After studying with (Daly) for a couple of years, he started throwing classes my way.

(What she meant was fencing is relevant) because of the moment-to-moment interaction of two actors together who have to be listening and aware of each other, and who have to be so completely involved in what's going on in the moment that everything else sort of becomes secondary. It's the focus, the one-on-one interaction, the moment-to-moment.

This is just not something for someone who's going to be studying Shakespeare or playing the classics. Fencing has really helped me as an actor in improving my focus and balance. You hear actors talking about 'staying in the moment.' It's really to your benefit to stay in the moment when you've got someone with three feet of steel waving it in front of you.

It's all a part of working on your craft. There's a reason that fencing has always been included in a classical theatrical training program. . . It really has to do with two actors who are facing each other, and are interacting with each other and trying to tell a story.

She introduced the whole thing by saying there are two sports that are directly relevant to acting -- tennis and fencing.

I hope the kids are learning that they know they can play with teams if they do the right things. That means not having mental lapses. It's a mental thing - knowing where to go and what to do at all times.