Some fencing clubs collect medals. Some clubs go out for beer after fencing. Others are after school programs.
Fencing clubs meet in rec centers, dedicated facilities, warehouses, church basements, store fronts, old lodges, attics, and school gyms.
Some clubs have a fencing master. Some a head coach. Others, senior fencers teach here and there.
Some clubs are just fencing with no instruction. Some are all classes. Some only use private lessons.
Some clubs have a small, tight knit membership. Others have hundreds of members.
So… what makes a good fencing program?
Kind of a subjective question, obviously, but a useful one to think about. I’m sure if you ask 2 fencers, you would get 3 (or more) opinions.
First, a good program keeps the lights on. A fencing program that cannot sustain the club is not a good program. This seems self-evident once you come out and say it, but I’d wager most folks that think about starting a fencing club/school/salle don’t explicitly think about this. If your program cannot keep your club going, you will soon have no club, and therefore, no program. It’s not the most glamorous or exciting aspect of a fencing program, but it’s probably the most important.
Second, a good program draws and retains fencers. This is closely related to the first, but a little different. In a large enough metro area, with enough advertising, you could sustain a fencing organization solely with introductory fencing classes. But if you have no repeating/continuing fencers, do you have a program? I would say no. I’ll go into more detail on that opinion in my third criteria.
Why do people stick with a particular fencing club? The obvious answers might be the coaching, the social dynamic, the club’s results, the fencer’s results, convenience, etc. Really, the answers might be as varied as the fencers.
Honestly, each fencer makes a different personal choice to continue with a given club. When you strip all the specific reasons away, fencers choose a club that gives them some form of personal actualization or fulfillment. That might be results, good friends, or an interesting workout.
A fencing program retains people because it allows an avenue for this self-actualization. This may be the same reason people attend church, take a class, join a book group, or go to a rave. Something about this activity allows the participant to perceive growth or personal progress.
A good fencing program helps people enjoy their life.
Third, a good program has a direction for growth. This could be medals, this could be technical improvement of fencers, this could be growth in numbers, this could even be pulling in as much money as possible (though perhaps there are more efficient ways of amassing wealth than running a fencing club).
The fencers that join and stay with a program will provide the power to move the program towards its goal. They will also alter that goal as the program grows and evolves.
If a program lacks a direction, it may find one spontaneously and spring to life. It may find two or more and fracture into several different groups. Or it may stagnate and start to lose fencers. Without a direction, many fencers will lose their sense of fulfillment from a program and look for it elsewhere. Pretty soon, no more fencers, no more club, no more program.
So, why all the questions? I am, thankfully, part of a club with a healthy program. We have direction. We stop from time to time to see where we are headed–both where we are steering and where the fencers are taking us. However, we have been a primarily saber club.
We are now a foil and saber club. I have the opportunity to start our foil program and see where our foilists and I can go. I am blessed to have some eager foilists to help me start this journey. I am thankful of a supportive group of other coaches to help me shepherd this fledgling group. I am excited and believe we will have great success. I look forward to seeing what kind of success that will be.
Follow us!