New to Fencing

En garde, Future Fencers! We are the Southwest Florida Fencing Academy, and we are so excited you are interested in joining our club. One of the few places you can make new friends and stab them!

We encourage aspiring fencers ages 8 and up to join our ranks.

For 18+ fencers who are interested in a class with a higher median age, we offer an adults class on Saturday mornings from 9am-11am. However if you don't mind being potentially slightly older than your peers, you are more than welcome to join the beginners class that best fits your schedule.

Trying it out: 

We encourage you to come and take a trial class with us before you join to see if this is something you or your child would like to commit to. Feel free to show up to any of the beginners classes that fit your schedule!

The club is located at 4210 Fowler Street #9, Fort Myers FL 33901. We are situated next right near Lighting Strikes Bowling Ally. To get to us, you will pull into down a street with a fish store to the right and a car shop to the left. When you drive in, we know it looks a little hauting, but the car shops in the plaza use the parking lot as storage for their "projects". So no- you will not get murdered. We are situated to the far right of the parking lot. If you drive around the perimeter it is hard to miss us! Now is also a good time to mention that the Southwest Florida Fencing Academy is a non-profit organization, and in an effort to keep prices low so the sport can be as accessable as possible, this has been our location for 25+ years. So while it is not "pretty" on the outside, it has lots of love on the inside. 

What joining looks like: 

At our club, all beginners start by learning to fence foil. There are three fencing weapons, foil is the most popular in the world, and is a great introduction to fencing. Our beginners package is 12, once a week, classes. We understand that life happens, so the classes will be marked as you come, not consecutively. So if you can't make it one week, you won't lose that class, you can itstead make it up later. Gear will be provided.

Beginners Schedule: 

We offer beginners foil classes three times a week and follow this structure: 

Warm-Up and Skill Development: This 30 minute window allows for traffic delays and ample time before class starts for fencers to get ready. This involves changing, stretching, and warming up. Any extra time can be used for individual skill development such as point control, refining footwork or bladework. As long as you and/or your child arrive during this period, you are "on time".

Class:  This is instructor led time. This will involve organized: footwork, drills, and fencing.

Wednesday and Friday:

5:00pm-5:30pm: Warm up and Skill Development

5:30pm-7:00pm: Class

Saturday:

11:00am-11:30am: Warm up and Skill Development

11:30am-1:00pm: Class

Steps to Join:

 1) Sign up for the beginners class right here on our website under Costs and Pricing

2) Sign up for a USFA membership. The USFA is the governing body for US Fencing and provides our clubs' liability insurance. Every fencer must be a USFA member to ensure the safety of our fencers and staff. Without a membership through the United States Fencing Association, you cannot fence. Access membership is $29 a year. You can register with them at usafencing.org  

Gear: 

As mentioned above, gear will be provided during the beginners course. If you would like to purchase your own gear before completing the beginners course, please consult your coach. They will be able to direct you to the best resources to do so. We do not recommend just ordering gear off Amazon. We have had several members try and it is hit or miss. So just double check with your coach before ordering. 

We are so glad you are insterested in joining us, and we look forward to sharing the joy of fencing with you. See you on the fencing strip!

Returning to Fencing

Welcome back, whether you have taken a 3 month or a 30 year break, we are excited for you to get back into fencing! Everyone takes a "hiatus" as we like to say, so you are not alone. Since you are no beginner to the sport, often the beginners package is not best suited to your needs. Before you determine on your own which fencing time best suits you, please email us at engarde@swfloridafencing.academy and we can assist you in picking the right class.

Depending on your weapon of choice, we offer different membership options, which can be found on the  Costs and Pricing page.

If you are looking to take foil classes with instruction, you can get the Individual Membership- Classes/Bouting.  However, if you are not looking to take classes and are only interested in working independently or open fencing/bouting- you are better suited for the Individual Membership- Open Bouting option. Depending on your skill level and availability you are more than welcome to join us as many times a week as suits your schedule. We would even encourage you to come to the beginners classes to help re-establish your basic technique depending on how long you have been away. 

We do not provide formal instruction for Sabre or Epee so if either of these are your chosen weapon you will only need the Individual Membership- Open Bouting. While formal instruction is not provided, there are many well informed fencers of these weapons who are more than happy to help you improve your skills. 

All fencers, regardless of weapon preference, are required to have a USFA membership. The USFA is the governing body for US Fencing and provides our clubs' liability insurance. Every fencer must be a USFA member to ensure the safety of our fencers and staff. Without a membership through the United States Fencing Association, you cannot fence. Access membership is $29 a year. You can register with them at usafencing.org