Fencing for beginners in Boulder this fall. Ages 7 to adult.
Twelve coached sessions take a complete beginner from a first grip on an epee, the fencing sword, to a real bout, which is one fencer against one with a real score. Every piece of club equipment is supplied.
No experience is needed, and every piece of club equipment is supplied.
What happens when you tap through
- A first lesson runs about an hour, one time, with no obligation afterward.
- Tapping through opens the first-lesson page, which explains what the hour covers and sends you to our booking system to pick a time and leave your contact details.
- Every piece of club equipment is supplied for the lesson, so bring sneakers, athletic clothes, and a water bottle and nothing else.
- The first lesson is complimentary, so nothing is due for it. Training after it does have a cost, and the club states that cost in full on the page for whichever program you choose, before anything is due.
Registration is closed between cohorts.
The Six-Week Challenge runs in cohorts and the current one has already started. Email info@ncfboulder.com to hear first when the next one opens. A first lesson is available all year.
What six weeks does for your fencer
A first lesson covers epee footwork and bladework, a gear fitting, and often a first bout. The tactical work is what twelve sessions make room for: reading an opponent and deciding what to do about it before they move.
Every piece of gear supplied
Mask, jacket, glove, weapon, and body cord are ours for the full six weeks. Your fencer brings sneakers, athletic clothes, and a water bottle.
Twelve coached sessions
A curriculum that builds session on session, from grip and stance through footwork and blade work into the decisions behind them.
A coach assessment at session 8
Two thirds of the way in, a coach gives an honest read of where your fencer stands and what they are already good at.
A round-robin in week 5
Real bouts against the rest of the cohort, with real scores, before the six weeks are over.
A competitive bout by session 12
The whole curriculum builds toward it, starting from a first grip on the blade.
Epee, the weapon we actually train
NCF Boulder trains one weapon, so a beginner learns the same epee the competitive program runs on, from coaches who spend all their time on it.
What the parent gets
Signing a kid up for a new sport is a bet on a schedule, a pile of equipment, and a season you cannot see the end of. Six weeks is built to answer that before any of it is committed.
A real answer instead of a guess
A single trial lesson tells you whether your kid enjoyed an hour. Six weeks tells you whether the sport fits them, which is the question you were trying to answer.
Nothing to buy before day one
Fencing gear is expensive and easy to buy in the wrong size. We supply all of it. If your fencer carries on afterward, a coach fits their own kit before you spend anything.
One schedule to plan around
The cohort meets twice a week on the same two evenings for all six weeks, so it lands in the family calendar once and stays there.
A group that is a group
The cohort needs at least 4 registered fencers to run. Below that we do not run it and we refund every payment in full, so your fencer is never the only beginner in the room.
Who the cohort is for
Everybody in the group is starting at the same place, which is what makes it a comfortable way in.
Complete beginners, ages 7 and up
This is the entry point. The cohort is built for people who have never held a blade, so nobody in it is behind.
Teens and adults, in the same group
Adults train alongside youth fencers and the coach scales the work to each person. Plenty of parents start the same week their kid does.
Kids who think their way through a game
Fencing rewards reading an opponent over out-running one, so it lands with kids who like puzzles and with kids who have not found their sport in a gym.
What camp families say
These quotes come from parents whose fencers started at an NCF Boulder summer camp, and none of them is about the Six-Week Challenge.
After trying a lot of different activities, my son has finally found his sport. NCF is welcoming, fun, and challenging, which keeps him coming back. The coaches are fantastic, and he has made some great friends along the way. We are so happy to have found such a great fit for him.
We came in as a family completely new to fencing and had no idea what to expect. NCF welcomed us from day one. The coaching, the kindness from the other kids, and the spirit of the whole place made this a wonderful experience for our entire family. We are grateful to have found it.
Why families start here
Gary Copeland founded NCF Boulder in 1979 and still coaches on the floor. He is a USA Fencing Hall of Fame coach, and the program he built has produced 46 individual national champions.
A beginner cohort is taught by the same staff, on the same weapon, in the same room as the competitive program. That is the whole reason a first six weeks here is worth more than a first six weeks anywhere a beginner class is a side project.
What happens after you book
- 1 You pick a time that works for your family in our booking system, which opens in a new tab.
- 2 You arrive in athletic clothes and sneakers, and we provide everything else.
- 3 A coach fits your mask, jacket, glove, and weapon, and explains how epee fencing works.
- 4 You learn footwork and blade work and, if you are ready, fence a first bout. The whole thing runs about an hour.
Questions families ask before they start
Is fencing safe for a child?
Fencing is a non-contact sport: no tackling and no checking. A fencer scores by landing the tip of a flexible blade on the opponent, every bout is supervised, and the rules penalize dangerous play. Everyone on the floor wears a steel mesh mask, a jacket, and a glove for every minute of every session. NCF Boulder supplies the mask, jacket, glove, weapon, and body cord, and we inspect that gear and replace it as it wears. The coaching staff is SafeSport certified and background checked.
What if we miss a session?
You register once for the whole cohort, so missing a session does not cost you the place. The curriculum builds session on session, so tell a coach in advance when you can. Email info@ncfboulder.com or call 303.641.6557 and we will tell you what the missed session covered so your fencer can pick it back up.
Does my child need any equipment to start fencing?
No. NCF Boulder supplies the mask, jacket, glove, weapon, and body cord for the whole six weeks. Your fencer brings sneakers, athletic clothes, and a water bottle.
What age is the Six-Week Challenge for?
Ages 7 and up, including teens and adults. The cohort trains as one group and the coach scales the work to each fencer, so a 9 year old and a 40 year old both start where they are.
Does my child need to be athletic?
No. Fencing rewards strategy over strength, and the physical side develops as you train. Weeks 1 and 2 cover the grip, the stance, and how to move before anyone fences anyone. Everyone in the cohort starts on the same session one.
Which weapon will my child learn?
Epee. NCF Boulder is an epee club, so beginners learn the same weapon the competitive program trains in, on club blades.
What happens at the end of the six weeks?
A coach helps you decide what comes next, and there is no pressure to join a membership. If you continue into a membership within 30 days of graduation, your first six four-week payments are reduced to cover what you paid for the Challenge, with a six-payment commitment. If you end the membership before the sixth payment, you repay what has been taken off so far.
What if we are not sure fencing is right for us?
Book a first lesson. It is complimentary, it runs about an hour, all equipment is provided, and it is how families find out whether fencing fits their kid.
NCF Boulder's record since 1979
47
Years
46
National Champions
800+
National Finalists
64
World/Pan Am Selections
Start with a first lesson
A first lesson runs about an hour, all equipment is provided, and there is no obligation afterward. It is how families find out whether fencing fits their kid.