Welcome to the Huntsville Fencing Club!
We are devoted to promoting the sport of fencing for the serious
competitor, the casual recreational fencer, and all between. Our club is
open to anyone with an interest in fencing, and we welcome visitors.
Fencing is a sport derived from the duel, a sport
of one against one, wit against wit, skill against skill, will against
will, without outside assistance at the time of combat.
It is an intensely solitary yet overwhelming social activity in
which the participant engages in combat alone against his or her adversary
on the strip, yet also engages in friendship and camaraderie off the
strip. Fencing is a highly
competitive sport, a positive form of recreation, and encompasses a highly
social atmosphere. The recreational fencer, for whom fencing is both an
enjoyable diversion as well as an opportunity to socialize with other
bright, passionate people, is the foundation of most fencing clubs, and is
always welcome at the Huntsville Fencing Club. Many of our members are
purely recreational fencers.
Our members range in age from twelve to well into
the sixties, and include foreign nationals from France, Italy, Poland and
Israel, as well as members from all corners of the US. Additionally, we
are often visited by out-of-state fencers here on business, and also by
classical and SCA fencers looking to polish their technique.
In addition to a facility for open fencing, we
also offer beginning instruction in foil in a group setting, and advanced
instruction in both foil and epee, in the form of individual lessons.
You need not be an athlete, much less a great athlete, to learn to
fence well. You need only a few basic physical abilities, a willingness to
learn, and the capacity to use your head.
Instruction is based on a broad technical foundation designed to
provide the fencer with adequate technique, tempo, and tactics for free
fencing and competition, while at the same time not inhibiting the fencer
from enjoying the swashbuckling romance of steel on steel. Such a
well-laid foundation helps the fencer understand the sport in all its
aspects, builds tactics against all possible adversaries, and prevents the
fencer’s development from reaching a dead end. While we strive to
develop a fencer’s strengths, we do not believe in doing so by
sacrificing the benefits of a broad foundation, nor at the expense of the
courtesies and traditions of the sport.
Again, welcome to the Huntsville Fencing Club!
We look forward to fencing with you!
