Competitive Program

The Competitive Program is intended for the serious competitive foil fencer who is dedicated to improving and excelling in the sport. Training sessions are designed with the goal of mastering various elements of foil fencing, including:

  • Advanced Bladework & Footwork Concepts

  • Physical Conditioning & Coordination

  • Strategic/Tactical Thinking

  • Competitive Bout Management

Through observations during training and the incorporation of video analysis, our goal is to identify key areas of improvement for each fencer and tailor both Group Classes and Private Lessons to directly address them.

Private Lessons are strongly encouraged as they are critical to efficiently progressing in the sport and offer the most individualized approach to improvement.

FAQs

  • Yes, you must be a member of Polaris Fencing Center to participate in the full Competitive Program. Annual, semi-annual and discounted college memberships are available.

    On Friday evenings and during the last hour of Group Classes, Open Bouting is available to non-members for a $40 fee.

  • Non-members can take Group Classes, but they cannot schedule Private Lessons.

    Please contact us for further information on non-member rates.

  • 3 Group Classes are offered per week, and each is intended to span 3 hours. The first 2 hours are for warm-ups, strength & conditioning, footwork, drills and/or situational bouting. The last hour is dedicated to Open Bouting.

  • There is 1 hour of Open Bouting at the end of every Group Class in the Competitive Program. Additionally, Friday evenings will be dedicated exclusively to Open Bouting. The goal is to have one large pool with non-members also participating.

    For Competitive Program fencers, the Friday Open Bouting session will be a critical component of the overall program, so attendance is expected alongside the other 3 Group Classes.

  • Yes, there is a discounted annual membership rate for current college students. This membership includes only Open Bouting. Current college students may participate for free during the Friday evening Open Bouting session.

    Private Lessons are not available for non-members of Polaris Fencing Center. Please contact the front desk about drop-in Group Class rates for non-member college students.

Competitive Program Tiers

  • Program 1 - Quarterly Model

    This program is designed for fencers committed to long-term competitive fencing. The intent here is for fencers to be consistently competing at the regional, national and/or international levels with clear goals in mind.

    In this package, unlimited Group Classes, Open Bouting and 12 Private Lessons per month are included (Competitive Private Lessons are 20 minutes each). Quarterly training camps are also included in this program.*

    This package uses a quarterly tuition model.**

  • Program 2 - Monthly Model with Private Lessons

    This program is designed for fencers who are committed to long-term competitive fencing but prefer a monthly model.

    In this package, unlimited Group Classes, Open Bouting and 8 Private Lessons per month are included (Competitive Private Lessons are 20 minutes each). Quarterly training camps are not included in this package.

  • Program 3 - Monthly Model without Private Lessons

    This program is designed for fencers who prefer only Group Classes.

    In this package, unlimited Group Classes & Open Bouting are included. Private Lessons & training camps are not included in this package.

    Private Lessons are not available a la carte (fencer must be enrolled in Programs 1 or 2 to schedule Private Lessons).

* Training Camps: Q1 (between Christmas & New Year’s), Q2 (before Junior Olympics) and Q3 (before Summer Nationals)


** Quarterly tuition model: Q1 = Oct-Dec; Q2 = Jan-Mar; Q3 = Apr-Jun; Q4 = Jul-Sept