Holiday Training Floor

Hm, Halloween somehow has become the starting gun for the holiday season. Between Halloween and New Year's, we've got two months of travel, family obligations, shorter days, and longer dinners ahead. It's also a pretty easy time to accidentally stop training.

The author of Atomic Habits has a line that applies here: “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” In fencing, that means when your usual schedule falls apart, having a realistic minimum, or floor, to fall back on can make all the difference.

My own floor is one day of fencing-specific training per week. When I can, I add general fitness on top, whether that's a run, a gym session, or something else that fits. The specifics matter less than having a plan I can actually maintain.

Training doesn't always have to mean another workout, either. This can be a great time to watch fencing on YouTube, study a fencer whose game you admire, or review your own bouts from the season. And if you need a break, make room for recovery, too.

The real trap is having no plan at all. One missed week becomes two, and suddenly you've lost more momentum than you intended. A deliberate break is different from drifting away from training altogether.

Over the holidays, you don't have to train as if your biggest tournament is next week. Decide what matters most to maintain, and give yourself a realistic way to do it.

One action this week: Set your holiday training floor before the calendar fills up. Choose a realistic weekly minimum, whether that's fencing, fitness, video study, or a mix. Everything above that is a bonus.