Coach and Instructor
Jen Kling began fencing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she walked on to the UNC Varsity team in 2002. After competing in college, she fenced and coached at the Colorado Fencing Academy before returning to North Carolina to attend graduate school. Jen has now found her way instructing for the Mid-South Fencers’ Club beginning the fall of ’11, which also includes teaching fencing at the Durham Academy Middle School. Jen’s full-time work is as a graduate student of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In the summers, Jen runs an outdoor camp in Colorado for middle school aged youth. Jen engages the whole fencing group by facilitating student leadership in a team atmosphere. While fencing is an individual sport, Jen views the members of her class as there to support each other. Expect lots of high-energy games and focus on fundamentals that enhance coordination and agility!
How long have you been fencing?
Since 2002.
How long have you been coaching?
I began as a volunteer coach at the Colorado Fencing Academy in 2006.
Greatest Results?
My greatest personal result is finishing 3rd at the Div II NAC A in 2007. My greatest coaching result is having a student tell me that I was the reason she decided to try out for UC-San Diego’s fencing team (and she made the team!).
Greatest Coaching Moment?
My greatest coaching moments are the times when I figure out how to explain something to the athlete in their language. Those “ah-ha” moments, for both the athlete and myself, are amazing because they show that I have managed to connect with the athlete in such a way so that they can use and incorporate what I’m telling them.
Where have you coached?
I began coaching as a volunteer at the Colorado Fencing Academy in Denver, CO. I also taught fencing as a camp activity at Altogether Outdoors camp in Boulder, CO.
What is your approach to coaching and how has it evolved over time?
I focus on the holistic growth of the fencer—I strive to develop not only their physical skills but also their mental strength and emotional maturity. All of these elements come into play in fencing, which is why it’s such a fascinating sport. As I tell my students, in fencing, it’s not enough to be physically fit. You also have to successfully implement tactics and keep your cool (so to speak) when the match isn’t going your way. To enable my students to do all of these things, I strive to teach them not only about the physical actions involved in fencing, but also all of the “head work” that goes into it as well.
I’m a big believer in working from a solid foundation. As a coach, I strive to first develop a strong skill base in my fencers, because I view that base as essential to their future success. Then, I work with the fencer to improve their own personal style—their style should use that solid foundation, but not be limited solely to it. Part of what is so valuable about fencing, I think, is that it has a creative space within a system, and I try to enable my students both to work within that system and to be creative individual fencers.
What type of group instructor are you? What would your students say about you as an instructor?
I like to engage the whole group by facilitating student leadership and a team atmosphere. While fencing is an individual sport, the members of a class are there to support each other. I like to run lots of high-energy games, and also work to ensure that my students learn a lot and have a good time. Hopefully, my students would say that I’m fun and that, in my class, they learned both how to fence and how to be fencers.
What is your focus in an individual lesson?
My emphasis in individual lessons is refining and solidifying the skill base developed in class. I also focus on developing the fencer’s personal fencing style.
You love fencing because?
I love fencing because it is a constantly evolving game—you never learn all there is to know about fencing. It also requires concentration, physical skill, and a sense of fun; when all of these elements come together, it’s pretty much a perfect moment.
You love coaching because?
I love coaching because it’s a chance to positively influence my students. I feel that I help them to become resilient, self-reliant, and strong individuals, the type of people who I would be proud to say I know! Coaching also helps me to grow as both a person and a fencer; because each individual is unique, I get the chance to approach each lesson that I give from a new perspective.
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