Fencing Coleraine

Training

What is fencing?

Fencing is the sport of sword fighting using specially designed weapons and participants abide by a set of rules in order to score points against an opponent. You are protected by specialised gear that is provided by the club, this includes a mask, chest protector, plastron (worn on the sword arm), jacket, breeches and a conductive lamé (for foil and sabre) which covers the target areas, the style depends on the weapon.

There are three weapons to choose from, these include;

Foil – the weapon first taught to most beginners in order to learn the basic movements, the torso (excluding the arms) is the target area for this weapon. Foil focuses mainly of precision of attacks and footwork.

Épée – the heaviest weapon and known as the musketeers’ weapon of choice, this is the only weapon that does not require a lamé and its target area encompasses the entire body (including the foot)! Épée relies on patience and improves distance perception.

Sabre – the lightest weapon and is most commonly associated with pirates (think Captain Jack Sparrow) and is also the fastest of the three to fence. The movements of this weapon differ from the other weapons and the target area is the body above the waist (including the head and arms). Sabre requires speed and courage to succeed.

Training times and venue

Training nights are Tuesday and Wednesdays, 6-8pm in the Sports Hall.

Training involves warm-up and stretches, footwork and fencing related games and practising on and off the boxes (the latter is also known as steam fencing) as well as lessons from our amazing coaches. We also go to Pizza Pomodoro after training each week.

Social events

Fencing is a very social club with many events being held throughout the year including our Halloween and Christmas parties, movie/game nights and our end-of-year competition/party known as Mandlacon (named after one of our previous Erasmus members).

The club attends many competitions throughout the year which help to improve your fencing abilities greatly and are also a lot of fun! There is also the opportunity to meet fencers from all over the world and make life-long friendships.

Fees and external costs

Fees for the year (September to September) are £70.00. It is however important to note that while this covers members whilst they are training within the university this does not cover them at competitions. A separate insurance is required, the sign-up process is quick and easy and all information regarding this is given to members of the club if/when they want to enter competitions.

Email: colerainefencing@gmail.com