Parrying with mind power: Hong Kong fencer Moonie Chu explores cognitive processes to get an edge

You have just squandered five gold-medal points and your opponent can smell victory. The referee is ushering you to put on your mask and step back on to the piste. Nervous?

Not any more, says Hong Kong’s brightest women’s épée fencer, Moonie Chu Ka-mong.

The 22-year-old psychology major at the University of Hong Kong is now ready to shake up the Asian fencing scene with her unconventional cognitive training.

“You have to imagine yourself in those critical situations during training so when you actually come face-to-face with them, you are familiarised. It’s like tricking your brain into thinking it has experienced it before.”

That is exactly the scenario Chu was confronted with at the Asian Junior Championships. While many would crumble, Chu had already played out the scenario in her head many times before. She went on to win 15-14.

“Today’s athletes train as much as everyone else, so what do you do to give yourself an advantage? I need that edge and I need to make use of the knowledge and resources I have,” said the former Hong Kong Junior Sports Star winner.

“My coach would sometimes say ‘you weren’t confident enough’ or ‘you seemed scared’ during competitions. All of these focus on the mental stuff, so why do we only train physical?”