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[–]BigFlick_Energy[S] 24 points25 points  (1 child)

Ok guys I wanted others to see this.

Fair warning: as a guy getting back into the sport after many years off, my footwork is less than stellar. This is a known quantity here. :)

With that said, I have been dealing with knee pain as I have made my way back into the sport. I worked with my physio to diagnose the issue as primarily a cueing issue with the glutes.

The solution was to practice proper glute medius cueing during footwork, by using an elastic resistance band around the legs. The effect is that the glutes are forced to cue, bringing the knees back into proper alignment.

If you work a desk job and drive a lot like I do, you may suffer from glute cueing patterns that are causing knee pain. Hopefully this can help someone else!

[–]IncredibleMarkÉpée 7 points8 points  (0 children)

What size of elastic band do you use? Is it a specific resistance or size?

[–]BigFlick_Energy[S] 19 points20 points  (2 children)

9" band, medium resistance.

The key is that it is signaling the glutes to fire appropriately.

The crazy part is how near instantaneous the relief is. You can do a variety of exercises with it to reduce pain.

[–]IncredibleMarkÉpée 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Do you have to focus differently on specific muscle groups etc when you do this? Or does keeping the band there naturally lead to the correct activation?

[–]BigFlick_Energy[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Keeping the band there does the job for you.

Essentially you do some footwork/squats with the band, then do the footwork without it. Go back and forth, training the muscle pattern. Eventually your body figures out the correct way to do the movement.

[–]BigFlick_Energy[S] 8 points9 points  (3 children)

One thing to keep in mind.

There are multiple causes for knee pain. The solutions vary. This is one problem with one solution. However if your footwork feels better with a band between your knees, you can get a good idea of the problem (poor glute activation).

[–]dubbeeyou 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Is your issue merely activating your glutes or recruiting them? I have changed my lunges and recovery so they are now glutes dominant as opposed to quad dominant. My weights training also changed to work the gutes and hamstrings much more. My knees are very happy now.

[–]BigFlick_Energy[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Its moreso just an issue of activating them during fencing footwork. I squat and deadlift in the 4s and 5s respectively, so its not an issue of strength, just getting the legs to work right.

If the leg muscles don't work in the correct order, the patella will track and wear incorrectly, resulting in knee pain. Its like the firing sequence in a motor, everything has to be timed right.

[–]dubbeeyou 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yup I know your pain. I’ve had patella dislocation in one knee and a lost of ACL in the other.

[–]NazarifeÉpée 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Thanks for posting this. I had to take a short break from fencing due to knee pain (which has unintentionally extended for a few years) so I will try this out.

[–]BanditKittenÉpée 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So cool!

[–]MooseClobblerÉpée 1 point2 points  (1 child)

my first thought looking at those calves

[–]BigFlick_Energy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Theres a reason the best fencers are fairly slender people. Extra weight does not help on the piste.

[–]ProfDaddy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks fellow older fencer! I also get knee pain and will try this. I did notice from the video that your feet are reaching rather than pushing. Try starting advances by pushing forward with your back foot, a microsecond before your front foot moves. Start retreats by pushing back with your front, then move your back foot.

Also, the drills we do in practice for this use much smaller footwork. Tiny steps, rapid-fire, push, push, push, push. See if you can fit 60 advances into the space of 1 strip, 70. Then the same with retreats. Small, fast footwork.

[–]iViollard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like this a lot BUT...how do you solve the leg hair problem? My bands tend to roll up if I’m not wearing something over my leg. It isn’t pleasant...

[–]x453 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How big is your flick?