so excited for the end of August. Especially since the end of August means my vacation to Europe for two weeks. I leave tomorrow! I am so excited! My trip begins in Barcelona, Spain. After a few days there, I leave Spain on a Mediterranean cruise. I travel to various parts of Turkey, Greece, and Italy before I head back home. I will be posting pictures and descriptions of my travels throughout my adventure!
In order to keep in shape I will also be cross training throughout my trip. Today I did a lighter load (no weights or running) in preparation for my travels and to prevent sourness and injury before my trip. Below I listed my workout for the day.
1) sit ups-50
2) six inch leg throws-50
3) lunges right leg-50
4) sit ups-50
5) lunges left leg-50
6) squats-20
7) engarde squats-15
8) fire feet squat jumps-10
9) lunge jumps-15
10) high knee fire feet-10
11) engarde jumps-15
12) double engarde jumps-15
13) engird jump lunges-15
14) forward crawls-5
15) caterpillars-5
16) push up hops-5
17) clap push ups-5
18) sit ups-50
Showing posts with label footwork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label footwork. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
Work Out
Hey guys! So everyone has their own personal workout, and for good reason too! What works for your best friend may not work for you. So after much trial and error, I came up with my own personal program to train my fencing. I have listed my summer program below and I hope this gives you guys some idea as to what may work for you! (I found that taking bits and pieces from different camp programs and techniques from coaches and high level fencers helped me to build a foundation for my own plan that I customized further from that point). I hope you enjoy and please leave your comments below!
Monday
Bench Press
RDL Shrugs
Squats
Pull ups
MB Plate Punch
Shoulder Press
MB Wall Passes
Tricep Extensions
Bicep Curls
Lunges-walking overhead & regular
Broad Jumps
Depth Jumps
Box Step ups
Back Extension
Supermans
MB Ab Twists
Footwork
Fencing Practice
Tuesday
Run 5 miles
Footwork
Wednesday
Bench Press
RDL Shrugs
Squats
Pull ups
MB Plate Punch
Shoulder Press
MB Wall Passes
Tricep Extensions
Bicep Curls
Lunges-walking overhead & regular
Broad Jumps
Depth Jumps
Box Step ups
Back Extension
Supermans
MB Ab Twists
Thursday
Fencing Practice
Friday
Bench Press
RDL Shrugs
Squats
Pull ups
MB Plate Punch
Shoulder Press
MB Wall Passes
Tricep Extension
Bicep Curls
Lunges-walking overhead & regular
Broad Jumps
Depth Jumps
Box Step ups
Back Extension
Supermans
MB Ab Twists
Footwork
Monday
RDL Shrugs
Squats
Pull ups
MB Plate Punch
Shoulder Press
MB Wall Passes
Tricep Extensions
Bicep Curls
Lunges-walking overhead & regular
Broad Jumps
Depth Jumps
Box Step ups
Back Extension
Supermans
MB Ab Twists
Footwork
Fencing Practice
Tuesday
Run 5 miles
Footwork
Wednesday
RDL Shrugs
Squats
Pull ups
MB Plate Punch
Shoulder Press
MB Wall Passes
Tricep Extensions
Bicep Curls
Lunges-walking overhead & regular
Broad Jumps
Depth Jumps
Box Step ups
Back Extension
Supermans
MB Ab Twists
Thursday
Run 5 miles
Footwork Fencing Practice
Friday
Bench Press
RDL Shrugs
Squats
Pull ups
MB Plate Punch
Shoulder Press
MB Wall Passes
Tricep Extension
Bicep Curls
Lunges-walking overhead & regular
Broad Jumps
Depth Jumps
Box Step ups
Back Extension
Supermans
MB Ab Twists
Footwork
Saturday
Run 5 miles
Footwork
Fencing Practice
Fencing Practice
Sunday
Video Analysis
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Alliance Camp Footwork, Day 2/Week 2
Today was great, lots of intense fencing the entire morning! I got a lesson from Andre today as well during lunch. After some intense blade work (1 hour long), we moved on to super intense footwork. We spent 45 minutes drilling our legs and calf muscles.
Drills:
1) Squats-get into the engarde position and slowly lower your body down into a squat. X 10
2) Fire Feet Squats-get into engarde and pick up your feet quickly, making sure to keep good form. Drop into a squat every couple of seconds. X 10
3) Fire Feet Squat Jumps-get into engarde and pick up your feet quickly, make sure to keep good form during the exercise. Drop down into a squat, varying the time difference between squats. Once in squat, propel yourself upward in a jump and land softly back in engarde on the toes. X 10
4) Lunge Jumps-get into a lunge and while staying low to the ground hop in and out of the lunge into the engarde. Make sure knee in the lunge is at a 90 degree angle. X 15
5) High Knee Fire Feet-get into engarde and start alternating feet in fire feet workout. Every so often pick up your knees alternating knees 4 times then continue fire feet. Make sure to keep the back straight. X 10
6) Engarde Jumps-get into engarde and jump forward as far as you can, landing softly on your front foot. Keeping your back foot in the air, push back as far as you can. This is one rep. X 15
7) Double Engarde Jumps-get into engarde and jump forward as far as you can just like before, except this time when you land hop in place once on your front foot before you hop back. On the back hop when you land also do another small in place hop on the toe. This is one rep. X 15
8) Engarde Jump Lunges-get into engarde and continue the exercise like above. This time though after the second back hop lunge forward then reset into engarde. X 15
9) Reaction Lunges-Find a partner and a tennis ball. Have your partner extend their arm with tennis ball in hand, when they drop the tennis ball lunge as quickly as possible. The point is to finish the lunge with clean form before the ball hits the ground. 1-2 minutes
10) Short/Long Reaction Lunge-Set up the exercise just like before, except your partner has two tennis balls. When they drop the ball in their left hand you are to do a double lunge before the ball hits the ground. When they drop the ball in the right hand just do a regular lunge. 1-2 minutes
11) Short/Long Hand Target Lunge-Find a partner and have them stand with one hand closer to you than the other. Have them randomly open one hand at a time and you must react quickly to lunge and hit it. The closer hand for the short lunge and the farther hand for the long lunge. X 20
12) Fencing Suicides-get into engarde and start at the very back of the strip. Go as quickly as possibly and keeping good form go to the 2 meter line and back, the engarde line and back, and so on.
Drills:
1) Squats-get into the engarde position and slowly lower your body down into a squat. X 10
2) Fire Feet Squats-get into engarde and pick up your feet quickly, making sure to keep good form. Drop into a squat every couple of seconds. X 10
3) Fire Feet Squat Jumps-get into engarde and pick up your feet quickly, make sure to keep good form during the exercise. Drop down into a squat, varying the time difference between squats. Once in squat, propel yourself upward in a jump and land softly back in engarde on the toes. X 10
4) Lunge Jumps-get into a lunge and while staying low to the ground hop in and out of the lunge into the engarde. Make sure knee in the lunge is at a 90 degree angle. X 15
5) High Knee Fire Feet-get into engarde and start alternating feet in fire feet workout. Every so often pick up your knees alternating knees 4 times then continue fire feet. Make sure to keep the back straight. X 10
6) Engarde Jumps-get into engarde and jump forward as far as you can, landing softly on your front foot. Keeping your back foot in the air, push back as far as you can. This is one rep. X 15
7) Double Engarde Jumps-get into engarde and jump forward as far as you can just like before, except this time when you land hop in place once on your front foot before you hop back. On the back hop when you land also do another small in place hop on the toe. This is one rep. X 15
8) Engarde Jump Lunges-get into engarde and continue the exercise like above. This time though after the second back hop lunge forward then reset into engarde. X 15
9) Reaction Lunges-Find a partner and a tennis ball. Have your partner extend their arm with tennis ball in hand, when they drop the tennis ball lunge as quickly as possible. The point is to finish the lunge with clean form before the ball hits the ground. 1-2 minutes
10) Short/Long Reaction Lunge-Set up the exercise just like before, except your partner has two tennis balls. When they drop the ball in their left hand you are to do a double lunge before the ball hits the ground. When they drop the ball in the right hand just do a regular lunge. 1-2 minutes
11) Short/Long Hand Target Lunge-Find a partner and have them stand with one hand closer to you than the other. Have them randomly open one hand at a time and you must react quickly to lunge and hit it. The closer hand for the short lunge and the farther hand for the long lunge. X 20
12) Fencing Suicides-get into engarde and start at the very back of the strip. Go as quickly as possibly and keeping good form go to the 2 meter line and back, the engarde line and back, and so on.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Strength Work
Strength work is very important for athlete's muscles. Strength work helps to prevent injuries as well as improve muscle capabilities. Today at the Alliance International Fencing Camp after our massive bladework and long day of epee fencing, we took 15-20 minutes to work on muscle strengthening activities. Below I have listed the exercises we worked on and their descriptions.
1) Squat Forward Jumps X 15 (reps)
Go into a squat and jump forward and land softly on the heels. Slowly go back into a squat and immediately continue to the next hop forward.
2) Squat Backward Jumps X 15
Go into a squat and jump backward and land softly on your toes. Slowly go back into the squat and immediately continue to the next hop.
*After these two exercises you should feel really sore in your legs*
3) Wall Jumps 1 minute
Find a spot on the wall that is challenging to jump to and reach with your fingers. Jump up continuously, landing on your toes, for 1 minute straight. This exercise works the calf muscles.
4) Forward Crawls X 5
Start from bending to reach your toes with feet a little less than shoulder length apart. Crawl out to the push up distance and crawl backward staying low to the ground. Keep your legs straight during this exercise.
5) Caterpillars X 5
Start from bending to reach the toes position with the feet a little less than shoulder length apart. Hop forward on the hands 4 times to push up length distance and then hop back 4 times.
6) Push up Hops X 5
Get into the push up position with arms extended and feet a little less than shoulder length apart. Hop on hands and toes to the right 3 times, then back to the left 3 times.
7) Push up Circles 1 clockwise, 1 counter clockwise
With feet together, get into the push up position with extended arms. Walk your body with your hands clockwise in a full circle with the back straight. Then do the same counter clockwise.
8) Kick Turns 1 minute
Start by picking the right leg up into the air and kick up with the left leg so that you are now balanced on your right leg. Hop turn counter clockwise so that you are now balanced on the left leg. Continue the hopping and switching of legs. Works balance and coordination.
1) Squat Forward Jumps X 15 (reps)
Go into a squat and jump forward and land softly on the heels. Slowly go back into a squat and immediately continue to the next hop forward.
2) Squat Backward Jumps X 15
Go into a squat and jump backward and land softly on your toes. Slowly go back into the squat and immediately continue to the next hop.
*After these two exercises you should feel really sore in your legs*
3) Wall Jumps 1 minute
Find a spot on the wall that is challenging to jump to and reach with your fingers. Jump up continuously, landing on your toes, for 1 minute straight. This exercise works the calf muscles.
4) Forward Crawls X 5
Start from bending to reach your toes with feet a little less than shoulder length apart. Crawl out to the push up distance and crawl backward staying low to the ground. Keep your legs straight during this exercise.
5) Caterpillars X 5
Start from bending to reach the toes position with the feet a little less than shoulder length apart. Hop forward on the hands 4 times to push up length distance and then hop back 4 times.
6) Push up Hops X 5
Get into the push up position with arms extended and feet a little less than shoulder length apart. Hop on hands and toes to the right 3 times, then back to the left 3 times.
7) Push up Circles 1 clockwise, 1 counter clockwise
With feet together, get into the push up position with extended arms. Walk your body with your hands clockwise in a full circle with the back straight. Then do the same counter clockwise.
8) Kick Turns 1 minute
Start by picking the right leg up into the air and kick up with the left leg so that you are now balanced on your right leg. Hop turn counter clockwise so that you are now balanced on the left leg. Continue the hopping and switching of legs. Works balance and coordination.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Alliance Fencing Camp Anticipation
During the next two weeks I'm going to be spending my time training in sunny Houston, Texas. Alliance Fencing Academy is holding a two week international training camp that will have strong United States fencers as well as international fencers in attendance. I'm so excited! This camp promises to have top notch competition and coaching.
I will be battling it out with top fencers from the US and the international community. Fencers are coming from Russia, Israel, and France just to name a few places. The camp runs from 10AM to 4PM every day of the week with a minimum of 30 competitive bouts for each fencer.
We will be training our footwork and bladework along with our fencing technique. I'm looking forward to this camp as a step towards greater fencing and experience in my journey towards becoming the best fencer I can be.
I truly believe camps are a great way to train, in any sport. Camps allow us to gain new and important experience as well as friendships. The more practice we get the better! Camps can really help to focus the mind and body towards the goal of increasing skill and determination. They bring new faces and with that, new challenges that we must overcome.
I leave tomorrow at 8:50AM for Houston and can't wait to see some old friends and meet some new ones!
Courtney Dumas
I will be battling it out with top fencers from the US and the international community. Fencers are coming from Russia, Israel, and France just to name a few places. The camp runs from 10AM to 4PM every day of the week with a minimum of 30 competitive bouts for each fencer.
We will be training our footwork and bladework along with our fencing technique. I'm looking forward to this camp as a step towards greater fencing and experience in my journey towards becoming the best fencer I can be.
I truly believe camps are a great way to train, in any sport. Camps allow us to gain new and important experience as well as friendships. The more practice we get the better! Camps can really help to focus the mind and body towards the goal of increasing skill and determination. They bring new faces and with that, new challenges that we must overcome.
I leave tomorrow at 8:50AM for Houston and can't wait to see some old friends and meet some new ones!
Courtney Dumas
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Hello St. Lawrence River!
After a laborious 7 hour drive from Cleveland, Ohio to Oak Point, New York, I finally had the chance to stretch my aching legs and sore knees. The river was calm and the air was crisp and fresh. I was thrilled to be back up in this beautiful and quiet cottage after a hard fought venture in Reno, Nevada for Summer Nationals 2011.
The St. Lawrence River way is so secluded from the busy city noise and ruckus. You can actually hear the sounds of the river lapping up on the shore and the sun beats lightly on your shoulders and warms the senses. You are close enough to small towns that you still feel attached to civilization, but at the same time you are isolated enough to feel peaceful and all your worries fly out the window.
The surroundings are beautiful! The flowers are in full bloom and Canada is a short boat ride away. The big freighters flow up and down the river, the trees are green and the beautiful birds pepper the branches-decorating them with splashes of reds, yellows, brilliant blacks, and bright oranges. The water is crystal clear and the air clean. It is the perfect place for a nice vacation.
The cool water makes training ten times better when the sun beats down on your back. This week I will not only be relaxing, but training as well. The peaceful surroundings make exercising so much more enjoyable. Imagine training in total and utter complete bliss. Work almost feels like play-almost...
I have been and continue to plan to fill my days here with brisk 3 mile runs-the cool air in the morning allows for perfect running temperature, but if you wait too long the beautiful river side street becomes a hellish pathway where you feel as though you are melting and the sun is pounding you into the asphalt.
After my morning runs, I come back to the house for footwork and fleche exercises that fill another 45-60 minutes of my time. Due to the gravel road, I am forced to resort to utilizing the faded wooden gray floors of the boathouse as my mock piste for my training. (It is not well appreciated by my family members when I do footwork across the kitchen and living room floors :P). Even though the room gets a bit muggy, it's nice to have my own secluded fencing training area to concentrate on my footwork and technique without interruption.
I put in the minutes day in and day out carefully training my footwork. All the pain and sweat goes towards perfecting actions and improving reaction time and foot speed. Pushing myself to the limits allows me to feel a sense of accomplishment. I am not only physically working, but mentally too. I imagine bouts and actions happening bore my eyes-my fleche taking off and my fingers ever so slightly disengaging and taking the blade in 6 as my point finds its intended target-the shoulder.
Throughout my lunge jumps and scissors jumps I picture my lunge growing and increasing in speed and endurance. I practice and perfect patterns and blade takes to shave time off of my footwork. I force myself to bounce during footwork exercises like I would in tournaments in order to increase endurance and speed of attacks.
At the end of it all I relax and make my way swiftly to the calm cool water way of the St. Lawrence River. The cool water refreshes my sore muscles and cools my mind, allowing me to let loose and unwind. By the end of my days I work my ab muscles with my medicine ball-performing ab twists and sit ups. All in all, throughout my time on the St. Lawrence I relax and unwind and take the opportunity to train deeper than usual with my clearer mind. My goals are sharper and my motivation high. I run, swim, do footwork, and all sorts of ab and arm exercises to reach my goals and to train for my next fencing challenge-this year I will be at the Alliance international training camp in Houston for two weeks after my week here!
Courtney Dumas
The St. Lawrence River way is so secluded from the busy city noise and ruckus. You can actually hear the sounds of the river lapping up on the shore and the sun beats lightly on your shoulders and warms the senses. You are close enough to small towns that you still feel attached to civilization, but at the same time you are isolated enough to feel peaceful and all your worries fly out the window.
The surroundings are beautiful! The flowers are in full bloom and Canada is a short boat ride away. The big freighters flow up and down the river, the trees are green and the beautiful birds pepper the branches-decorating them with splashes of reds, yellows, brilliant blacks, and bright oranges. The water is crystal clear and the air clean. It is the perfect place for a nice vacation.
The cool water makes training ten times better when the sun beats down on your back. This week I will not only be relaxing, but training as well. The peaceful surroundings make exercising so much more enjoyable. Imagine training in total and utter complete bliss. Work almost feels like play-almost...
I have been and continue to plan to fill my days here with brisk 3 mile runs-the cool air in the morning allows for perfect running temperature, but if you wait too long the beautiful river side street becomes a hellish pathway where you feel as though you are melting and the sun is pounding you into the asphalt.
After my morning runs, I come back to the house for footwork and fleche exercises that fill another 45-60 minutes of my time. Due to the gravel road, I am forced to resort to utilizing the faded wooden gray floors of the boathouse as my mock piste for my training. (It is not well appreciated by my family members when I do footwork across the kitchen and living room floors :P). Even though the room gets a bit muggy, it's nice to have my own secluded fencing training area to concentrate on my footwork and technique without interruption.
I put in the minutes day in and day out carefully training my footwork. All the pain and sweat goes towards perfecting actions and improving reaction time and foot speed. Pushing myself to the limits allows me to feel a sense of accomplishment. I am not only physically working, but mentally too. I imagine bouts and actions happening bore my eyes-my fleche taking off and my fingers ever so slightly disengaging and taking the blade in 6 as my point finds its intended target-the shoulder.
Throughout my lunge jumps and scissors jumps I picture my lunge growing and increasing in speed and endurance. I practice and perfect patterns and blade takes to shave time off of my footwork. I force myself to bounce during footwork exercises like I would in tournaments in order to increase endurance and speed of attacks.
At the end of it all I relax and make my way swiftly to the calm cool water way of the St. Lawrence River. The cool water refreshes my sore muscles and cools my mind, allowing me to let loose and unwind. By the end of my days I work my ab muscles with my medicine ball-performing ab twists and sit ups. All in all, throughout my time on the St. Lawrence I relax and unwind and take the opportunity to train deeper than usual with my clearer mind. My goals are sharper and my motivation high. I run, swim, do footwork, and all sorts of ab and arm exercises to reach my goals and to train for my next fencing challenge-this year I will be at the Alliance international training camp in Houston for two weeks after my week here!
Courtney Dumas
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Training...It's a Love/Hate Relationship
Training, every athlete does it, but not many actually love the cross training. It's work. At the same time, this work is what makes athletes great. Determination and perseverance drive athletes to work their hardest to be the best.
Personally I HATE running. Maybe hate is too strong of a word, but nonetheless running and myself are not friends. Unfortunately, to be a great athlete running is a necessary evil. It is probably the best form of cross training out their for athletes and especially fencers!
Although I dislike running, I feel that I have to do it in order to keep progressing in my fencing and hey, you gotta love the way you feel after a workout. Not the sweaty nasty feeling, but the accomplished and I can conquer the world feeling. My lungs just feel so much more open than before I went on the run!
Running is great for the body, but in order to keep pushing yourself as an athlete to the edge to improve, one needs to do more. Personally I love to hit the gym. Weight training is probably my favorite training outside of actually fencing more. I create my own playlists to jam out in the weight room and and a little pizazz to the routine.
I lift every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to improve my physical abilities, while allowing my muscles to rest and heal in between. After I complete my workouts I feel like the Incredible Hulk, like there is nothing that can stop me. It is such a great feeling and I hope you all are inspired to get up and try it after this post!
I mentioned above that I rest my muscles in between lifting days, and that is true to some extent. Tuesdays and Thursdays I do my footwork exercises. Footwork is vital in fencing. Without it you might as well be a padded dummy for all your opponent cares. It is the foundation of fencing and the true way to improve one's abilities. I created my own footwork workout that entails preforming exercises at normal speed for 45 seconds, fast speed for 30 seconds, and fastest speed for 15 seconds. (If anyone ever says they can do their fastest speed for more than 15 seconds then they aren't actually doing footwork as fast as they possibly could). I build my endurance, speed, and technique all at the same time with this workout.
On top of this I also go for a run every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays I either hit the standing bike or go for a run. In doing this I give my muscles time to heal from lifting by working other muscles. In this way my body is always working, except for on Sundays and I burn far more calories than I would otherwise. (Let me mention that I do not diet, I hate that word and its connotations-I eat healthily and I eat less calories than I burn off working out to destroy fat. My goal is always to build muscle, never to lose weight).
Let me end by saying that every person is different and my workout routine won't work for everyone. My coach's never did for me, that is way I created my own routine! Working out is hard, but it is fun too and the results are a plus too ;)
Happy training!
Courtney Dumas
Personally I HATE running. Maybe hate is too strong of a word, but nonetheless running and myself are not friends. Unfortunately, to be a great athlete running is a necessary evil. It is probably the best form of cross training out their for athletes and especially fencers!
Although I dislike running, I feel that I have to do it in order to keep progressing in my fencing and hey, you gotta love the way you feel after a workout. Not the sweaty nasty feeling, but the accomplished and I can conquer the world feeling. My lungs just feel so much more open than before I went on the run!
Running is great for the body, but in order to keep pushing yourself as an athlete to the edge to improve, one needs to do more. Personally I love to hit the gym. Weight training is probably my favorite training outside of actually fencing more. I create my own playlists to jam out in the weight room and and a little pizazz to the routine.
I lift every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to improve my physical abilities, while allowing my muscles to rest and heal in between. After I complete my workouts I feel like the Incredible Hulk, like there is nothing that can stop me. It is such a great feeling and I hope you all are inspired to get up and try it after this post!
I mentioned above that I rest my muscles in between lifting days, and that is true to some extent. Tuesdays and Thursdays I do my footwork exercises. Footwork is vital in fencing. Without it you might as well be a padded dummy for all your opponent cares. It is the foundation of fencing and the true way to improve one's abilities. I created my own footwork workout that entails preforming exercises at normal speed for 45 seconds, fast speed for 30 seconds, and fastest speed for 15 seconds. (If anyone ever says they can do their fastest speed for more than 15 seconds then they aren't actually doing footwork as fast as they possibly could). I build my endurance, speed, and technique all at the same time with this workout.
On top of this I also go for a run every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays I either hit the standing bike or go for a run. In doing this I give my muscles time to heal from lifting by working other muscles. In this way my body is always working, except for on Sundays and I burn far more calories than I would otherwise. (Let me mention that I do not diet, I hate that word and its connotations-I eat healthily and I eat less calories than I burn off working out to destroy fat. My goal is always to build muscle, never to lose weight).
Let me end by saying that every person is different and my workout routine won't work for everyone. My coach's never did for me, that is way I created my own routine! Working out is hard, but it is fun too and the results are a plus too ;)
Happy training!
Courtney Dumas
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