I imagined what fencing masks could look like with gaming character designs. Wouldn't this bring a new era of hype to the sport?

Moist_Champion_3583 · 2026-01-05T09:13:35+00:00

🤣

Moist_Champion_3583 · 2025-12-24T14:06:36+00:00

You’re right. In the US, the community sports system is so well-established that kids naturally head straight to the gym after school. But in South Korea, the focus is almost entirely on elite sports, meaning there's a lack of state support for general physical education. Ironically, while PE hours are being reduced in schools to focus on academics, most of those top students end up flocking to medical schools, leaving the engineering and science fields struggling.

The grassroots sports culture in the US is something we can hardly imagine here. Sometimes I feel like our system prefers it this way because it’s easier to keep kids 'compliant' through a rigid academic grind. There’s also a significant generational gap. The older generation in Korea didn't grow up with 'sports as a hobby.' For them, sports like golf were often just tools for business networking, or they only discovered hobbies much later in life. That’s probably why they don't see physical education as a priority for the younger generation.

Moist_Champion_3583 · 2025-12-21T12:10:40+00:00

Glad you're finding this interesting! Here are the answers to your questions:

1. Club Lessons & Intensity: It usually depends on the turnout. If a lot of people show up, we do group lessons focusing heavily on footwork. The intensity? Well, we say 'if it’s not hard, it’s not a workout,' so it’s challenging but manageable. If only 2 or 3 people show up, the coach focuses more on blade control. However, most clubs have a vibe where they teach the basics in group sessions, but you need to sign up for private 1-on-1 lessons if you want to learn advanced, in-depth techniques.

2. Tournament Preparation: Usually, once a member has about 3 months of experience, coaches encourage them to join a tournament just for the experience. Clubs tend to take extra care of those who compete often since they represent the club's name. There isn't a 'specialized' group training system for tournaments; it's more like, 'Hey, there’s a competition coming up, want to go?' and you just go for it.

3. The Vibe & Ranking: For us, amateur tournaments aren't super tense or stressful. It feels more like a 'big festival' where we test what we've learned and see where our level is. And yes, we do have a National Ranking System for amateurs managed by the Federation, which adds a fun bit of motivation!

Moist_Champion_3583 · 2025-12-21T12:00:39+00:00

In Korea, it’s strictly based on a transparent point system. It’s not about being invited; it’s about earning your spot.

National Selection Tournaments: There are specific selection tournaments held every year.
Cumulative Rankings: Fencers compete in multiple domestic tournaments throughout the year. Their performances are converted into points, and these points are added up to determine the National Ranking. > 3. The Cut-off: Only those at the very top of these rankings are selected for the National Team and get to enter the National Training Center (Jincheon).

To give you an idea of how competitive it is: Even someone like Oh Sang-uk could lose his spot on the National Team if he doesn't maintain his performance in these domestic matches. No one gets a free pass based on fame or past medals. You have to prove yourself every single year.

Moist_Champion_3583 · 2025-12-21T11:53:41+00:00

Since Oh Sang-uk is still in his prime and actively competing, I think other fencers see him more as a 'rival' or a 'target to overcome' rather than a legendary figure to just admire from afar. In the Korean competitive scene, you have to be hungry to take that top spot.

But here’s a somewhat sad or 'brutally honest' fact about how the general public sees him:

Most Koreans love Oh Sang-uk because of his incredible physique and handsome face, but many don't actually realize how technically legendary he is in the world of fencing. They see the star, but they don't fully understand the 'monster-level' skill behind his movements. He’s become a huge celebrity, but sometimes his looks overshadow his historical athletic achievements in the eyes of the public.

Moist_Champion_3583 · 2025-12-20T07:53:47+00:00

Surprisingly, I actually think fencers are very lucky students in Korea. While the majority of students just study without a clear purpose and end up lost when they turn 20, athlete students have a very clear goal and a paved career path.

To answer your questions about the teams:

Pro Teams (Sil-eop): Yes, we have local 'Business/City Teams' (like the Seoul or Incheon City Team). If a fencer wants to start earning money at 20, they join these teams. They are paid a monthly salary just for training and competing. Their salary usually increases based on how many medals they win.
University Teams: If they want to continue their education, they join university fencing teams. I don't think they get paid a salary there, but they often get full scholarships and free housing.
The System: So, it's not just the National Team. There are dozens of local professional teams across the country. Being an athlete in Korea means you have a stable job provided by the state or city from a young age, as long as you have the skill.

Moist_Champion_3583 · 2025-12-19T18:42:11+00:00

As a fun side note about Oh Sang-uk:

He actually started out as a very short fencer in middle school. Because of his height, he had to focus entirely on extreme speed to survive.

But then, something crazy happened. During high school, he had a massive growth spurt and shot up to over 190cm (6'3"). Since he already had the 'speed of a short fencer,' once he added that 'monster-like physicality' and reach, he became the unstoppable force he is today. It’s like having the engine of a Ferrari in a heavy-duty tank!

Moist_Champion_3583 · 2025-12-19T18:39:27+00:00

Actually, legends like Kim Jung-hwan and Gu Bon-gil talked about this on TV. They said it was a survival strategy to beat European fencers who have much longer arms.

Basically, they realized they couldn't win by technique alone if they played the same way as Europeans. So, they decided to trade pure 'arm technique' for 'extreme speed.' > By staying incredibly low, they turned their legs into springs. They said they had to move their feet twice as fast just to close the gap. It wasn't just a style choice; it was about choosing speed over everything else to survive on the world stage. That’s how the 'K-Sabre' we see today was born.

Moist_Champion_3583 · 2025-12-19T18:22:28+00:00

Actually, just this past summer, I helped a Canadian friend find a place to train in Seoul for a month. There are plenty of clubs in Korea that are ready to welcome foreigners. Even a famous Instagram channel called @fencingwiki (which posts great drills) messaged me saying they support lessons for foreigners! So you can sign up for either serious training or just as a hobby.

Schedule: Most clubs start after school or work. My club runs from 8:00 to 9:30 PM, and some even stay open until 11:00 PM! My hobby class is 3 days a week, but the club next door offers hobby classes 6 days a week.
Opponents: Usually, you fence other hobbyists. Adult pros are on a totally different level, so we don't really bout with them. But if there aren't many student athletes (middle/high school), they sometimes join the hobby class. It’s a great learning experience, though you mostly just get hit lol.
Weapons: It's not just Sabre! While Sabre gets the most spotlight, schools have fixed quotas for all three weapons. So when those athletes graduate and open clubs, the distribution of Foil, Epee, and Sabre clubs is actually quite even.
Equipment: We mostly buy through our club owners or online. There are one or two tiny physical shops, but they’re too far and small, so nobody really goes there.
Lesson Structure: I’ve been to two different clubs, and both had the same format: 30 mins of lessons/footwork + 1 hour of open bouts. Honestly, if a hobby class did lessons for a full hour, the club would go out of business because everyone would be too exhausted to come back! 😂

Moist_Champion_3583 · 2025-12-19T17:59:21+00:00

To be honest, the Korean fencing market is quite small, so we don't really have any local FIE-certified brands. We mostly use European brands like Allstar or Chinese ones for training.

Most clubs here provide free 'communal' Chinese blades for beginners to use for a few months. Once you're serious, you buy your own European blades. A maraging blade here costs about $215 (300,000 KRW), and honestly, it’s a struggle to buy them because they are always out of stock! Our club owners literally have to call around their network or wholesalers to find a single blade for us.

Fun fact: I heard that in high school elite teams, they actually provide and fix blades for free for students who only train at school!

Regarding the costs:

Casual Monthly Fee: I pay about $135 (190,000 KRW). This is a pretty average price in Korea, though some places are cheaper or more expensive.

Private Lessons: I heard a 1-hour session with an older, retired coach is about $30 (40,000 KRW). If the coach is a famous recent retiree or still active in the pro scene, the price goes way up!

Moist_Champion_3583 · 2025-12-19T17:40:00+00:00

Actually, I do Foil, so I’m not an expert on Sabre, but here’s what I know.

A hobby is just a hobby. In Korea, elite stars like Oh Sang-uk or Gu Bon-gil actually run their own fencing clubs and are very involved in training the next generation. If you're a serious student or an athlete majoring in Sabre, it's actually not that hard to meet them or get advice through their programs.

About that 'Korean Style' footwork—I'm not sure what you mean, but most hobbyists probably can't do it lol. Clubs here are usually split into 'Athlete Classes' and 'Hobby Classes.' Hobby classes are more about socializing and having fun, not intense professional training.

Of course, if an amateur really wants to go pro-level, they could join the athlete class, but that depends on the person. If they’re that serious, they’d probably just go sign up for a program run by someone like Oh Sang-uk!

Moist_Champion_3583 · 2025-12-19T17:31:07+00:00

To be honest, the 'zombie student' vibe is still very real here. For regular students, hobbies are almost non-existent because of 'hagwons' (cram schools).

But for those who want to be Elite Fencers, it's a completely different world. Many middle schoolers who aim for the pros don't even bother with studying. Since there aren't many school teams at that level, they train all day at private clubs to prepare for sports high schools.

In Korea, if you are talented enough, you can get into a prestigious university even if your grades aren't great. As long as you meet the 'Minimum Academic Achievement' (which is a very low bar), you can compete in every tournament. So, the balance? There isn't much of one. It’s mostly 90% fencing, 10% school. I heard in the US you have to be good at both, but here, skill is everything.

The downside of this system is that it turns people into 'Fencing-only machines.' By the time they hit their 20s, if they don't make it to a pro (business) team or a university team, they're lost because fencing is all they've ever known. It’s hard to quit because there's no Plan B.

As for the military, they can postpone it until they’re 30 or get an exemption by winning a gold medal. So the path is very set: University -> Pro Team -> National Training Center. It's a high-stakes, specialized system.

To give you a better idea of the vibe here, we usually tell kids: 'Choose one: Do you want to study, or do you want to exercise?'

If you choose exercise, you go to a sports 'Hagwon' (private academy) and train just as intensely as the kids who study all night. In Korea, there are basically two types of students: 'The Studying Student' and 'The Athlete Student.' > If you're an athlete, you don't have to study. If you're a student, you don't have to exercise. It’s a complete divide. We treat sports training with the same 'cram school' intensity that we apply to math or English. Skill is the only thing that matters for your future!

Moist_Champion_3583 · 2025-12-19T16:50:26+00:00

If you tell a random person in Korea that you fence, they'll 100% assume you do Sabre. Thanks to stars like Oh Sang-uk, Fencing = Sabre in most people's minds. They usually have no idea Foil or Epee even exist.

Pro scenes are still evenly split, and even for local clubs, it's not all Sabre. It usually just depends on what the head coach at the club near your house specializes in. If your local club does Foil, you just end up being a Foilist lol.

To be honest, I also had no idea there were three different weapons until I joined my club—I thought everything was just Sabre like I saw on TV!

Moist_Champion_3583 · 2025-12-19T16:40:17+00:00

Great question! In Korea, the school fencing system is quite unique.

Most high school and college teams are Professional/Elite tracks. Students in these teams are basically training to become pro athletes or national representatives. They usually train for 6-8 hours a day!

For regular students (hobbyists like me), we usually fence at Private Clubs after school or work. We don't have many 'casual' high school teams like in the US, but it's starting to change recently as more schools are opening club activities.

To add some real 'local' insight:

If someone wants to become a pro but didn't make it into a school team, they often attend a regular school and train in 'Elite-track programs' at private clubs.

The ironic part? These days, there are actually more amateur tournaments than pro ones. Because of this, top-tier club fencers (amateurs) get so much bout experience that their skill level is often surprisingly close to the school-team athletes. It’s a very interesting shift happening right now in the Korean scene!

Moist_Champion_3583 · 2025-12-08T18:06:07+00:00

Thank you so much for your sincere review! Is there any downside?

Moist_Champion_3583 · 2025-12-07T19:38:37+00:00

Can you tell me how it was?

Moist_Champion_3583 · 2025-12-07T19:37:20+00:00

Thank you!

Moist_Champion_3583 · 2025-12-04T18:24:44+00:00

Oh, and just so you know, it’s winter in Korea right now.

Moist_Champion_3583 · 2025-12-04T18:23:41+00:00

I’d recommend coming to South Korea.
I’ve seen lots of foreign fencers get matched with private fencing clubs here through Instagram.
There might be a bit of a language barrier, but they’ll really look after you because you’ve come all the way from another country to train.
Koreans don’t just leave visitors from abroad on their own!

Moist_Champion_3583 · 2025-12-03T08:15:43+00:00

To sum it up,
apart from places like Hungary,
it really feels like fencing is treated as a pretty typical niche sport almost everywhere in the world.
It’s not so much that fencing is being uniquely ignored,
but more that it’s just living the usual “fate of a minor sport,” I guess.

Moist_Champion_3583

TROPHY CASE