To any parents thinking of enrolling their children in the HFC fencing classes:

We whole-heartedly recommend this club and this sport!

As the New Year rolls in, we mark the beginning of our sixth year attending Haverstock Fencing Club. I say we, because it has become something of a family activity. One or the other of us (and just occasionally both of us) have accompanied our sons to the Club two or three evenings each week for just over five years. We couldn’t have done that without very good reasons.

We have watched our sons (now aged 11 and 16) enthusiastically acquire skills in a unique sport. Fencing requires them to use all of their faculties. From the very first lesson, they learned how balance, posture, detailed footwork and well-defined arm movements can gain them success. They have greatly improved their levels of fitness and of focus, both of which spill over into other aspects of their lives. The coaches require them to pay attention, think about detail and consider safety. They have learned how to compete in an atmosphere of friendliness and fun. The fencers are celebrated when they win, but taught that losing always offers insight into how they may improve their technique. They are challenged to push themselves but always with the proviso that they enjoy themselves.

In all of this, our sons have been required to comply with the slightly formal etiquette that permeates the sport of fencing. It is a rare and refreshing sight to see young fencers greeting their coaches and each other with a warm handshake. In addition, each fencing bout requires the simple salute to begin and end the match. It may seem a small thing, but it has a cumulative effect and builds a wonderful atmosphere of commitment and camaraderie in the fencing hall.

Our sons have both competed in tournaments outside of Haverstock Club and these have offered us opportunity to ‘make a day of it’, to visit other cities in Britain or to trundle off to other areas of London. We have gradually accumulated a useful stock of fencing equipment (every Christmas and birthday brings another piece!) and we have met a new group of people, all of them lovely.

Peggy and Peter