Our Coaching Philosophy

If you are wondering what actually happens in a fencing lesson beyond the mask and the blade, the honest answer is that we are teaching a martial art. Every drill, every correction and every bout is built on the same values, whether the student is 7 or 70. This article explains what those values are and why they matter.

Fencing as a martial art, not a sport trick

Fencing looks fast and flashy from the stands, but at Fencing Masters we teach it the way a martial art should be taught: with structure, patience and respect for the form. Before a student ever crosses blades in a real bout, they learn how to stand, how to salute, how to hold the weapon correctly and how to carry themselves on the strip. This is not about slowing students down. It is about making sure the foundation is solid enough to build a lifetime of fencing on.

Our coaches are NROC-registered with real competition experience, so this is not theory borrowed from a manual. It is coaching shaped by years on the strip, passed on with the bearing of a uniformed discipline: attentive, controlled and serious about the craft, even when the mood in the hall is light.

Footwork and fundamentals come first

Ask any of our coaches what wins bouts and they will tell you it is footwork, not fancy blade work. That is why new fencers, regardless of age, spend real time on:

• Advances, retreats and the lunge, done slowly and correctly before they are done quickly
• Balance, distance and timing, the building blocks that every later skill depends on
• Basic blade actions only once footwork holds up under light pressure

This order matters. A student who rushes past fundamentals may look competent for a few weeks, then hits a ceiling that is hard to undo later. A student who is patient with footwork tends to progress further, and with fewer bad habits to unlearn.

Matching the fencer to the weapon

Foil, sabre and épée reward different instincts. Foil favours precision and patience. Sabre rewards speed and initiative. Épée suits fencers who like to read distance and wait for the right moment. Part of our job as coaches is to watch how a student moves and thinks in their first sessions and help them find the weapon that suits their natural tendencies, rather than pushing everyone down the same path.

This is one reason a trial lesson is so useful. It is not just an introduction to the sport, it is the first real look at which weapon might fit a student best, with all equipment provided so nothing stands in the way of finding out.

Respect, control and composure from lesson one

A fencing strip is a small, contained space where two people move at speed with weapons in hand. That only works because the sport insists on respect: the salute before and after every bout, control of the blade at all times, and composure when a point is lost. We introduce these expectations from the very first lesson, not as an afterthought once technique is in place.

We are not just coaching people to fence. We are coaching people to carry themselves with discipline, on and off the strip.

This is also where fencing quietly does more than build athletes. Students learn to accept a touch against them without an argument, to reset after a mistake, and to treat an opponent they have just beaten, or lost to, with the same courtesy either way. We have written more about this in how fencing builds discipline, and it remains one of the most consistent things parents and adult students tell us they value.

Coaching the whole person, not just the athlete

It would be easy to measure success only in touches scored or medals won. We do not think that is the right lens, especially for younger fencers. Our coaches pay attention to concentration, sportsmanship and how a student handles setbacks, because those habits carry into schoolwork, other sports and everyday life. A student who learns to stay composed after losing a point at 14 all is learning something that has very little to do with fencing itself.

This is part of why Fencing Masters runs programmes across such a wide range of ages and settings, from Youth Academy classes and School CCA & SEP programmes to Fencing for Fitness for adults, Private Coaching, Corporate sessions and Theatrical Fencing. The weapon and the setting change. The coaching values do not.

A pathway from first lesson to national level

Fencing rewards consistency more than raw talent, which is why our coaching is built as a pathway rather than a series of unrelated classes. A student who starts with the fundamentals in a group class can move toward more focused private coaching as they progress, and those with the drive to compete can be guided toward national-level training, including the poules and elimination format used at real tournaments. Not every student wants to go that far, and that is entirely fine. The same footwork, discipline and respect that support a competitive fencer also support someone who wants a challenging, enjoyable way to stay active.

Meet the people behind this approach on our coaches page, where you can see the experience and background each one brings to the strip.

Why start now

Fencing is one of those sports people assume they have missed the window for, and that is rarely true. We work with students from age 3 in private lessons and age 7 in group classes, right through to students in their eighties and nineties. Whatever your age or experience, the first step looks the same: a trial lesson with equipment provided, no experience required.

Fencing Masters has been teaching this way since 1995, under founder and head coach Jeffrey Lopez, and the philosophy has not changed even as the programmes around it have grown. If what you have read here sounds like the kind of coaching you or your child would value, come try it for yourself.

Ready to see it in person? Book a trial lesson and experience our coaching philosophy on the strip.