Is there evidence that fencing improves team building?

Not directly. No strong fencing-specific study shows a fencing session improves a workplace team. Research on combat sports and on team cohesion touches on some of the ingredients, such as shared norms, leadership and shared challenge, but the evidence for fencing at work itself is thin.

Do employees need fencing experience for a team building session?

No. Fencing is new to almost everyone, so seniors and new starters begin on equal footing. The session is coached and beginner-friendly, and club gear is lent for it.

Is Fencing Good for Team Building? An Honest Look

What the evidence says about fencing for corporate team building: where research is strong, where it is thin, and why it works as a shared experience.

Yes as a shared experience, with a caveat on the proof. Nobody has run a fencing-specific study showing a measurable gain in workplace performance, so the case rests on indirect research from combat sports, wellbeing and team cohesion. Treat it as a strong group activity that anyone can join in on, not a clinical intervention.

Where the evidence is thin

The caveat comes first. There is no strong, fencing-specific, peer-reviewed study proving that a fencing session measurably improves a workplace team. That kind of controlled research has not been done for fencing as a corporate activity. Anyone who tells you a single afternoon of fencing is scientifically proven to transform team performance is going beyond the evidence.

Where the evidence is more supportive

What research does support is the surrounding picture. A survey of 196 athletes in Korea linked social norms and transformational leadership to team cohesion (Healthcare, 2023), and a 2025 editorial in Frontiers in Psychology introduced recent work on combat sports, wellbeing and inclusion (Frontiers, 2025). These studies do not test fencing, but they point at the same ingredients that make a good team activity: shared norms, good leadership and a shared challenge.

Why fencing works as a team experience

Set aside the studies for a moment and consider what actually happens in the room. Fencing is a great leveller: it is new to almost everyone, so the newest hire and the most senior leader start on equal footing, and the newest hire gets a sanctioned shot at scoring a touch on the boss. It demands quick decisions and reading your opponent, which travels straight back to the office. And because it is fully coached and beginner-friendly, with club gear lent for the session, nobody is left on the sidelines. Those are reasons a fencing session tends to give a team something to talk about, even if the effect is not something we would dress up as clinical proof.

Running a session for your group

Because fencing is different, it tends to leave a shared story that keeps coming up at the coffee machine. Our NROC-registered coaches handle everything from equipment to safety to running the whole session, at Fencing Masters in Singapore. You can see how we structure sessions on our corporate team building page, and what a typical session involves in corporate fencing events in Singapore.

If you are comparing providers, ask how the session is coached, how gear and safety are handled, what group sizes it suits and how mixed fitness levels are catered for. Fencing Masters coaches children from age 3, adults and seniors of all abilities, so a team with a wide range of ages and fitness can take part together.

To plan a session for your team, enquire about a session for your group and we will build it around your team.