Mondays cover foil and épée. Thursdays are saber. Each 60-minute class is led by a USFA-certified coach and built around warm-ups, footwork, blade work, and bouting — with games and drills throughout to keep it fun.
All classes meet at West Des Moines Christian Church. New to the sport? Come watch a class first.
Foil, épée, and saber share an ancestry but ask very different things of a fencer. Different target areas, different rules of priority, different blade actions. Most fencers find a favorite within their first few months.
Touches score only with the tip. Off-target hits stop the action but don’t score. When both fencers land at once, the referee uses right-of-way to award the touch.
Three 3-minute rounds. First to 15, or highest score at time.
The large bell guard covers the hand, which is itself a valid target. Both fencers can score on a simultaneous touch — except at the last point of a tied bout, where double touches are nullified.
Three 3-minute rounds. First to 15, or highest score at time.
The whole blade and the point score. The D-guard wraps from hilt to pommel and is turned outward to parry. Saber actions are fast enough that bouts run without a time limit.
One-minute break at 8 points. First to 15 wins.
Each weapon’s classes are listed below by segment and age group. Foil and épée share Monday evenings; saber has its own block on Thursdays.
| Segment | Ages | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youth Class | Youth (ages 8–11) | Monday | 6:30 – 7:30p |
| Adult Class | Adult (ages 12 & up) | Monday | 8:00 – 9:00p |
| Segment | Ages | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult Class | Adult | Monday | 6:30 – 7:30p |
| Segment | Ages | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | All ages | Thursday | 6:30 – 7:30p |
Drop-in fencing for all weapons — not held during class times.
| Segment | Ages | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Weapon Bouting | All ages | Monday | 9:00 – 10:00p |
| 3 Weapon Bouting | All ages | Thursday | 8:00 – 9:00p |
Weather:we follow the West Des Moines community school district’s closings for inclement weather. Cancellations are announced by email and on our Facebook page.
Light cardio and dynamic stretching to prep for explosive footwork.
Advances, retreats, lunges. The foundation everything else is built on.
Drills with a partner — attacks, parries, ripostes — tuned to the night’s weapon.
Structured games or coached bouting where the night allows. Where the lessons stick.
