The BCAF Great Hall in an early afternoon class                           The BCAF South Hall at a quiet period before opening

Fencing is a passionate sport, steeped in history and has
evolved from centuries-old traditions of combat.

BACKGROUND

Opened in January of 1981 in New Hope, the Bucks County Academy of Fencing is a privately run club, open year-round to anyone ages 9 years old thru adult interested in the sport of fencing. The club is a registered member of the UNITED STATES FENCING ASSOCIATION, and provides a stimulating atmosphere to study this fascinating sport, whether taking lessons as a beginner, fencing recreationally, or training for national and international competition.

After almost 23 years of operation in New Hope, the BCAF moved to its new location in Lambertville on September 8^th, 2003.  It is currently one of the three largest training facilities in the United States and the largest privately owned facility on the east coast.

INSTRUCTION at the BCAF is offered on various levels:

INTRODUCTORY GROUPS consist of a one-hour class, once a week. Students are accepted into the course on a "rolling admission" basis. There will be the opportunity for students to take more than one class per week if they choose. If you have to miss a class, you don't have to worry about getting left behind or scheduling make-up lessons. The instructors will be covering a basic set of defined skills in a repetitive rotation. Students will remain in the class until they have mastered this defined set of skills & "test out" before moving on to the next level. After successfully "graduating" from the Intro. Fencing course, a variety of advanced classes and additional practice and open bouting times are available.

 The heart of the BCAF system is the training groups, which form a uniquely structured program developed by Maestro Holbrow which has continued to evolve over the last 25 years to meet the demands of the national level competition fencer.  Unlike most programs, the BCAF incorporates a flexible yet highly structured practice with drill partners designed to give the developing competitive fencer the experience and problem solving abilities to adapt to a wide variety of opponents who exhibit differences in height, reach, strength, speed, reaction time, opposite handedness and tactical characteristics.  This approach mirrors the realities of competitive fencing and trains the students to adapt to the variety of opponents they will encounter.

 TRAINING GROUPS: designed to continue developing technical skill beyond the introductory level, the training groups develop a wide variety of techniques and tactical solutions applied in bout situations.  For both recreational fencers and those establishing a foundation for advanced competitive skills.

 FOOTWORK/CONDITIONING SESSIONS: open to all BCAF club members at no additional charge. They involve the physical conditioning specific to fencing motion with emphasis placed on execution of correct technique.

 COMPETITION TRAINING GROUPS:  a rigorously structured program of paired exercises emphasizing those elements of speed, timing, distance control and tactical variations that form the core of modern fencing competition.  Fencers learn to adapt technique and tactics to the individual characteristics of various training partners, including differences in height, reach, strength, speed, reaction time, and opposite handedness, in an intensely athletic and competitive environment.  In-depth analysis of tactical variations, self-management in the tournament situation, and the development of athleticism and stamina are emphasized.

     All Competition Training Group participation requires the approval of Maestro Holbrow.  Criteria include physical fitness, technical and tactical depth, and competition experience. Fencers doing Competition Training are expected to do the additional FOOTWORK/TRAINING associated with their training group session, pursue additional bouting practice at the club during the week, and pursue USFA competition at the local (divisional) level at a minimum.

 ELITE COMPETITION TRAINING PROGRAM: limited to high performance athletes competing on the national and international level who have been selected by Maestro Holbrow based on their exhibited potential.  The program combines competition training groups with individual lessons, footwork conditioning, and bouting practice.
 

Fencers enrolled in the high performance training program must attend a minimum of two Competition Training Groups and one individual lesson per week in addition to Footwork/Conditioning Sessions and practice bouting.  Participation in national or international level competition appropriate to their age group category is mandatory.

CLASS ATTENDANCE POLICY:  Students are expected to be on time and reasonably consistent in their class attendance, i.e., they are requested to attend the same class or classes on the same night as much as possible in the interests of continuity and scheduling.  However, they may make up missed classes on alternative days during the week at the discretion of the instructor of that class. This is to ensure the safety of students and instructors.  Students who are regular attendees of a particular class have priority if space in the class is limited.  If are going to be away for a month or more, upon your return, you will need to verify that there is still space available in your previous class.

FEES

Monthly Membership Fee:  Senior– $65 for students 13 years & older; Junior - $50 for students 12 years & under; Family (two or more students who are immediate family members) - $75 for the whole family.  This is due on a month-to-month basis, 12 months a year, regardless of number of classes taken.  Fencing before and after class, additional practice or open bouting times, and footwork/conditioning sessions are included.

Classes or Training Groups: $22 per class. The student determines the number of classes taken per week and will be billed accordingly.

College Students or Military Service Personnel will not be expected to pay the monthly membership fee year- round or the membership initiation fee upon their return.  They will pay a pro-rated membership fee based on the time they will be here.

A Membership Re-initiation Fee of $200 will apply to those members who have let their membership lapse and wish to re-join.

Open Bouting: Floor time is $15 per evening for non-members.

BILLING:  Invoices will be sent out by e-mail during the first week of each month and will be due by the 15^th of each month.  The bill will include the monthly membership fee for that month, plus the $20 lesson fees accrued from the previous month. Please make sure we have your current email address and contact information for the person who will be paying the bills (parents that means your email, not your child’s).