Interview with Yves : Fencing helped me to go with the flow of disability.

Q : How did you discover fencing ? Where do you practice ? How did you find a fencing master ?

A : When I was at the rehabilitation center, I didn’t want to be there. The first weeks I didn’t like it. I was constantly in the world of disabilities, mixing with people suffering from all the low-vision illnesses. I was extremely ill-at-ease.

But then, they suggested that I do fencing. I didn’t know what it was. So I discovered fencing as a visually-impaired person. You should know that before, I didn’t have confidence in anybody, I didn’t want anybody to guide me, to hold my hand. However, fencing helped me to go with the flow. The fencing master’s voice suited me. Because I did sports to a high level, I enjoyed when he gave me instructions or when he pressed me to improve myself.

During these courses, I learnt to be in total darkness under a blindfold exactly as all those who practice that sport. Owing to this fencing master, I made a lot of progress while I didn’t really improve on anything during the first 4 weeks at the rehabilitation center. I had banned everything that was related to adapting one’s house, including the adapted material… But having enough confidence to let myself be guided while being blindfolded was a big step. I thought there was something to explore in that direction.

Q : What does doing fencing as a visually-impaired person mean ? Is it possible to do everything ? What must be adapted ?

A : Fencing is about putting on guard, positioning. Heightened carpets indicate where the middle is to help centering as the field measures 14 meters. On one side, a landmark helps to position yourself whether you are right-handed or left-handed. So you know that you are at the right place to start. Then you move forward taking short strides and using the steps and movements learnt. Moreover, you learn how to use all your limbs, which you usually don’t do when initiating as a sighted person. When you can see, you only rely on sight. But in my case, I understood that I can appeal to my whole body, from my feet on the carpet to the multiple sensations I get. Actually you have to work in space.

It allowed me to enter the second month in the center with an open mind. I realized that they were there to help me, that it was possible. In addition to fencing, I familiarized myself with mosaics to practice occupational therapy. I learnt to utilize my central vision by attempting to recreate the picture on the board in front of me.

Thus, fencing made the 3 next months at the center more beneficial for my learning and also in regard to my relation with the disability.

Q : Do you practice in Grenoble ? Is it needed for a fencing master to get training to teach to visually-impaired people or is it accessible for everybody ? 

A : I’m still practicing in Grenoble but as able-bodied people do. Practicing as an able-bodied person or as a visually-impaired person is not the same. For instance, the guard is different. When you are blind and you fence, you are positioned to a certain distance from your opponent that you become used to. The body is in a specific alignment, one foot placed forward towards the opponent, the other one towards the wall. And then you move forward this way thanks to short steps, slowly waving the foil, saber or sword left and right, to touch the opponent’s weapon. Once you have touched it, your senses take over to determine their next positions. Since you take forward and backward steps, hearing helps to spot the opponent as well because of sounds made by feet on the carpet, especially at the beginning when you have a heavy tread. Afterwards, you manage to be more subtle !

That’s exactly the same to determine the location of the opponent with a touch of the foil. If the foil is directed towards my right-hand side, my opponent is logically on the left, etc. Once you touch it with the weapon, you continue with a step forward to try to prick them, and so on. It’s all about parries, lunges, figures that you should know yourself to understand how the opponent is positioned through mental representation. The fencing master who initiated me used to work with people in wheelchairs, and then in 2015 or 2016 he became interested in visually-impaired people. I felt comfortable with him. I’m not at all comfortable with able-bodied practice. I miss hits, I have difficulties determining other people’s positions… If they want to score points against me, that’s completely possible.

I’m practicing at a club in Grenoble. I went back to Nîmes to do courses before, but not anymore. It’s too far ! However, it was a complicated to find a club that accepts visually-impaired people.

I struggled with a lack of understanding. They told me that I was seriously handicapped while I had come to meet them without any problem. But I was answered that it would be too difficult, impossible. The point is that it’s not a question of materials as adapting the field costs nothing. What was so difficult to them was the training. According to them, to be partially-sighted is a too serious handicap to be able to go in for competition.

They finally accepted that I attend the club after the first session when they saw I had skills. There, people I met were rather open to my coming, nevertheless it is me who had to adapt myself to them and not the opposite.

Concerning the other clubs, they weren’t as open-minded. Just with the sound of people’s voices that I spoke with on the phone, I understood that it wouldn’t be easy. Furthermore Disability Sports don’t propose fencing and I was not interested in practicing something else.

When I’m doing body building I go to a weight room. I became a member of one of them but I test a lot of weight rooms. I learn to find my way in the room being accompanied by the staff who shows me how the material is arranged.

My current practice consists of body building from Monday to Friday or so, and fencing twice a week. Some days I do both. It’s still so liberating.

Q : Why did you accept to be interviewed ? What’s the message you want to spread ?

A : When I was in Nîmes, my fencing master noticed that I had skills, that’s why he called Grenoble’s clubs to offer training to other fencing masters. He even offered to move directly to the clubs to spread the practice of adapted fencing. He was sent packing !

You should know that some able-bodied competitors decided to use a blindfold so they found out that they had better sensations this way, so good that they could have the sense of their arms to the point of their foils or swords due to the alignment of the whole body.

The reason why I accepted to share my experience is that sport and especially fencing allowed me to make a big step with regard to my disability. Minds must be more open and people have to change, they have to understand that we are all the same even with our differences.