Fencing Classes

[walrus418]

Here at the University of Louisville we offer group fencing classes to students (a 50 minute, twice a week or a 100 minute once a week class). We also teach a 10 week, 60 - 90 minute group introductory class to the community at large. Over the years we have tried a variety of ways to teach, as well as varing the subject matter we can cover in this short a time. While we get relatively good attendance (about 20 students when we offer it), our retention rate (those who choose to keep fencing) remains small.

Whoi else is teaching introductory lessons out there? What subjects do you cover? What is the length and frequency of your group lessons? Are you having success (especially in retention)?

[GGK]

Used to teach an intro class at a university. It was twice a week for ~1hr w/ an hour of free fencing afterwards. Ussually there would be ~40 students to start and that would dwindle in the first two weeks to ~20-25 who would stay all semester (14 or 15 weeks). We taught the beginners foil.
We actually hit a problem of need for instruction of intermediates and instruction for beginners. Since the returns from the previous semester/year were well above the beginner classes but still wanted to learn and improve.

[Katman]

I help teach a beginner's class at the University of Houston.

Traditionally, classes were 1 hour, twice a week. We would cover footwork for the first half of the course, then bladework (foil) and tactics for the last half.

At the end of each semester we would have a beginner's tournament. Only beginner's with no prior fencing experince were eligible. The prize was a complete beginner's set (jacket, mask, glove, dry foil).

We usually have about 20-30 intially and can dwindle down to only 4 or we may even retain as much as 15. Retention rate for the following semesters remains small (only about 3 or 4 return, sometimes not including the winner of the beginner's tournament!).

The idea behind doing nothing but footwork before they can even touch a blade is to weed out the dedicated and the non-dedicated. Another, more practical reason is that the fencers aren't allowed to borrow weapons from the club until they've paid thier dues and signed in blood. We don't have them pay until about halfway through the class because we don't want them wasting money on something they'll hate (we're all poor college students, after all).

Just lately we've had a new beginner's instructor who's doing things a little differently. The students are given blades earlier and bladework is more intigrated along with the footwork. Classes are now 2 hours twice a week as opposed to 1 hour twice a week. So far, I haven't seen a difference in the rate of improvement or bad habits. I intially disagreed with the intigration but I find myself favoring it a bit more (though perhaps not as intense as it's been practiced).

[Flunge]

I am involved with a rather large community fencing program (it is run through the high school's "adult ed" program.

I've come to expect a large dropoff from beginning fencing to the next level. We treat the intro to fencing class as a gateway. It is once a week, full of games, etc.. There is a set of skills that must be passed before the fencer can try the next class, but they are basic. Fencing II is longer, and twice a week, and has more developed skills.

Students often have to take these classes more than once, which hurts some of their pride and keeps them from continuing to the advanced classes, which are weapon specific. I think the program has a balance between offering exposure to many and teaching true fencing skills.

[swordsen]

The drop offis huge and seems to always exist. The univeristy club I work with fed off the PE classes that were taught. Begining and "Advance" fencing. The begining class was always full, 20 to 30 students. The advanced class would usually have between 4-8 students. And from that maybe two would stick with the club and keep fencing for more than one year. I have alwasy been shocked at how many don't stick becasue it seems so clear to me. Although I suspect the drop off is similar in most sports. Lots more start in karate than stick with it too.

[broncofencer]

I have taught intro to fencing classes to both university students and the community at large and have found similar and incosistant drop off rates from class to class. We start with foil as most do. I think part of the problem stems from this idea that somehow fencing is not a "REAL" sport (I disagree) and most people are not expecting it to be anywork just "swingin swords".

I also disagree with the policy the institution we are working with wants to charge everyone for the class everytime which makes cost an issue ($40-$60 every 8 weeks) plus equipment and other such things.

As someone else mentioned martial arts has a similar drop off rate probably due to the cool and mysterious nature it has as well. Unfortuantly I really don't think there is a quick fix for this.

I don't think it is something that you can fix by teaching things in a different order etc. though getting them fencing faster seems to help keep them for longer in order to get addicted.