I am fortunate to live in an area (northern california) with a choice of presumably high quality fencing clubs. As a relatively new (though senior in age classification) foil fencer, I've been fencing with a small group for less than a year, and am now tempted to look elsewhere for a more rigorous training regimen.
So my question. What how should I be evaluating my options? I want to ensure I get good training in the fundamentals, but I also want to be able to bout fencers that will truly challenge my meager abilities.
What makes for a good Maestro/good club, and how can I evaluate that in drop-in visits to the various clubs in my area?
i've tried to formulate something for you. there's no answer, that's why no-one's been posting.
the real answer is: it's up to you. some people can develop in a cabbage patch others need to have everything there.
but one basic guideline is to find a salle where you can communicate with your coaches/instructors on some basic fencing level, but not too much or they'll misinterpret.
Type of maestro I look for:
Has been around the game for a long time and has produced world competition level fencers. Strict but attentive to students needs.
Fencers in the club"
People who want to help others and promote the sport. Not people who will only teach you a couple of things because they are afraid you will become better than them. Overall friendlieness and comradere.
There's no point in fencing if you're not going to have fun (no pun intended).
It sounds like you have the right idea. If you want to be a competitive fencer you need to choose a club where at least some of the fencers are serious fencers. I think it's also important that people are having fun though, so it is possible for a club or coach to be TOO serious. Make sure that the other fencers are welcoming and that the coach will have time for you. See if you can take a lesson before you make any decisions.
There are lots of good clubs in that area, follow your instincts after visiting several clubs and it may not be hard to decide where you want to fence.
a) good mix of competitive / social fencers (men, women, all ages)
b) at least one good coach
c) plenty of room in the facility
d) at least 1 electric strip per 8 competitive fencers
e) someone in the club that can fix electric equipment
f) the ability to fence at least twice per week
If you find most of these you're in fencing heaven (in my book!).
Originally posted by WoodsideDr
What makes for a good Maestro/good club, and how can I evaluate that in drop-in visits to the various clubs in my area?
Just follow these simple guidlelines and you should find a quality club in no time:
1) Whichever club charges the most obviously must be the best.
2) The more non-English terms a Maestro uses, the more knowledgeable they must be.
3) All good clubs have lots of hot babes, and perhaps a few movie stars too.
4) The best Maestros are obsessed with killing, drive porsches, say "You are pathetic, Mr. (you name)" at the end of every lesson, do strange dances with a sharp rapier late at night, and hire janitors who secretly killed their fathers in a duel twenty years ago.
5) If you can't find a Maestro like the one described above, blonde pop stars in sleeveless leather fencing corsets will do, so long as their students are spies and/or evil millionaires who never sleep.
6) If you still can't decide, go with the club that has an illegal gladiator pit in the basement.
In answer to your question of how to find these things out in a drop in visit, here are some suggestions...
Talk to the fencers there... are they nice people? Before you talk to the coach, ask them what kind of training they do, and whether they fence in many tournaments
When talking to the coach, ask his prices (a biggie, heh), and what his backround is (has he been teaching for one year, or 30?)
Look around the club... is it neat, tidy? Does the general atmosphere seem good?
what weapon do you fence vs. how many of their fencers fence that weapon
How close is the club to you?
There are many good clubs in Northern California. Good luck!
As well as a club having people that fence your weapon, I've found that it's also important to look for different skills levels. Perhaps you could observe or participate in a trial practice to get a feel for how things run. The ideal club should have both fencers at or around your skill level, as well as more advanced fencers to keep you challenged as you improve.
It's always a good idea to have 2 or 3 clubs. I fence at school (for dedicated, one on one coaching - yes, fencing isn't popular ) at Salle Joseph (which is more of a social occasion, just to have fun) and at Salle Boston (serious stuff).
All what has been said here. I am currently looking for a club myself and basically what I am doing is I go to several clubs, to try out the atmosphere.
I have found that most of the clubs I have been to fall into 2 categories:
- The social clubs where you have a lot of fun people to hang out with and where there aren't too many "serious" competitors
- The more competitive clubs, where it is sometimes hard to make friends with people. They watch you from a distance and it's hard to create some kind of relationships. Most of the time in these clubs the good coaches are overworked and you won't get a good lesson unless you're already good, or you are a junior starting out.
Of course, the perfect club would be a good combination of both, because you will not be able to improve in a club that is too competitive, but you also won't be able to improve in a club that has a high level of recreative fencers who don't compete.
That said, I encourage you to go and try out. I used to live in the same area as you did, and I know that there are a lot of clubs that have those qualities there, namely Stanford Fencing Club (esp. if you fence foil), Golden Gate Fencing Center in SF, as well as Salle Halberstat. All these clubs are full of very nice people and have high caliber coaches and fencers.
Epee is the Louis Vuitton bag of fencing: only the best can get it, and the rest of the masses must content themselves with cheap knockoffs (sabre, foil)
To not recognize the power of the French grip is to be in denial
If you really want to know which salle is really good, go to a big tournament. Check out which salles have fencers who whine and complain to the director most often. That's the salle you want to go to because all the students are well taught in the rules of fencing because their judgement is better than a director's judgement.
Originally posted by three_hundred_fifty_five If you really want to know which salle is really good, go to a big tournament. Check out which salles have fencers who whine and complain to the director most often. That's the salle you want to go to because all the students are well taught in the rules of fencing because their judgement is better than a director's judgement.
Excellent advice!
And if you fence sabre, go to the salle where the fencers scream the loudest; that's the main factor in determining ROW for that weapon.
Go and look through the list, drive there, check out the people and the coaches. Hold nose, repeat.
BTW, how "north" is Northern California? "Northern California" as a legal term in regards to fencing geographic, consists of the following counties:
Sonoma, Napa, Marin, San Francisco, Contra Costa, Alameda, and San Mateo.
Northern California, as a descriptive term is anything north of Marin, all the way up to Humboldt county and then some.
That's quite a bit of a difference. I would suggest you first go to www.usfencing.org, click on Info For Members, the Clubs and Divisions and search for the appropriate location for you.
Originally posted by Sildar And if you fence sabre, go to the salle where the fencers scream the loudest; that's the main factor in determining ROW for that weapon.
) at Salle Joseph (which is more of a social occasion, just to have fun) and at Salle Boston (serious stuff). 
