Our Beginner’s Courses
Truro Fencing Club runs beginner courses for both children and adults (separately) throughout the academic year.
This page takes you through the many benefits of fencing, the three weapons and includes details of our current courses for you to join. Please feel free to explore the website and if you have any further questions, queries or concerns at all, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us directly.
Truro Fencing Club’s 7-week Beginners’ Courses run on Wednesday evenings at the Cornwall Fencing Centre. The 7-week course costs £49. On completion of the course you will be entitled to a month’s free membership of Truro Fencing Club, and then a 6-month Beginner membership at £20 / month.
NB: no sessions during half term or on bank holidays.
Why Start Fencing?
The Olympic sport of fencing provides a well-rounded form of mental and physical exercise essential for total health and wellness.
When practiced by children during their developing years, martial arts such as fencing have been shown to increase executive function including focus, suppression of impulsive reactions, and mental manipulation of ideas.
It is a fast-paced sport and a great way to burn calories and stay in shape generally; for example, fencers have been shown to have significantly increased bone and muscle mass compared with controls, which help prevent injury and osteoporosis.
Fencing – despite appearances – is also an exceptionally safe sport, with fencers suffering fewer injuries than athletes in most other Olympic Sports including swimming, table tennis, and curling.
Being a member of Truro Fencing Club offers you the opportunity to experience what can be a lifetime sport.
School-age children, teenagers and college students fence at local clubs and at their schools and universities, while adults from their twenties into their seventies can be found on fencing pistes around the country, exercising their minds and bodies – and winning medals for the club!
Foil
The foil fencer’s uniform includes a metallic vest (called a lamé) which covers the valid target area, so that a valid touch will register on the scoring machine. A small, spring-loaded tip is attached to the point of the foil and is connected to a wire inside the blade. The fencer wears a body cord inside his uniform which connects the foil to a reel wire, connected to the scoring machine.
There are two scoring lights on the machine. One shows a green light when a fencer is hit, and one shows a red light when her opponent is hit. A touch landing outside the valid target area (that which is not covered by the lamé) is indicated by a white light. These “off target” hits do not count in the scoring, but they do stop the fencing action temporarily.
Sabre
The sabre fencer’s uniform includes a metallic jacket (lamé), which covers the target area to register a valid touch on the scoring machine. The mask is different from foil and épée, with a metallic covering since the head is valid target area.
Just as in foil, there are two scoring lights on the machine. One shows a green light when a fencer is hit, and one shows a red light when the opponent his hit. Off-target hits do not register on the machine. A sabre fencers is known as a ‘sabreur’.
Epée
The blade is wired with a spring-loaded tip at the end that completes an electrical circuit when it is depressed beyond a pressure of 750 grams. This causes the coloured bulb on the scoring machine to light. Because the entire body is a valid target area, the épée fencer’s uniform does not include a lamé.
ADULT & CHILDRENS BEGINNER COURSES 2022
COURSE DATES FOR 2022 TO BE CONFIRMED, AT THE END OF DECEMBER 2021.
- CHILDREN’S COURSES are for ages 8+ (fencers must be 8 years of age or over, on January 1st 2022 to join the next CHILDREN’S beginner course)
- ADULT COURSES are for ages 15+ (fencers must be 15 years of age or over, on January 1st 2022 to join the next ADULT beginner course)
Courses are 7 one hour sessions, taking place on a Wednesday, with Monday & Wednesday sessions in the final week. There will be no more than 12 fencers on each course of mixed gender groups. All equipment is provided and included in the course fee. Places are allocated on a first come first served basis and fencers may pay in advance, to secure their place with a completed enrolment form.
- CHILDREN’S COURSES are held on Wednesdays, 18:30-19:30, with Monday & Wednesday sessions in the final week
- ADULT COURSES are held on Wednesdays, 19:30-20:30, with Monday & Wednesday sessions in the final week
NEXT STEPS:
JOIN: Truro Fencing Club FB Group, for updates and announcements as they are released.
COMPLETE: an enrolment form for you or your fencer to be added to the WAITLIST for the next course and receive a priority notice – you will be contacted first to pay in advance to secure the place on the course.
Adult fencers (15+) may also consider the 1-2-1 courses below, specifically designed for fencers who have some previous experience.
Please email TFC Coach Balazs Kurucz kuruczbazsi@gmail.com is you would like to book any of the 1-2-1 courses.
- Start Fencing’ 1 x 1-2-1 introduction, £32.50 (1 x 50 mins) (introduction to fencing for the complete beginner)
- Fencing Refresher’ 3 x 1-2-1 coaching, £55 (3 x 30 mins) (for anyone getting back into fencing after a break)
- Fast-track your Fencing’ 4 x 1-2-1 lessons, £72 (4 x 30 mins) (for novices looking to improve quickly)
- Bespoke stunt training 4 x 1-2-1 lessons £120 (4 x 50 mins)
Enrolment
To secure your fencers place please complete the online enrolment form below and process the course fee of £49 using the bank details below.
TFC Bank, HSBC
Sort code: 40-44-34
Account: 41728296
Course fee: £49
Payment Reference: course code + fencers surname
IBAN: GB35HBUK40443441728296
BIC/SWIFT: HBUKGB4160H
Please email Joanne directly admin@trurofencing.com with any questions, queries or concerns you may have.
