Nor is it the only thing.
UFO has a good influx of new fencers and we always encourage them to fence tournaments. The main reason is for fun and experience. Many fencers don’t win during their first tournament. Winning isn’t the point of going to a tournament. The point is to try out what you have learned in practice. Making good actions and seeing different types of fencers is what you are trying to do.
Every fencer has their own unique quirks and habits. Fencers from different clubs fence have different techniques. Very often, by knowing the club or coach of a fencer you can get an idea of what they are going to fence like. Fencing these people will give you experience and may even show you areas of your fencing game that you need to work on.
Besides the different types of fencers, you have the different situations that you need to deal with. Being down by 5 touches with 30 sec left in the third period is difficult to simulate in practice. You can pretend that the next touch would be the one to win the “bout”. The only thing missing is the adrenaline and the pressure that you feel. Tournaments are the only place where you can meet challenges like these face to face.
Above all, tournaments are a good time. Michigan fencing is lucky to have as many tournaments as we do. Along with most of the fencers being very friendly people that are a joy to compete with. They are a great place to hang out and meet some of your fellow fencers.