Competing and being measured by way of the sword can be difficult for young fencers as well as parents but we are here to help bridge the gap and prepare your family for the exciting world of USFA tournament play as early as age 7 to adulthood. Rest assured, tournaments are highly regulated and safe for your child at every age of play. Tournament play inspires and motivates students to want to improve and that is how we build strong character, work ethic and become virtuous through right of arms. There is no substitute for getting "knocked" down and having to pick yourself up to fight another day.

Coaches and club owners focus primarily on the athletes well being, technical and tactical skills and getting competitive results. Parents do all the rest.

Most notably parents are 100% responsible for understanding, registering, paying, and showing up to tournaments on time fully equipped. Additionally, it is customary to pay your coach to attend and support your child during pool and DE rounds during the tournament. This is known as a strip coaching fee and is typically paid to the coach on the day of the event. Learn more here. Speak with the attending coach if you have any issues or questions concerning on site coaching fees and expectations.

To be a competitive fencer in the USFA you will need:
1) USFA membership "competitive" level. This is also the account you will use to register for regional and national events.
2) USFA regulation fencing uniform including mask, FIE chest plate, Underarm protector, jacket, glove, knickers w/ long socks (rented or owned)
2x electrical weapons of choice (owned)
2x body cords two prong style (owned)
2x mask cords (owned)
Lame (owned)
Buy in advance of your tourney or at a regional event where vendors await. Rest assured they are NOT jacking up the prices at these events.

Useful links parents should know about:

For local fencing event list and registration http://askfred.net.
Regional or national level event list and registration https://www.usafencing.org/all-events
Fencing parents "watch dog" org. https://www.fencingparents.org/
Blog with lots of good info. https://academyoffencingmasters.com/blog/
Absolute fencing gear https://www.absolutefencinggear.com/shopping/

Lastly, we are often asked "how do we know our child is ready to compete?" You know your child best but typically, we can have a student ready for competition within 6 months of dedicated instruction with 1x private lesson a week and 2x group class a week to start. For faster better results we recommend 2x private lessons a week and 3x group classes.