Getting started in fencing

Welcome to Northern Colorado Fencers, where we embrace the art and excitement of épée fencing. As a club devoted to this particular discipline, we pride ourselves on offering an engaging and supportive environment for fencers of all levels. Épée fencing is known for its strategic depth and emphasis on timing, with the entire body as a valid target, making it both challenging and uniquely rewarding.

If you're considering starting your journey in épée fencing, our club is the perfect place to begin. Our experienced coaches are passionate about guiding newcomers through the essentials, starting with the fundamental footwork and blade techniques unique to epee. As you progress, your workouts will be tailored to enhance your agility, build strength, and improve your reaction times, all crucial elements for success on the strip.

As your skills develop, you may find yourself eager to enter the competitive arena. Northern Colorado Fencers provides opportunities to participate in local and regional competitions, allowing you to apply what you've learned in a live setting. Competitions are a fantastic way to grow as a fencer, offering both a test of skill and a chance to connect with the broader fencing community.

Where to start with NCF depends on the students age. For adults and teenagers over 14 you will start with the evening group and private lessons to get started. For younger students we have two groups: Kinderfechten that is for fencers aged 7 to 11. If your student is over 11, there is an older group for students 12-14 offered at the same time, on Monday - Thursday from 4 - 5:30pm.

About Fencing

Sport fencing is, paraphrased from Encyclopedia Brittanica, an organized activity centered around three different swords: the foil, epee and sabre. Although swordplay has been an organized activity for thousands of years, the modern activity of sport fencing has a relatively short history since the 19th century. It has been an Olympic sport for the entire history of the modern Olympics and all three weapons enjoy a large audience of active fencers around the world.

At NCF, we specialize in épée fencing. The épée is a sword that was developed as a direct derivative from the classic dueling weapon, and like it’s predecessor épée lacks formalized rules around right-of-way or target areas. All areas of your opponents body are a target, and fencers can both score simultaneous touches. The simplicity of the rules for épée make it an ideal entry point for anyone looking to learn fencing, but they also increase the required athleticism to be truly successful in the sport.

You can find a fantastic introduction to the sport on the Federaçion International d’Escrime (FIE) website, which is the international parent organization for fencing. If you are looking for a challenge both mentally and physically, fencing could be the sport for you.

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