Fencing Club of Asheville Welcomes Beginners!
One of our main goals at Fencing Club of Asheville is to spread our love of the sport in Western North Carolina. We are excited to teach beginners of all ages (10 and above) and athletic ability.
New Beginners will start Monthly for 2024-25. We feel we can provide a better experience to first time students if they all start together at the beginning of a 4 week cycle. See the news feed on the home page for the latest schedule and location info.
Location: 12 Culvern St Asheville NC 28804 – Asheville Catholic School Gymnasium – Check home page to confirm
Cost: First class is free. Please come try fencing. The rate for the beginner classes is $60 for a one month class which includes equipment rental. We also require Free USA Fencing Trial Membership.
Who: Ages 10-99 and everyone is welcome regardless of athletic ability. Unfortunately, we do not take kids 9 and younger. While kids can start fencing quite young, we can’t provide a good experience and a safe experience for kids under 9, they will have to wait until they turn 10.
What to bring: Clean athletic shoes. We recommend basketball, tennis, volleyball or indoor soccer shoes. Avoid black soles and of course cleats that might mark mats/floor or things like hiking boots (I know it’s Asheville, but please don’t bring any kind of boots, hiking shoes or sandals).
Wear athletic apparel you can sweat in. We recommend sweatpants or warm ups. Shorts must be accompanied by knee high socks.
Women and girls should wear an athletic bra in order to be able to use either type of provided chest protector.
A water bottle. We have a fountain but you will be much happier with your own water in the gym.
Things NOT to wear: Sandals including hiking or “sport” sandals, or any other shoes with openings. Jeans or other pants that don’t stretch well are bad choices to fence in as are pants that fit very loosely and could snag blades.
Paperwork: Please complete the USA Fencing Trial Membership online and email the completed pdf to FencingClubAsheville@gmail.com. The text of the waiver can be read here. If any of the links here change you should be able to find the newest versions of the forms on the USA fencing website.
How we Teach: Fencing is traditionally taught in as boring a manner as possible. At Fencing Club of Asheville we are part of a movement in modern fencing that is convinced this doesn’t actually produce better fencers who can win at tournaments. We want our very first class to be FUN! Beginners will learn to use the sword and hit people their very first class. You will line up against a real opponent your second class. This involves being hit, so safety gear in your size will be provided. We start all our beginners in Foil. Students will be able to switch to Epee after 4-8 weeks if they want to and are 14 years old or older.
After Beginner Classes: Our beginner class lasts approximately 4-5 weeks.
Please Email us with Questions, at FencingClubAsheville@gmail.com or Call Bren at 301-537-0211. We love talking to new people about fencing!