Olympian Daryl Homer Shows You What Pro Fencing Is Really Like

[Daryl] Check one-two, one-two

My name's Daryl Homer. I am from New York City

and I train at the Manhattan Fencing Center.

I think everyone thinks that fencing matches,

people are snapping, you know, and being really quiet.

No, people are loud. People are yelling.

People are screaming from the audience.

People are booing referees sometimes.

It's very interactive.

There is definitely an etiquette to the sport.

After you get off the strip you shake hands

and you are cool, but on the strip anything goes.

Competitions are direct eliminations.

You fence, 32 people lose, out.

Another 16 people lose, out in the next round.

Another 8 people lose, out.

So if you lose once you are out.

For as fast as the touches are, I know I am fencing well

when everything feels slower, right?

If I feel like everything is super fast and out of control,

I know the match is not going well.

The beautiful thing about a combat sport is

there really is no destined winner.

It's whoever shows up on that day, right?

So you can have the ranking, you can have whatever you want,

but at the end of the day, it's like who

shows up on that day that is going to be victorious.

If I beat you everyday of your life for five years

and you went home and told your mom and dad

you had to fence me tomorrow at the Olympics

what would they say?

They'd say, One time is all that counts.

This is one day that decides for a lot of people their life.