The Purple Guide to Learning Fencing in 10 Days
What you can actually learn in ten days: footwork, blade control, and your first real bouts — no gear, no club, no prior fitness required.
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
Ten days, no gear required, just curiosity. Learn the real fundamentals of fencing — footwork, blade work, and one full practice bout — and decide if it's for you.
About this book
Fencing looks intimidating from the outside: masks, wires, lightning-fast bladework. But the sport is actually a blend of chess and dance — a game of distance, timing, and deliberate movement. This guide walks you through it one day at a time, assuming you know nothing. No prior fitness, no equipment, no club membership. Just you, a clear floor, and a willingness to try something new for ten days.
Each day is a single session you can complete in 30 to 60 minutes, with specific tasks: how to stand, how to move, how to hold the blade, what to do when you're nervous or frustrated, and what to do when something finally clicks. You'll learn the three core positions, the five basic footwork steps, the simplest attacks and parries, and how to put it all together in a slow, friendly practice bout with a patient friend or even a wall. We're honest about what ten days can and can't do: you won't be Olympic-ready, but you will know whether fencing speaks to you — and you'll be ready to walk into any beginner class without feeling lost.
Reader Reviews
Lisa Nguyen
★★★★★I appreciate what this guide is trying to do, and the day-by-day structure kept me honest about practicing. But the first day assumes you have more space than I do — I live in a small apartment and had to improvise a lot. The gear chapter helped though, and by day six I felt less silly holding a ruler as a stand-in sword. It's solid for what it is, but it won't work for everyone's living situation.
Betty Scott
★★★★★I knew nothing about fencing and bought this out of pure curiosity. Day one was surprisingly reassuring — it didn't feel like a fitness test, more like a friendly coach walking me through the stance and lunge. I didn't get the 'elegant' feel until day five, but by day eight I could do a passable lunge and knew exactly why my knees hurt. Good honest starting point.
Ashley Gonzalez
★★★★★The writing is friendly and the plan is concrete, which I liked. But I felt the 'small win' at the end of day one was a bit too small — it just had me hold the stance for 30 seconds, and honestly I was hoping for something that felt more like progress. Also, the gear chapter is a little dry. Still, it's a decent primer if you're truly starting from zero.
Shirley Harris
★★★★★This is exactly what I needed as someone who's been intimidated by fencing for years. The first day didn't assume I had any gear or fitness, and the instructions were so clear I could follow along in my living room. By day seven I could actually lunge without wobbling, and by day ten I had a real sense of whether this sport was for me. It was — and I've just signed up for my first beginner class!
Laura Lopez
★★★★★I've always been curious about fencing but never knew where to start, and the YouTube videos were a mess. This guide gave me a structure and, more importantly, didn't lie to me — it kept saying I wouldn't be a fencer in 10 days, and it's right. But I got a real feel for the footwork and blade work, and day eight's narrative made me laugh because it was exactly how my practice went. Highly recommend for the truly curious.
Rebecca Garcia
★★★★★I'm a middle-aged complete beginner, not athletic at all, and I was scared I'd be too clumsy. The day-one chapter was so gentle and specific — the bit about 'your toes should be at a right angle' was oddly calming — that I actually finished the whole plan. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm going to look into a local club. This guide genuinely bridges the gap between 'thinking about it' and 'doing it.'