En garde. Ready. Fence.
Those are the final words you’ll hear before you square off with a foil carrying opponent whose only goal is to poke you in the chest as many times as possible over the course of the next three minutes.
That’s just how it goes when you step on the fencing strip at Concord Fencing Club. But don’t worry, you’re wearing plenty of protective gear – like an under arm protector, hard plastic chest shield, a heavy duty jacket, one of those cool wire masks they wear in the Olympics and a glove for your sword hand.
For us, we had never even held a foil before, let alone donned all the equipment and stepped on to the en garde line ready for a showdown. But that’s what we signed up for when we set up a little lesson last week with Concord Fencing Club owner Tracy Nabstedt.
You too can get a little insight into the world of fencing. All you have to do is sign up for an hour lesson, which runs $25 – unless you get one of the free coupons that Nabstedt has been known to hand out all over town.
When you walk in the 126 Hall St. space, you’ll sign in and go through a little warm up. You’ll learn about the three different sword styles (foil, epee and sabre) and the manners in which you compete – since all three styles are a little different.
The fencing strip is 14 meters long and 1½ to 2 meters wide. You learn how to hold the foil, how to stand, lunge and retreat. How points are tallied and some of the referee’s hand gestures.
And before the hour is done, you’ll actually do a little fencing. Now, we know it will be a lot to take in, especially when you’re up against Nabstedt – an experienced coach and competitor – but it’s all about the experience.
Just be prepared to move your feet a little, and get poked in the chest a few times with a metal object. But remember, you’ve got a chest protector.
After the lesson, if you like it or just want to give it a whirl, sign up for one of the eight-week intro classes. They meet once a week for an hour and 15 minutes. The next session starts April 25.
Before you know it, your friends might just start calling you Zorro.
For more info, visit concordfencingclub.org.
Insider staff
