| You're looking for a non-Open tournament.
The USFA has a ranking system to approximately rank how good a fencer is, by the letters A-E. A's are REALLY good fencers, who are competitive at the national level. B's and C's are usually experienced fencers. They know the moves and execute them well, but they're not quite as good as A fencers. D's know the moves, and execute them fairly well, but have some significant weaknesses in their fencing style. E's and U's are in about the same boat, they're new to fencing. They usually know all the basic moves, and some of the better E's might have a good knowledge of some of the more advanced moves. (Flicks, premes).
In other words, you're looking for a D and Under, E and Under, or U tournament. Those tournaments happen with variable frequency in each division.
Depending on where you live, you'll need to look at your division's website or AskFred.net (or both) to find the next non-Open tournament near you. Ask your coach or a fellow, more experienced, fencer for more information.
It's never too early to go to a tournament (after, of course, you have the basics down), but keep in mind that the more experience you have, the better you'll do. |