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All classes are located at our facility at:
Northwest Indiana Fencing Club
9615 Keilman St
St John, IN 46373
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NIFC beginners' classes teach the basics of fencing Olympic Style Epee, including rules and etiquette, footwork, attack, defense, use of electric equipment, strategy & tactics, how to referee, safety, and participation in competitions.
The class will run for 8 weeks (Tuesdays from 6:30pm-8:30pm) and will be taught by club coaches Reese Butta & Lauren Reese, and assisted by senior club members. Lauren is a member of the Professional Fencing Coaches Association. Reese is a certified Referee by USA Fencing. Both have competed at Local, Regional & Natonal levels of the sport. Epee is the most strategic 3 Olympic fencing weapon, easy to learn but requires dedication to master.
Students should wear jeans or sweatpants, a short-sleeved shirt, any kind of cross trainer athletic shoes, and bring something to drink. We do have water & sports drinks available for sale at the fencing club.
The 2026 cost of the class is $175 ($160 if paid by August 11th)
Suitable for ages 12 and above. Ages 10-11 Permitted with Parental Participation.
All necessary fencing equipment will be provided.
You must complete the Trial Membership application with the USA Fencing organization prior to the first class (or on arrival at our Facility). In order for the trial membership to be valid, you MUST select "Northwest Indiana Fencing Club" in the club field.
For more information on this, please go to our USA Fencing information page.
Free/discounted club t-shirt is included with class fee!
If a student takes this class and wants higher skill level fencing we will recommend they move up to a class with Olympian Marek Stepien for more skills based training that could lead toward competitive level fencing at any age. Coach Marek's focus, while still fun, is more serious, with more repetitive skills work focusing on parents & children looking into a longer term commitment to fencing and fencing competitions.
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For further questions regarding our beginners' classes, feel free to contact us.
Please keep in mind that due to the size of our facility, space is limited, and early pre-registration is the only way to guarantee a place in the class.
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PARENTAL NOTICE: If your child wants to play with swords or thinks we are doing 'theatrical' fencing these are NOT a suitable class. These classes teach the basics of an Olympic style athletic sport. We use real weapons in these classes. We require students have physical strength, physical coordination and especially mental focus. For the SAFETY of both the volunteer coaches and the students, we expect student to be able to pay attention and follow the instructions of the coaches. Our classes are "all age" classes with students typically aged from 10 to 60 years old, taught by volunteer coaches. A student, of any age, who cannot carefully follow instructions or maintain focus should not consider these fencing classes.