MA South Shore SaEF Fencing Clubs

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“Not Zorro, But Close”   At our courses you learn to Fence, Parry, and Touch, without pain or injury.  However you perform, our courses and the sport, improve your IQ and coordination.  ADHD students welcome.    Upcoming Classes:   SabreK-with-SabreM is a combination course for participation by both kids 8-10 who want to learn the sport, and adults who want to continue with Sabre as an excercise regime.   Foil 1 is for students 11 years old thru adults in mid-50's or more.  Equipment for Foil 1 courses may now be leased as opposed to only purchased.   We have devised new curricula for Fencing - based on a one year participation, for all: SabreK, SabreM, and Foil.  However the courses are briefer, 7 weeks at 1 1/2 hrs per meet, SabreK and SabreM are 10 weeks at 1 hr per meet.   Locations in Plymouth, Hingham, Quincy and Middleboro.   Click here for Schedules

Check out the Wingate website.     http://www.wingate.org.il/ Once you're on the site, select English.     For information about Fencing in New England,   please visit   http://www.NEUSFA.org           To view a supporting company, please visit   http://www.MarinairLtd.com To view the USFA website,   please visit   http://www.USFencing.org

Please contact fencing_SaEF@verizon.net or 508-747-5803 for details.  Our website is frequently updated.   Watch us grow !     To mutually link websites, pls contact us.

Our new student training sabre.

The KSabre & SabreK (© on terminology and article) We are all aware of the difficulties in teaching fencing to kids in the 8 thru 10 ½ year age group. Not only is their attention span limited, they are generally awkward, have much less motor control than the magic 10 ½-12 year age group, and all too many seem to be affected by ADD. Their arms are also too short even for the 30” weapons. Moreover, they have vivid imagination, which they must act out. We searched for a long time for a means to attract and retain this age group for the sport and art of fencing. Five years ago we believed we had found it. The past four years have proven us right. First, we decided that to accommodate to the status of their motor control, the weapon must be the Sabre, as for this age group it involves whole arm movement, not finger nor finessed wrist control. We explored the 30” metal weapon and found it wanting – it is too long, the ratio between the weapon length and the forearm length being far larger than the ratio for adolescents and ‘teens. It is also too heavy for them. The foam “weapon” being touted as the answer to this problem is actually a bad joke. We obtained one and even the kids refused to take it seriously. Stiffening the blade by inserting a metal rod into the center of the foam did not cure the problem. So we designed our own weapon. I am delighted to inform anyone who’d care to listen, that it works! Obviously it is in the category of an educational development, not a replacement for traditional fencing weapons. We named it the KSabre.  Designed to teach Sabre Fencing to the 8 – 10 ½ age group using FIE/USFA Sabre rules, this “weapon” is much more suited to the physique and imagination, capabilities and habits of this age group, and is much safer than metal. Much safer when inevitably they will play with their weapon and show off without the other kids wearing masks. I would like to recommend its adoption to all salles that teach this age group. The original KSabre’s plastic blade as portrayed in the picture was 20" long, the grip 6" long (suitable for both child and adult), the guard 6 1/4"-6 1/2" at its widest, the blade 1 1/8" wide x 1/2" thick, and the whole weapon weighed 200 gr, is gray, is somewhat curved to resemble a cutlass. Unfortunately this model is no longer available so this year we introduced an alternative, almost as good. Suggested retail price is US$25 each. Our quantity sale price is $20 each, starting with 1 dozen. As said, the weapon is quite safe, especially when used along with masks. As we teach it, SabreK is a kids’ first course in Fencing. We limit participation solely to 8 - 10 1/2 year olds (plus one sparring partner per home). We usually require the partner to be present at the classes so that they can learn enough to do home-training-work with the kids in between lessons (i.e. necessitating two equipment sets per household). Our SabreK courses begin with two consecutive sets of 10 hours, both 1 hr per week, the first 10 weeks followed by "other hand" training also lasting 10 weeks, generating ambidexterity. To graduate to metal Sabres, the student MUST demonstrate proficiency, responsibility, maturity, and absence of problems such as would endanger self or others. With very very few exceptions, we also require the student transitioning to metal, to be at least 9 1/2 yrs old. To reduce costs to the families, the kids wear gardening gloves (with cuffs) on both hands, and street jackets worn zipper on back (to make it "different"). As said, in theory the rules of SabreK are identical to Sabre (dry), per the USFA/FIE Sabre rules.  In reality we make things simpler.

SaEF Fencing ,  (508) 747-5803 Or e-mail:  fencing_SaEF@verizon.net