California Fencing Academy
Learn the Art & Olympic Sport of Fencing
Since 1986
A Brief Explanation of the CFA Programs
The California Fencing Academy offers multi-leveled comprehensive programs in three main categories which are; the recreational, developmental and team programs.
There are four very important structural differences that set us apart from other clubs:
- We have separate programs for specific age groups.
- CFA has many levels in each of its three programs; recreational, developmental, and CFA teams.
- CFA allows each student to progress through all the levels whether they want to compete or not.
- CFA fencing masters and certified professional coaches teach ALL levels of each program. Each of our elite coaches trains equally the intermediate and team programs with each leading a practice – This is an unheard of system that is unique to CFA.
Recreational Program
- L1: BEGINNING Classes: Meet once weekly. Lasts 3 or 6 weeks. If you do not fit our schedule email us for a private lesson option.
- L2-3: NOVICE-INTERMEDIATE Program: Meet once or twice weekly. Ongoing membership program (month to month). Typically lasts 4-6 months depending on if you are coming 1 or 2 days weekly. At this stage we do make age adjustments to these programs on an individual basis.
- L4-5: INTERMEDIATE-ADVANCED program: Meet once or twice weekly. Ongoing membership program (month to month). These classes are divided into level groups and partners. In this class the fencers are using electric scoring equipment, and are being trained as if each fencer may want to join the Junior Olympic Fencing Development team (JOFD) in the future. This level also gets the opportunity to fence fencing with our JOFD teams, as we purposefully hold these programs at the same time but different coaches so that they can interact.
Junior Olympic Fencing Developmental Program (JOFD)
- Developmental in most sport programs means developing you to be an elite level athlete or to your highest potential competitively and that is the same in CFA. This is the same for the (NBA D league baseball teams like the Santa Cruz warriors to a youth developmental gymnastics programs – D stands for developmental). In CFA this program is sometimes termed the “local team”, or “youth team or younger team”. This program is for intermediate-advanced levels that have accomplished the tasks and met the goals of the recreational intermediate-advanced classes. However CFA allows some recreational students to level up into this group as long as they have the necessary skills, self discipline, work ethic, and desire to be in the program. There are different levels or “stages” within this program. All of these fencers are taking one private lesson weekly. If they show all the traits to be national they start taking two private lessons weekly. If you go to the prospective pages much more information and links will be found on the levels.
- JOAD Prep: This is for all those entering who are not yet competing but are on the path to do so. This is usually 4-6 months of pre-competiton preperation. or recreational fencers who deserve to be in this program.
- JOAD – Local: Is the local travel level which first includes Bay Cup Circuit events and possibly local regional events. These are local travel events in the Bay Area that typically take up a half-day or so.
- JOAD – Regional: This is the level of adding travel Regional events in California such as one in Los Angeles.
- JOAD – Super Regional: The CFA fencers are attending Super Regional Events in California Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. Typically 3 of these when starting at this level.
- JOAD – Pre-National: At this level the fencer will fence one complete season nationally (sometimes longer) that includes at least one NAC North American Circuit event somewhere in the US, and the National Championships.
- JOAD – National: This is a fencer who has competed a year through a complete team season and who and his family wish to continue with full support to being a national fencer.
National Team Program – TEAM CFA
This program is a different group sometimes termed the “National team, or older team” This is for fencers doing youth-12 competition (with some doing y10 & 12), and most are doing Y14, cadet (under-17), and Junior (under-20). The fencer must be able to follow these practices and be able to fence the older fencers with a variety of actions (otherwise it is detrimental to his/her development). These fencers are all taking two private lessons weekly, and at the national level most are taking three, and elite are often taking up to four.
- JOAD – Pre-National: A young fencer at this level may be added with the National team sometimes termed the “older group” or a older fencer who needs to be with older fencers may be added early, and we do add add teens who who are recreational but deserve to level up to this group.
- TEAM CFA-NATIONAL: This fencer is experienced and developing. The fencer is following the program and CFA team schedule of events, and other prerequisites.
- TEAM CFA-ELITE: This group of fencers has three or more years of National experience, has national points, and has attended some youth international camps and competition.
- TEAM CFA-INTERNATIONAL: This group is fencing in cadet, junior and/or senior work cup events, and some make the top three in the US to be accepted to the US World Team. We currently also have our fencers on the Japanese and Irish National Teams!
Some benefits of fencing:
|
Why Fence at CFA?
|