More Training Doesn’t Always Mean More Progress

Full article in English · Original author text

If your child is training more but playing worse, do you add another session or review the plan? Progress depends on how much you train, how good the training is, and the chance to recover. I first separate a lack of skill, poor design, and a mismatch between load and rest. With a simple weekly log, we can make a more precise decision for the next practice. When I talk about my private lessons and training camps on Jeju Island in South Korea, my main question is the quality of learning: what does each part of practice add to the game? The number of hours alone isn’t a sufficient answer. A plan should give a chance to correct skills and also protect recovery and the ability to keep going with quality.

For whom, and what concepts?

This article is for coaches and families of teen fencers in all three weapons. Training load isn’t just the number of sessions; duration, intensity, type of activity, and other life pressures matter too. A long technical session with many stops isn’t the same as several intense bouts packed together. Recovery isn’t just the absence of training either; enough sleep, good nutrition, and enough time between hard activities all play a part [1].

How do we tell a lack of training from fatigue?

If an athlete is fresh but only knows a skill in fixed conditions, they probably need more varied practice. If coordination, motivation, and their usual quality have dropped over several sessions in a row, load and life circumstances should be reviewed. One weak day isn’t enough to diagnose burnout or overtraining; a coach shouldn’t slap those labels on a hunch.

Alongside technical observation, I use four simple signs: self-reported sleep quality, unusual tiredness, pain, and willingness to train. None of them gives a firm verdict alone. Change compared with the person’s own normal matters more than comparison with a teammate. Persistent pain, worsening pain, or a clear change in movement pattern calls for stopping the painful activity and getting a proper assessment [1].

Teaching scenario: a timing problem or tired legs?

In épée, a player normally takes the distance after the opponent’s attack falls short and replies. Today they arrive late several times and, to make up for it, throw their body forward off balance. Adding intense repetitions could repeat the same poor pattern. The coach first uses rest and light execution to see whether the quality comes back; then decides whether a shorter technical drill, light activity, or ending the session is more suitable. This observation isn’t a medical diagnosis. If the problem shows up only in one tactical situation and when the player is fresh, maybe the issue is in reading the opponent’s cue or distance control. In that case, cutting back all training isn’t the precise answer either; that situation needs to be taught at the right difficulty.

A simple one-week log

For seven days, log the time and type of session, a difficulty rating from zero to ten, and a short note on sleep, tiredness, and pain. This shouldn’t create an obsession with numbers or a contest in enduring pain. The aim is to see patterns: does the drop in quality come after two hard days in a row? Did a school exam or a trip coincide? The coach uses all this information to adjust the next session. An adjustable example for a four-session week: the first session focuses on technique and decision-making at moderate intensity; the second includes controlled competitive bouting; after a proper gap, the third is lighter and for correcting errors; the fourth is tactical and set according to that day’s condition. This version isn’t a prescription for every age, and days of other activity count in the load too.

Change smartly instead of cutting or adding blindly

For a tired player, you can cut the number of intense bouts and add more time for video review or light technical work; though light activity isn’t suitable either if it causes pain. For a fresh player with a decision problem, increasing the opponent’s variability is more useful than adding hundreds of fixed repetitions. For a less experienced player, short blocks with clear feedback often give better learning than carrying on practice in chaos. For teen sports, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a weekly rest day and planned breaks from a single specialized sport [2]. The number and placement of these breaks should fit the person’s age, health, and schedule. Rest shouldn’t be presented as laziness, and hard training shouldn’t be seen as a good program in itself.

What question does more hours answer?

Before adding a session, ask yourself what exactly you expect to change. If the answer is just “be more prepared,” the problem still isn’t clear. Does the player lose accuracy at the end of a bout? Do they not know a move? Do they decide late against a changing opponent? Each calls for a different design. The number of hours, without knowing the goal, is just a number on a calendar.

For me, a private lesson is valuable when it connects to a problem in the player’s game. If a teen already knows all the answers in a lesson, smooth execution may not be a full picture of readiness. Part of that same available time may need to go to choosing, changing rhythm, and purposeful bouting. Progress doesn’t always come from adding time; sometimes it comes from using the time we already have more precisely.

See the hidden load outside the club

Two teens may have the same fencing schedule, but one has a long commute every day, extra classes, and school practice too. Comparing session counts doesn’t show this difference. Ask the family to give the real picture of the week, not just hours at the club. Exams, travel, and changes in sleep schedule should be seen in the coach’s decisions as well, without being treated as excuses or weakness of character. Logging this information isn’t meant to turn a teen’s life into a file full of numbers. A few short notes are enough. If unusual tiredness is reported one day, the coach can keep the main goal and change the volume or intensity. A flexible plan isn’t a disorganized one; it’s professional when the reason for the change is clear and its effect is checked in later sessions.

What do we learn from a week’s notebook?

Say a drop in accuracy only shows up in the last session of the week. We don’t have a firm cause yet, but we can look at the order of hard activities and recovery time. If the drop is in every session and comes with pain or a change in movement, it’s a different matter and a proper assessment is needed. If it only happens against one type of opponent, the problem may be more tactical. The notebook helps us ask better questions; it doesn’t give a medical answer. In the review, ask the teen to explain which part of the session felt hard. A single overall difficulty number can hide two different experiences: physical tiredness or mental strain from new choices. The coach fills in this information by watching execution. Don’t use logged scores to rank people’s toughness; if you do, an athlete may not give a true report just to look good.

Connect repetition quality to decision opportunities

In épée practice, ten precise executions against a known reaction can help learn the shape of a movement. But to transfer to competition, the player has to understand when that same movement is right. Gradually give the defender the right to choose; sometimes opening the distance or closing the line. Now the attacker has to read the information. The number of repetitions may drop, but the decision-making load has grown. Don’t confuse this increase in difficulty with a simultaneous increase in volume. When you add a new variable, give a chance for rest and feedback so the quality of observation holds up. If the player just repeats the movement without seeing the opponent, the aim of the drill may be lost. A short pause and a precise question can be more useful than carrying on dozens of similar executions. Set the right amount by the quality of that person’s work.

How do we fit rest into a real schedule?

A light day should really be lighter, not official practice cut and several other hard activities put in its place. Family and coach should coordinate on the total of all activities. In competition week, travel and long waits can change the usual plan, too. For returning after an event, don’t run the same fixed version of every week regardless of the athlete’s condition. Rest doesn’t mean aimlessness. You can use the time to organize gear, have a short talk about the plan, or do a free activity they choose; though it isn’t necessary to turn all free time into a progress project. A teen needs parts of life where they aren’t being assessed. A plan that sees this space is more realistic than a calendar that fills every hour with a task.

When should we raise the load again?

After changing the plan, first look for a return to normal quality, a report of good recovery, and no worrying signs. Then the coach can change one variable gradually and see its effect. Raising the number of sessions, duration, and intensity all at once makes it harder to understand the cause of the next drop. A fixed, uniform percentage for all teens doesn’t replace knowing the person, their age, history, and health conditions. In the weekly conversation, the goal shouldn’t be to find the least training possible or to log the most load someone can bear. The goal is a mix that builds the needed skill with quality and keeps the ability to continue. When you can explain why today’s session is shorter or different, rest and effort stop being opposite choices; both serve learning.

What can a parent do to help?

Coordinate information about sleep, commuting, and other activities with the coach, and avoid adding hidden home training to make up for a result. If your child talks about being tired, listen first. Honest reporting helps adjust the plan better. For next week, pick just one specific change and set a review time so decisions follow observation. The American Academy of Pediatrics’ guide to overuse injuries puts recovery time alongside the demands of training [1]. The plan suggested in this article is a tool for conversation between coach and family; you can’t draw a medical diagnosis from logging tiredness alone.

Frequently asked questions

If we train less, won’t we fall behind our rivals? A more precise question is what quality each session creates. Too little or too much means nothing without knowing the content and recovery. Does being tired mean overtraining? No. Passing tiredness can come after activity; a lasting drop and worrying symptoms need a specialist’s assessment. When do we raise the load? When the quality of execution and recovery are good, gradually and by changing a limited number of variables; not by a fixed percentage for everyone.

Wrap-up and next step

Now you don’t have to rely on guesswork when deciding about more training. Log a week of sleep, tiredness, pain, and quality of execution; then make just one targeted change with the coach. Progress comes from training you can absorb and carry out with quality. Base this decision on the long-term goals from the first article.

Sources and further reading

[1] AAP — Preventing Overuse Injuries [2] AAP — Burnout in Young Athletes