What is the role of the teacher and the student in fencing?

Greetings,

What will be discussed in this blog is the roles of the student and teacher and the relationship between them. It is important to realise that both of these groups of individuals have a role to play in fencing, and especially fencing training. They are actually both important to one another and it is this relationship and how sound this relationship is that will determine how effective the training is and also the ability to excel on both parts.

The first thing to realise is that both the teacher and the student have important roles to play in the training process and this cannot be ignored. In many ways the roles are two sides of the same coin. One does not happen without the other in an effective environment. A person cannot be a student without there being a teacher of some sort, and a teacher cannot be a teacher really without there being a student to teach. Now, in some instances, the student and the teacher will be the same person, but still the same applies.

One is reliant on the other. The student is reliant on the teacher in order to be taught what is required, but the teacher is also relying on the student to learn what is being taught in order that the relationship between the two is fruitful. In this it is important both fulfil the roles that they have in their best capacity in order for the best outcome for the situation and the training process. If one slacks off there is the highly likely chance that the other will slack off. This will result in a reduction in the level of learning. This is where it is best seen that they have a reciprocal relationship. If the teacher is lacking in enthusiasm for what is being taught, then the student will also slack off as they will see what is being taught as not important and also will reduce their efforts in order to learn what is being taught. If the student is lacking in enthusiasm for what is being taught, the teacher will recognise this and will not put in as much effort in the teaching process which will lead to a reduction in the learning. In this way it is important that both put in the maximum amount of effort in their roles in order to achieve the best outcome from the training situation. This also leads on to questions of what it means to be a student or teacher in fencing.

The role of the teacher is to teach. The role of the student is to learn. It is as simple as that, or is it? Does this mean that the teacher may only teach and is precluded from learning, even from the student? Does this mean that the student may only learn and is precluded from teaching? The simple answer to this is "No." This is best seen in the situation where fencing or particular parts of fencing are being learnt alone. In this situation the individual is both student and teacher rolled into one. The individual must not only teach but also learn. Where there are two, or more individuals the same applies. The teacher should also be learning, even if it is only learning how to teach better. The student must also be willing to teach, even if it is to teach the teacher a different perspective. We should all be seeking to learn at all times, and from everyone who has information to part with. The learning experience should never stop and we should never become only teachers as there is so much to learn and in order to do this you must be a student.

....

The rest of this article can be found in Un-Blogged: A Fencer's Ramblings by Henry Walker, which is available in paperback from:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Blogged-Ramblings-Henry-Leigh-Walker/dp/098764470X
Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/un-blogged-henry-leigh-walker/book/9780987644701.html
Among other places...

It is also available in electronic format (pdf) from: https://buy.stripe.com/fZecP419c7CB9VKeUV

... or direct from the author.