From Lightsabers to Épées: How Calix Ho Learned to Duel

Some athletes spend most of their childhood building toward their sport. Years of training, early competitions, and a slow climb through the ranks are usually part of the journey.

Calix Andreas Ho of the UP Fencing Team, took a different path into the sport. 

He didn’t start fencing as a kid. In fact, he only picked up the sport a few years ago.

The weapon he uses — the épée — is one of the three disciplines in fencing, known for its precision and strategy.

Unlike many athletes who begin early, Ho started at 15.

“I started fencing very recently lang, so mga three years ago,” he said. 

Now 18, he’s still relatively new to the sport, but his progress has been fast enough to put him alongside teammates who have trained for far longer.

So how did he close the gap?

“I got addicted, so I trained almost every single day. And I asked my coach if he could speed me up on things para I could catch up to my seniors and to everyone better than me.”

He spent long hours in the training hall, constant practice, and a determination to improve as quickly as possible.

It All Started Because of Star Wars

His introduction to fencing came from pop culture.

“I was into Star Wars, so I love lightsabers. So parang I got interested in fencing.”

But he realized the épée is very different from a lightsaber. 

“Sa start ng fencing career ko, I just got humbled. They kept on beating me, I kept on losing.”

That early stretch of defeats became one of the most important parts of his development.

“I think for me, you lose more than you win. So losing gave me so much experience. That helped me jumpstart my skills.”

Ho approaches each loss by dissecting it and reflecting on what went wrong. 

“Kasi I’m a very competitive guy. When I lose, I ask myself, bakit ako natalo? I break down my losses and ask, how do I get experience from this bout and use it in the next bout so I can win?”

Of course, the journey hasn’t been easy. Balancing school, training, and competition can take a toll, especially for someone trying to catch up in a highly technical sport.

“There were a lot of times where I really felt down. There were times na I wanted to quit. Sometimes I wished I started sooner.”

But every time that thought crossed his mind, he reminded himself how far he had already come.

“Sometimes I just think, I already put in the effort, why stop now?”

Learning fencing quickly also meant being thrown directly into competition.

“My coach just threw me into the sea and let me explore. That gave me an idea of what the competitive scene was like.”

Without fully developed technical skills early on, he had to improvise.

“I struggled on the technical part kasi wala pa akong skills. So I would just do random stuff to get points.”

Over time, experience and repetition slowly turned those instincts into strategy.

Now, as a rookie heading into the new season, Ho finds himself part of a team that finished second in the previous campaign. 

The Goal is Clear: Go One Step Further.

“I was there when they got that top-two finish. I feel like this year our chemistry got higher.”

He believes that connection within the team could be the key difference this time.

“When I joined the team, parang nag-click na lang kami. So I feel like this year will be different and we’re finally going to get that gold medal.”

If he had to describe the upcoming season in just one word, Ho didn’t hesitate.

“Interesting, because they don’t know what’s coming.”

For someone who only started fencing three years ago, Calix Andreas Ho’s journey is still just beginning. But if there’s one thing he’s already learned, it’s that progress in fencing — like every duel on the piste — often comes from embracing the struggle.

And sometimes, all it takes to start that journey is a childhood fascination with lightsabers and the determination to turn it into something real.

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