What do you look for in a Salle?

[corps a corps]

I have found that any club that you go where the coaches/instructors and the more experienced fencers are cold, rude and arrogant makes for an unpleasant fencing experience plus the fact as a new member your chances of learning anything from those people will be little to nil until you have "paid your dues." Not the best way to attract new talent.

[achilleus]

Originally posted by corps a corps
I have found that any club that you go where the coaches/instructors and the more experienced fencers are cold, rude and arrogant makes for an unpleasant fencing experience plus the fact as a new member your chances of learning anything from those people will be little to nil until you have "paid your dues." Not the best way to attract new talent.

It's funny, cause I went to a club that was reputed to fit your description. The fencers and coaches, I was told, were rude and arrogant. They were the best in the area. I didn't have a problem with them being rude, just different perspectives.. I showed up consistently, worked hard, and improved; and to me, that's the fun of fencing. The more competitive fencers are looking to improve in the sport not make friends. I was looking to improve in the sport, so it was a natural fit. It's not for everybody, some people really enjoy the social aspect of fencing, and as Veeco mentioned, there are clubs geared to that.

So, Woodside if your looking for a club or coach, you should really decide what you want of it.

[westcoastsabre]

going back to Veeco and Mischa, I found that having 2 clubs (a competitive and a social) to be a perfect fit for me. Though I can't fence as much as I like to (I have a strange compulsion to do theatre). I have found that having 2 clubs, one, a recreational one with few competitive fencers, and a second highly competitive club is absolutely the perfect situation. Note: this only applies to those areas that don't have a permament salle around. I've found that recreational clubs, as long as they have good coaching, are beneficial as their coaches will spend a little extra time with you since you're putting their name out there. And then a competitive club that has a lot of good fencers to spar with and to drill you into the ground. However, I've found that recreational clubs are better to begin at because they don't have as many fencers quit, and they tend to put their best(or only) coaches in their beginning classes.

[MilkForGanesh]

I've recently started fencing in the Bay Area, and I'd be interested if someone could post some thoughts on specific salles. I know that might be going out on a limb, but I'm definitely interested in some perspectives on Golden Gate Fencing, Halberstadt, and the Pacific fencing club (in Alameda) in particular.

[135711]

don't try to change a salle either, when you go into a salle - it's what you get. i walked into a salle that was definitly hairy-male with ninja overtones, but i liked the guy so much, i 'heped' him 'transform' his salle into a competition salle with the reels and so forth. I think it was too much for him to take, as many of his male counterparts took off - i couldn't figure out where they went or what was going on. All I can say is - I miss the stick-fighter the most - especially since I took stick fighting, I was hoping to learn more from him. We can only turn back the clock in fall.

[Sigurd]

I am a first year college student in Northern California. Thankfully we have a fencing program at our school, though it seems to be struggling. I started fencing sabre awhile ago at our school by taking classes that meet twice a week for an hour. I decided that I wanted far more practice, so I also joined the fencing club that meets twice a week for two hours. Our coach only comes to teach the classes, which makes receiving individual attention from him very difficult. The club consists of some very experienced fencers, who are actually quite skilled for the small size of our program (hardly any money, one coach). There I can get one-on-one attention on a regular basis. Now, my question is: Is it good to start in an environment like this? Or should I also seek another Salle in the area, in order to get a good start, if these conditions are not seemingly too good? We also have a fairly small amount of electric equipment...and no grounded strips. Is it possible for me to become a good fencer here if I continue practicing dillegentley? Or can one's environment have quite an impact?

Thanks for reading my babble!!

[jusplainfencing]

everyone has said most of what you should look for but i would also take into consideration your personality and the coaches, i would look for a coach you can really get along with...and look at the relationship between students and coach, a coach who dosent know their students names cant be knowledgeable about that person and what they are like.........

[Jupiter]

You don't need 'individual attention' from your coach, no-body does. What you need is to practice your fencing with another fencer.


Drink a smoothie and chill.

[earlie]

Guys fenking, guys fenking.

[Sildar]

Originally posted by Jupiter
You don't need 'individual attention' from your coach, no-body does. What you need is to practice your fencing with another fencer.

Everyone needs individual attention from their coach. Constantly bouting other fencers helps, but it will only take you so far. A coach who knows what to look for can make you aware of problems you didn't know you had, and can help you condition better responses than you are likely to develop through fencing alone. There are a whole set of problems that one can develop through free fencing to the exclusion of all other forms of practice, and a good coach will help you fix them with lessons and individually tailored drills.

[WoodsideDr]

Originally posted by 135711
there's no answer, that's why no-one's been posting.

Actually, there seems to be no shortage of answers...