ABOUT BCAF
BACKGROUND:
Opened in January of 1981 in New Hope, PA, Bucks County Academy of Fencing is a privately run club, open year-round to anyone, ages 8 years old through adult, who is interested in the sport of fencing. BCAF provides a stimulating atmosphere to study this fascinating sport, whether taking lessons as a beginner, fencing recreationally, or training for national and international competition.
With approximately 230 active students, BCAF caters not only to aspiring youth and junior national level competitors, but also to a larger number of adult fencers than is typical in most clubs.
After almost 23 years of operation across the river in New Hope, PA, BCAF moved to its new location in Lambertville, NJ on September 8th, 2003. It is currently one of the three largest training facilities in the United States and the largest privately owned club on the east coast.
CERTIFICATIONS:
BCAF is a registered club of the United States Fencing Association, and is recognized by the United States Fencing Coaches Association as a Guild Academy for the size and quality of the facility and for the accreditation of its staff. BCAF boasts two Fencing Masters, one Prevot (apprentice Master) and six Moniteurs (instructors) on its staff, all certified by the USFCA. USFCA accreditation is also recognized by the Academie D'armes Internationale.
INSTRUCTION:
Instruction at BCAF is offered on various levels. The heart of the BCAF system is our training groups, which are offered on several levels to meet the student's requirements. They 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, 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 student to adapt to the variety of opponents they will encounter. Private instruction is available for fencers participating in the Elite Competition Training Program (see below).
TASTE OF FENCING COURSES are offered throughout the year and consist of a one hour class, once a week for three weeks. They allow you to try the sport of fencing without making a long term commitment or costly investment and provide a basic foundation, preparing the student to advance into one of the ongoing Foundation Groups if they choose to join the club and continue on with lessons.
THE FOIL FOUNDATION CLASSES consist of a one-hour class, once a week. Students are accepted into the Foil Foundation Classes on a rolling admission basis after completion of a three week Taste of Fencing course, or equivalent experience. The heart of any discipline is the basics. The Foil Foundation Classes help lay the foundation for the student’s successful development. The fundamentals of fencing are taught in a repetitive rotation, and students remain in the Foil Foundation Classes until they become proficient with a defined set of fundamental skills and successfully “test out” and move to the next level. Students may take more than one Foil Foundation Class per week if they wish to accelerate their progress.
TRAINING GROUPS are designed to continue developing technical skill beyond the Foundation Group level. The Training Groups develop a wide variety of techniques and tactical solutions applicable in bout situations. They provide a stimulating program for recreational fencers as well as laying a foundation for those students who aspire to higher level competition training.
COMPETITION TRAINING GROUPS consist of 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 and 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. This program is 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 elite competition 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.