Fencing is not hard to start. In fencing, a first class usually covers how to stand en garde, how to step forward and back, and how to hold the weapon. What takes time is everything that makes fencing a sport: judging distance, timing an attack, reading a partner, and doing it fast. That part takes years, and nobody can tell you exactly how many, because it depends on how often you train and how much you want it. The free first class is the quickest way to find out how it feels.
What makes fencing feel hard
- It is fast. Sabre is the fastest of the three weapons, and many of its actions last well under a second.
- It has a rule of timing. In sabre, when both fencers hit at about the same time, the point goes to the one who had right of way, or to neither if neither clearly had it. Landing a hit is not enough; it has to come at the right moment. Sabre, foil and épée explains the rule.
- It is two people thinking. Your partner changes the distance and the timing all the time, so the same move works one moment and fails the next.
What makes it easier than it looks
- Small steps. The first skills are simple, and each one can be learned in minutes.
- Lent kit. At our club every fencer trains in full protective equipment, which we lend for the free class and for the whole first month, so a beginner does not have to buy anything to find out.
- One partner at a time. There is no team play to learn first, only you and one partner, and the coach starts and stops every exchange.
- Beginner groups. Groups go by age, and the 7 to 11 and the 12 to 18 groups each have a beginner level, so a new fencer trains at their own level.
A rough timeline for a beginner
There is no fixed schedule, and the coach decides when a fencer is ready for each step. In general it goes like this.
The first class. In fencing, a first lesson usually covers the stance, footwork forward and back, and how to hold the weapon. Your child's first fencing class, step by step walks through the day.
The first month. In fencing, beginners spend their first weeks on footwork, distance and the first actions of the blade, slowly at first: a simple attack, a lunge, a parry to block the partner's blade, a riposte to hit back after it. Sabre fencing for beginners describes these first skills. At our club the kit stays free for the whole month; after that it is $40 a month to rent, or your own.
The first months. As the basics settle, bouts with a partner become a bigger part of practice. When that happens depends on the fencer.
A first tournament. Nobody has to compete. Those who want to usually wait until they can fence a bout without stopping to think about their feet, and a first tournament needs a USA Fencing membership and an entry fee. How fencing ratings work, and your first tournament explains the step.
Years. Getting good at fencing, in the sense of winning bouts against experienced fencers, takes years of regular training, as in any sport.
What decides how fast it goes
How often you train. Beginners aged 7 to 11 come once or twice a week, on Monday and Wednesday, and beginners aged 12 to 18 once, twice or three times, on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: $150, $190 or $240 a month. Children of 4 to 6 come once a week on Saturday morning, and adults once a week on Wednesday evening. Fencers aged 7 to 18 who want to compete can join Elite, four times a week at $275 a month. In the first months, coming every week matters more than coming often. Every member also pays a $500 annual membership.
Age. The class for 4 to 6 year olds lasts an hour, on Saturday morning. Teens and adults can take in more at once, and they can start at any age: at what age a child can start fencing covers late starters, and a teen who is starting late has its own article.
Wanting it. A fencer who enjoys the bouts and comes back every week gets better faster than one who comes because they have to.
Is fencing hard for adults?
It is the same sport, and the first steps are the same. Adults often worry about fitness more than about skill; the adult class is for beginners aged 19 and over, on Wednesdays from 8:00 to 9:15 PM, and is fencing good exercise? looks at what a class asks of the body.
The easiest way to find out
Come to one free class. We lend the mask, jacket, glove and blade, and Coach Pasha, an Olympian, runs every newcomer's first class himself. Parents are welcome to watch it. After it you decide; there is nothing to pay for the free class, and if you continue you sign the membership agreement and pay at the next class. How to start fencing goes through the first three months in detail.
Call Coach Pasha at (408) 592-1244. If he is on the strip, leave a voicemail: he calls back within 24 hours. Or leave your number and he calls you.
