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Schools Programme
General |
Beginner Courses |
Clubs for Juniors
Competitions |
Equipment |
Guide for Parents |
Code of Ethics
We have an active schools development programme headed by our Schools Development Officer, Philip Lee. Fencing is currently
available at the following schools: Rathdown School, St Conleths, St. Killians, and Wesley College in Dublin. In addition,
Pembroke Fencing Club runs courses for children both at Pembroke (St Conleths, Ballsbridge) and at the Cuala GAA premises
in Dalkey, Co. Dublin. Start-up grants are available to schools wishing to include fencing in their sports programme, and we
will be pleased to arrange demonstrations, equipment and coaching. If you are a school or sports club coach, we would be pleased
to hear from you : .
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Beginner Courses
Will be starting in September. Contact Pembroke Coach (see below) for details
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Clubs for Juniors
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Clubs in Dublin
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Rest of Ireland
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Pembroke
Contact:
Venue: St.Conleth's School, Clyde Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.
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Westmeath Fencing Club
Contact:
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Salle Dublin
Contact: (Coach)
Venue: St. Conleth's Gym, Clyde Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
Tel: 086 3308556
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Competitions
See Calendar section for Children's competitions
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Equipment
Our coaches will provide equipment for beginners to use until they are sure they wish to take up the sport. All your child needs for his
or her first few weeks is a pair of lightweight trainers, tracksuit bottoms or similar and one t-shirt to wear while training and another to
wear home.
Most people prefer to have their own mask so this is often the first purchase. Take advice from your child's coach about sizing, as this varies
between suppliers. We have a page showing examples of equipment used here. While sports shops do not currently carry fencing equipment,
clubs normally have a discount arrangement with the major fencing suppliers.
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Guide for Parents
We understand that you need to know more about our sport before allowing your child to participate. Below are a few points about fencing and
you should also feel free to contact us with any specific questions.
- Its fun!
- It inspires the imagination - it isn't hard to imagine yourself as Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, or Jack Sparrow.
- It's for everybody
- Unlike most other sports, there is no ideal body type for a fencer. How can that be? Winning at fencing is a combination of many
things: the mind of a chess player (watching for your opponent's openings), the face of a poker player (bluffing your opponent), the
flexibility of a gymnast (good for lunging), the hand-eye coordination of a calligrapher (Zorro would not be able to Z without it), and
the endurance of a marathoner (to win a tournament). No child or adult, for that matter, is going to come into fencing with all of these
different attributes.
- Encourages self control
- Imagine standing there when a person suddenly moves quickly toward you with a sword pointed at you. What to you do? Tell your feet
to move backwards, your hand to move your sword to block theirs, tell your mind to stop racing and think what you are going to do if you
stop this attack. As a fencer, you will need to have the self-control to tell your body to handle these three different actions at one time.
Compare this with other sports that have you just try to kick or hit a ball. The strategy and self-control is an afterthought. In fencing,
self-control and body-control are what keep you from losing a point. Through fencing, your child will gain greater self-control and increase
concentration. Soon enough, this self-control will begin to extend to other aspects of their life.
- Respect
- Each bout that your child fences starts in the same way: with a respectful salute of the sword to the opponent, to the referee, and to
the audience. When fencing without referees, fencers are taught to acknowledge their opponents touches. At the end of the bout, there is a
required handshake among opponents. Winning and losing gracefully is not only encouraged, it is expected, along with maintaining respect for
the fencers and the referees.
- Safety
- Don't worry, the swords aren't sharp. And the kids aren't really trying to stab each other. Fencers score points and win matches when the
blunt tip of their sword merely touches their opponent. They also wear plenty of protective clothing -- cool mesh masks and padded white vests
that make them look like something out of a "Star Wars" movie.
- Age
- The best age for children to start fencing is somewhere between 7 and 10 years old.
- Benefits
- First, fencing helps children get fit, which is very important. Second, fencing helps children learn to pay attention and to develop their
decision-making abilities. Fencers must make good, quick decisions. Fencing also helps children learn to release aggression in a controlled
manner. It could be said that fencing is a lot like boxing, but without anyone getting hurt. It is also an indoor sport, which means your child
can participate no matter what the weather is like outside.
- Licence
- Everybody who participates is required to hold an IFF licence. The subscription for children is €2 per annum. You can download an application
form here
- More
- Visit our FAQ page
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