OUR NEXT CLASS STARTS TUESDAY, 3 JANUARY, AT 7:00 PM

January 2012 Class

WHEN IS IT: The Beginners' Course meets once a week for 8 sessions for one hour on either Monday or Tuesday nights.  We start a new class each month, and alternate the day of the week on which the course starts.  See our schedule page for the current schedule of class starts.  See our directions page for driving directions.

WHY FENCING:  Fencing is a lifetime sport.  In Salle Green we have fencers from 6 to 75 years of age, men and women, boys and girls, tall and short, thick and thin.  Anyone can fence.  Fencing develops:

• Self-discipline

• Strength, speed, balance, and coordination

• Judgment of time, speed, and distance

• The ability to make decisions quickly, under pressure

• The ability to think through problems and to plan and apply solutions

• Knowledge of rules and how to apply them

• Competitiveness, as an individual and as a member of a team

• Sportsmanship and the ability to work and play well with others

FENCING IS:  People have the misconception that fencing is an elite, snobbish sport that is a graceful and expensive amusement for beautiful people.  None of this is true.  Fencing is:

• The first extreme sport - organized competitions, prize fighting with sharp weapons, and the use of the sword as a serious weapon are all part of fencing's history dating back into the Middle Ages.

• A modern Olympic sport that demands hard work, like any other youth, high school, collegiate, or adult sport, to be successful.  Fencing has been part of the Olympics since the first modern games in 1896. 

• Hard sweaty work - its gracefulness is really very efficient, fast, explosive movement using patterns developed over 700 years as being the most effective way to hit another with the sword.

• Inexpensive compared to other sports - a full set of Beginner's equipment can be purchased for under $130.

• A sport in which you can make the best use of your body and its physical capabilities.

• A great social equalizer - with a mask and uniform on, every fencer is the equal of the opponent.

• A friendly sport - in our Salle our members genuinely like each other, and everyone who takes up a sword is respected as a fencer.

• A lifetime sport.

WHAT DO WE TEACH: The Beginners' Course introduces the new fencer to:

• the history and customs of the sport
• the basic rules and concepts of fencing
• each of the three fencing weapons (5 lessons in Foil, 1 in Sabre, and 1 in Epee)
• fencing equipment and how to care for it
• safety
• how fencing competitions works (class members participate in a class tournament - you can view results of previous class tournaments)
• basic fencing skills including a total of 19 different techniques:
  • foot work - the position of attention, advance, retreat, and lunge
  • guard positions - basic guard in 6th
  • the simple attacks  - the straight thrust, disengage, counterdisengage, and coupe
  • high line lateral parries - 6th and 4th
  • the direct riposte

At the end of the class you will be able to fence with other class members and have basic skills needed to start one of our other programs in intermediate fencing in one of the three weapons, Foil, Epee, or Sabre, or in Classical Foil.  Graduates of the class receive an appropriate certificate.

WHO IS THIS COURSE DESIGNED FOR: This course is designed for fencers age 11 to 70.  We have found that mixing ages and genders in classes helps build social skills, respect for each other as a fencer, and class and Salle morale.  Fencers age 10 and younger should be enrolled in our Musketeer program.

WHO TEACHES THE COURSE:  All class sessions are taught by coaches who are professional members of USA Fencing, have undergone appropriate background checks for working with young people, and are either certified as professional coaches by the United States Fencing Coaches Association or are in training for certification under the direct supervision of a Fencing Master during the class session.  Most classes are taught by Maitre Walter Green, a fencing master who completed his training in Germany and is certified by the Academie d'Armes Internationale.

EQUIPMENT: For beginners who do not have their own equipment we supply mask, glove, jacket, plastron, and foil as an equipment package for use during the class.  Equipment is regularly inspected and maintained on a monthly schedule, masks and gloves are only used by the student to whom they are assigned, and jackets are washed between each class.  Students should wear comfortable clothing that allows easy movement and relatively flat athletic shoes.  Tee shirts are recommended for wear under the fencing jacket.

to pay in advance using a credit card - or pay by check or cash at the Salle on the first night of the course.

If you have any questions about how this information will be used, please review the Salle's privacy policy for online information.

If you have other questions or would like to visit the Salle to watch a class, please contact us by e-mail at wgreen@sallegreen.com or by telephone at 804-798-7744.