Fencing Coach position in Burlington, MA

[oiuyt]

Is your bio on the website anywhere? I can't seem to find the credentials of anyone listed.

From another portion of the GuardUp! website (specifically the "Awareness, Safety, and Assault Preparation Seminar" section):

Meghan Gardner

CEO of Guard Up!, Inc. and ASAP Seminars

1982 Started training in Kang Duk Won Karate Association

1986 Participant in Guinness Book of World Records for Most Boards Broken In One Second.

1987 East Coast Champion for Intermediate Kata

1987 2nd Place Free Fighting in Bailey's Copper City Championships

1987 Started Training in Foil Fencing at Syracuse University

1987 Regional Champion in Intermediate Foil Fencing

1988 2nd Place Regional Tournament for Advanced Foil Fencing

1989 East Coast Champion for Advanced Kata

1991 Awarded title of Instructor in Kang Duk Won Karate Association.

1992 Started training in American Tae Kwon Do Karate Association.

1993 Sacramento Regional Champion in the following:

Women's Advanced Sparring

Women's Advanced Kata

Black Belt Board Breaking

1994 Certified in PROTEC Spontaneous Knife Defense

1995 1st Place Advanced Free Fighting, Masters Self Defense Northern Regional Tournament.

1996 Online Assault Prevention and Awareness Advisor for America Online.

1996 Columnist for the American Women's Self Defense Association. Articles featured in numerous other publications.

1996 Certified in the American Women's Self Defense Association Rape Prevention Instructor's Course. Guest Speaker at AWSDA Annual Conference in Orlando, FL.

1996 1rst Place Free Fighting - Black Belt Women's Heavy Weight at Boston International Championships.

1998 Started training in Iaido and Kendo at the Doshi Kai Dojo in Acton, MA.

1998 Guest Speaker at AWSDA Annual Conference in Sacramento, CA.

1999 Guest Speaker at AWSDA Annual Conference in Long Island, NY.

1999 Member of American Society for Training and Development (ASTD).

2000 Assault Prevention Specialist for WHDH Boston NBC special project division

2000 Graduate of CQC Service Group Knife/Counter Knife Tactical Training.

2000 Instructor for National Women’s Martial Arts Federation annual training conference

2000 Guest Columnist for ASTD's "Training & Development" Magazine

2000 Guest Instructor at AWSDA Annual Conference in Seattle, WA.

2000 Member of Professional Speaker’s Bureau International

2001 Certified USA Boxing Coach

2002 Guest Instructor for National Women's Martial Arts Federation annual conference

2003 Began training in Mixed Martial Arts and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Straight Blast Gym Coach Stephen Whittier

1994 To Present: Proud mom of two self-described warrior-girls

1999 To Present: Instructor for Assault Prevention Seminars at various corporations and universities, CEO and Martial Arts Program Director at Guard Up, Inc. in Eastern MA.

-B

[guardup]

Slim writes:

<<It just seems counter to your business plan of trying to attract members.

Very few people have actually trained SEALs, and I know I feel very fortunate to have been able to attend a seminar given by someone who has, so I would certainly use this to your advantage in trying to recruit members.>>

It isn't counter to the business plan if the business plan is aimed at a clientelle who is not concerned with long lists of accomplishments as much as a learning environment that is welcoming, well-rounded, non-intimidating, noncompetitive and non snobbish.

I don't run a business just to make money. I run a business that serves the types of people I like to be around. This isn't modesty... it's a simple selection process. When I plastered my achievements and training on the facility site, I attracted people who I wasn't interested in training. So I removed it. As posted, an outdated version still exists for our corporate assault prevention division.

I helped the Navy SEALs (techincally a training group that trains Team Six in Little Creek, Va.) develop an unarmed underwater combat system in the winter of 2000. I was part of a group of about a dozen martial artists, scuba divers (of which I am both) and medics. Note this was not UDT (many of whom claim to be SEALs).

[jeff]

Speaking of BIlly Blanks: back in the day, he was a very serious, highly-rated fighter. If at this point in his career he's found a way to turn it into money, then more power to him.

[KShan5[PrFC]]

As I responded to your other post:

We are not a club that focuses on competition. We do not cater to individuals who wish to compete... in fact, we often send people looking for training in competitive fencing to Boston Fencing clubs and other reputable schools nearby.

If you want to send them to competitive clubs nearby, then how about prise de fer....it's actually closer than BFC :-)

[guardup]

We actually have referred people to Prise de Fer... however, since most of our prospectives come from Lexington, Lincoln, Arlington, etc. the Boston Fencing Club located in Waltham is closer to them. Those who are interested in competitive fencing and who inquire from north of Lexington, we do send your way.

[Amadeus]

holy crap, how pretentious. can there be a single thread about an even partially noncompetitive club without 8 people *****ing about classical fencing? i'm not a classical fencer, which is the only reason i'm still here. but i mean come on, people, give it a rest. it's one thing when some classical fencer comes here whining about the flick, but this post was completely legitimate.

[whtouche]

holy crap, how pretentious. can there be a single thread about an even partially noncompetitive club without 8 people *****ing about classical fencing? i'm not a classical fencer, which is the only reason i'm still here. but i mean come on, people, give it a rest. it's one thing when some classical fencer comes here whining about the flick, but this post was completely legitimate.

Amadeus, I don't want to alarm you, but you might be in the wrong place..
I don't see any other posts even mentioning classical fencing in this thread. Care to explain?

[bjacobs]

Meghan,

Out of curiousity, who teaches bjj or mma at your school?

[bjacobs]

Meghan? Ms. Guard Up? Who runs your mixed martial arts classes? What bjj rank do your instructors that teach it have? You were quite upset at being potentially labeled a "McDojo," so I'd think you'd be happy at the chance of bragging about your coaches' resumes. I found it curious that just as your fencing classes don't aim to produce any USFA competitors, your mma team apparently doesn't turn out any fighters...

[Slim]

Meghan,

Out of curiousity, who teaches bjj or mma at your school?

From Credentials:

2003 Began training in Mixed Martial Arts and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Straight Blast Gym Coach Stephen Whittier.


What, this isnt enough for you? Snob.

[bjacobs]

No, it's not enough. I have similar "credentials" (at least in brazilian jiu jitsu). If it said 2000 instead of 2003, that would likely be the bare limit of acceptable.

Would you pay for fencing instruction from a coach that had been an active fencer for less than five years, and had never earned a C in competition? Or worse, had never competed? How would you have any idea if what you were being taught was good fencing if none of your fellow students nor your teacher ever went to tournaments to compete against other clubs? I feel the same principle applies to all sports.

[keith]

just when I think fencing is totally screwed up with ideas of 'proper' structure/credentials/training yada yada along come the martial artists to remind me life could be worse.


So what offends you guys most the fact that the instructors haven't trained with the appropriate people or that the actual organisation makes no claims to be any kind of Dojo?

... how can you have martial arts wiotjout senseis?!?!?!?

[whtouche]

Would you pay for fencing instruction from a coach that had been an active fencer for less than five years, and had never earned a C in competition? Or worse, had never competed?

Your point is well taken, buttttttt.....
What about all those people from Tanner City Fencing Club from the 60s thru the 90s who did pretty well taking lessons from Joe Pechinsky? Who never fenced or ever competed?
I think he did pretty well as a coach..

[Slim]

Your point is well taken, buttttttt.....
What about all those people from Tanner City Fencing Club from the 60s thru the 90s who did pretty well taking lessons from Joe Pechinsky? Who never fenced or ever competed?
I think he did pretty well as a coach..

His students speak for his reputation. They were/are very active in competitions and have done quite well with their own schools. Most of the Northeast fencers can trace their lineage back to 1 person, Pechinsky. I think, from what I know about Pechinsky, is actually VERY close to what I would consider a fencing "sensei".

[bjacobs]

just when I think fencing is totally screwed up with ideas of 'proper' structure/credentials/training yada yada along come the martial artists to remind me life could be worse.


So what offends you guys most the fact that the instructors haven't trained with the appropriate people or that the actual organisation makes no claims to be any kind of Dojo?

... how can you have martial arts wiotjout senseis?!?!?!?

Eh? I think you might be misunderstanding where I'm coming from. I'm not primarily worried about ranks or classifications My issue with Guard Up is that it offers classes in fencing, mixed martial arts, and possibly brazilian jiu jitsu (which are all sports) without producing competitive athletes or encouraging their students to ever compete. The quality control for any athletic team or school in any sport is competition; there's no way to judge what you're learning in a vacuum.

If Guard Up wants to have a class called "Play Time With Swords" they can do or teach pretty much whatever they want, and no one has any right to criticise or complain. But if they say they're teaching fencing, if they're teaching foil, epee, or sabre, things are no longer relative. While there may be quite a range of coaching and competitive styles, there is still an objective difference between good fencing and bad fencing. Your coach and my coach may disagree on the very best way to make a parry four (though I'd bet the difference would be minimal), but regardless of personal opinion it's wrong to extend late in your lunge, wrong to beat the forte of the blade, wrong to take large steps all the time. You can prove a hundred truths like these by competing with people who don't make these mistakes, and observing the results...but if your school keeps you isolated, and keeps you from being exposed to other competitors, you'll never know if you're actually learning good fencing.

The same goes for the other sports I've been speaking of, mma and bjj. If you don't put yourself out there in the mainstream, competitve community, what you teach may mutate into something very different from what they're supposed to be. So if a school doesn't put out fighters, at the very least I'd be interested in knowing if the person running classes has competitive experience of his or her own, and is highly regarded, so that objective standards creep in somewhere.

[keith]

If Guard Up wants to have a class called "Play Time With Swords" they can do or teach pretty much whatever they want, and no one has any right to criticise or complain.

...and if you look at both the website and the material posted here this appears to be exactly what they are doing.

Perhaps not to everyone tastes, maybe even a defiling of a noble art, frankly I can't say it bothers me.

.... but judging by some of the posts on this thread, it does seem to bother some people.

While I am not a participant martial artsist the idea that the only way they can be judged (or the teaching organisations can be judged) is by their output of competitive competitors might generate some strange looks in certain circles. We are not talking about a programme that is claiming to teach olympic judo after all.

[oiuyt]

...and if you look at both the website and the material posted here this appears to be exactly what they are doing.

Parts of their program do seem to be exactly that, but other parts seem to NOT be that And, at least implicitly in comparison to the sections clearly labeled as "Play Time with Swords" equivalents, seem to be stating that they are NOT just "play time", but rather the real deal.

Anyway, I have no problem with what they're doing, I'm just mystified as to why they think anyone with the experience that they state that they are looking for (experienced in fencing, experienced educating youth) would be interested in teaching play time, especially at the pay rates mentioned.

Mmm, what I'd like to see is the papers that they are collecting for the "Research" section of their website. Be interesting to see what type of research they're talking about.

-B