Foil Coaches in NYC - Opinions Needed

[Yet]

Hi guys, im a relatively new fencer and im planning to start going to Fencer's Club in Manhattan.
I was wondering, out of their foil coaches
Ed Elterman
Simon Gershon
Irene Gershon
Nitai Kfir
Buckie Leach
Mikhail Petin
Which is the best? Does anyone know anything about how they teach, their personality, etc? I kind of want an unbiased opinion, instead of just reading from the website.

[catwood1]

Well...

They are all very good coaches. I'm not familar with all of them, but I have seen or reffed fencers from almost all of them, and you can see the results from all of their fencers. Obviously, they have all had some level of success in their students.

So...

Talk to them. The relationship between student and coach is very important. If you don't trust your coach, you won't succeed. I would also say that if you don't like your coach, you won't be as receptive to instruction. Talk to them, get a feel for them. If its allowed, possibly take 1 or 2 lessons from a couple of different coaches. (However, if I recall correctly, FC doesn't let fencers do that...)

Whatever feels right to you, is the person you should go with.

[MyrddinsPrecint]

I'll give you some help---

Your thread titles are bad. "Help me!" might mean that you're bound and gagged in a basement and only have access to fencing.net. Or that you need to know what shoes to buy, or how to get to a specific fencing club, or you tore your ACL.

See, not everyone here reads every post on every thread. A title like "Foil Coaches in NYC" gives you a hope that the people who know something about foil in NYC might actually click on it and respond, rather than ignore it.

Similarly "Is this good?" is also useless. We probably won't help you if we can't easily identify what your question or general topic is from the front page.


That said, regarding coaches--- if there was something really negative to say about one of these people, like they're racist, mysogyinstic, or tend to have sex with their students-- people probably wouldn't say it here. I'm not saying that is true of any of these individuals, but I'm sure that somewhere in this country, there are coaches of all of those descriptions. We tend not to say incredibly negative things about coaches or refs here, publically, to anonymous people. So the best you can hope for is someone saying that THEY have a good relationship with someone in particular...

And that might not be the same for you. The coaches at the top clubs in NYC are all there because they've got the basics and can coach at least certain people to not-suckitude. But every human being has quirks and weaknesses. It's going to come down to what your goals are, and if they fit with these coaches, and personality meshes.

People who actually have first hand knowledge of these coaches might be able to help you better if you included something like your age range, how long you've been fencing, why you're looking for a new coach (moved, switching clubs, ec), gender, what your current level is, and what you want.

If you're currently a novice who wants to learn how to effectively kill people, this is probably not the club for you... for example.

There. There's my help.

[hello?]

I'll give you some help---

Your thread titles are bad.

A title like "Foil Coaches in NYC" gives you a hope that the people who know something about foil in NYC might actually click on it and respond, rather than ignore it.


People who actually have first hand knowledge of these coaches might be able to help you better if you included something like your age range, how long you've been fencing, why you're looking for a new coach (moved, switching clubs, ec), gender, what your current level is, and what you want.

I agree. If you titled it "Who is the best coach at the FC?" you would have a million posts.

[Allen Evans]

I agree. If you titled it "Who is the best coach at the FC?" you would have a million posts.

But an even better title might be "Who is the best coach at the FC for ME", and that, you can only answer for yourself, and after a little bit of introspection and discussion with the coaches involved.

Allen Evans

[hello?]

Agree again.

[KD5MDK]

I agree. If you titled it "Who is the best coach at the FC?" you would have a million posts.

Up until recently they all would have said "Yuri Gelman".

[Hobbes]

"Help me!" might mean that you're bound and gagged in a basement and only have access to fencing.net.

Being bound and gagged would be bad enough... but then only Fencing.net for help... there would be no help for anyone in that situation.

[HDG]

"Help me!" might mean that you're bound and gagged in a basement and only have access to fencing.net.

So you've had that nightmare too…

[Inquartata]

Yes, we'd just point and laugh. And the foilists would liberate your wallet, watch, rings and quite possibly your shoes.

[Craig]

A title like "Foil Coaches in NYC" .

I fixed that for the sake of the thread.

Craig

[Yet]

Srry guys, im new to this forum, I'll try to learn from my posting mistakes . And just some extra information about me:
Im a pretty novice fencer, just started out at my school last year. Im a 16 year old male... yes i know i started pretty late compared to others, but im still really competitive and really fell in love with the sport. I want to get a solid foundation and get better as efficiently and quickly as possible, and start competing at higher levels.

[fdad]

The results for the coaches speak for themselves. Each has different strengths and weaknesses. Mikhail Petin and Bucky Leach each had fencers in the Olympics (Emily Cross and Erinn Smart respectively), Simon Gershon is the national men's foil team coach (and he and his wife Irene work as a tandem). They each have a different personality, and you might like the style of one more than another. If you have specific ideas about what you would like in a coach, it might be easier to guide you towards one that might fit you best.

[MdA]

If it is possible, I suggest you join the FC and just take a class or open fencing without signing up for private lessons. You might even tell the club manager that you would like to observe lessons for a few weeks before you select a coach. That way you can see which one might be the best fit for you.

You may find that none of them are a good fit. You might want to observe coaches at other clubs and compare.

[TensingNorgay]

As a long term member of FC who is personally familiar with all their foil coaches, I can tell you in complete confidence that you cannot go wrong with any of them.

You will not get an unbiased answer from current fencers, because most are very loyal to their coaches. These are all professional coaches, not just fencers who became coaches. It is a totally different level of coaching when you are taught by someone of that caliber. In our household we prefer the Gershons. As a beginner, it probably does not matter who you select, as long as you get along with your coach. Irene Gershon is very good with beginners.

Why don’t you sign up for the clubs beginner package, and see if FC is the right place for you: http://www.fencersclub.com/~fencer5/...&package=adult


Welcome to the world of NYC fencing.

[Yet]

What im looking for is a coach that is serious about what he is doing/will teach well, but isnt too strict/uptight. I have had some people be really mean about the way they tell me to change something and it can be very discouraging to me. Also, is it okay to learn with all of these coaches as a novice? Or are some of them better only for a higher-level fencer? Im sort of nervous about being a novice at 16 when these people are of such high profiles.

[KD5MDK]

Your money is the same as theirs. So the only question is how hard are you willing to work?

[Yet]

Your money is the same as theirs. So the only question is how hard are you willing to work?

Thanks. I dont know if you meant it that way, but that is pretty encouraging

[MyrddinsPrecint]

What im looking for is a coach that is serious about what he is doing/will teach well, but isnt too strict/uptight. I have had some people be really mean about the way they tell me to change something and it can be very discouraging to me. Also, is it okay to learn with all of these coaches as a novice? Or are some of them better only for a higher-level fencer? Im sort of nervous about being a novice at 16 when these people are of such high profiles.

Plenty of people start in high school or college. Plenty start much later--- like when their KIDS are in high school or college, and many of them have done well. Don't worry about that.

Do, however, keep in mind that you're a novice, and some of these people coach Olympians. Some coaches love getting people from the beginning-- it means there aren't as many bad habits to correct. Some people prefer to take students after they reach some seemingly arbitrary level, or like to have some sort of mix--- in general, your inexperience might make you a not-as-good- match for some coaches. But coaches who only like students after a certain level usually team up with competent coaches who will take at least some people to that level. As long as you're honest about where you are, you should be able to find a great coach who will take you. But maybe not any of them.

Knowing that you like a somewhat more laid back tone is a really great thing to know. Based on this, I definitely think you should attempt to get to know some coaches and their students better before you make a decision.

[prototoast]

I don't know the inner workings of the FC, but I'd say even in a world of perfect information, the decision may not be entirely up to you. Some of the coaches there are in high demand, and may have the luxury of only working with the students they choose, and so as a beginner, you may not get your pick of the coaches, but instead will simply end up with whichever coach has the availability and willingness to work for you. Luckily for you (at least as far as fencing is concerned), they're all good coaches.