I am so pleased with Xcel fencing. My daughter loves to learn with coach Al Carter who really has a…read moreway with kids. She is usually shy and hesitant to try new things, and coach Al was very patient with her, encouraging her throughout her practice. When I see the students in the studio, I am awed by their athletic grace and maturity. I don't usually write reviews on yelp, but Xcel fencing really is outstanding and I wanted to share it with other parents who are interested in trying it out for their child.

From the owner: Xcel Fencing specializes in fencing lessons and fencing classes for kids. We utilize a unique…read moreapproach, offering a training experience unlike any other in the world.

I'm a broke student ALWAYS looking for something unique to do with my budget. After seeing an…read moreamazon deal for fencing lessons, I could not pass it up and my boyfriend showed so much enthusiasm for the adventure as well. To make a long story short, we absolutely LOVED it! I'm a runner and yogi and I still manged to break out in a sweat! The sport of fencing challenged my reflexes which are seldom tested and my legs felt a nice burn =) On top of that our maestro, Anthony, was excellent at instructing and witty with his words. I posted a picture of tonight's event which includes two kids - don't be fooled, these fencers may be small, but they are awesome and adorable! We are DEFINITELY coming back and with a little more skill! En Garde!

This place is spectacular. We started with a groupon, and had two 20 minute sessions, but they…read morehave beginning adult classes Friday nights from 6 to 730, and we'll certainly be going! As far as Coastside is concerned, the maestro is used to training kids and a very good teacher. He explains things completely and keeps lessons moving quickly so there's time to get to actual fencing at the end. They provide all the equipment, of course, but wear clothes you don't mind getting gross and sweaty. I totally recommend this place to anyone interested in fencing, or even in just trying something different.

Fantastic place to learn how to fence! Tu coaches are super nice, and very patient when teaching…read morebeginners. Highly recommend checking this place out if you're interested in starting!

I used Yelp to find a local fencing club for my daughter. I was amazed at the coaching and…read morededication of the owner and head coach, Julien Ouedraogo. I highly recommend this club!

My son is 8 now and has been taking fencing foil for about a year now and he has come a long way. I…read moreappreciate the coaches and private training coaches because they are the most patient people. They really take the time to correct the posture and tach my son the different forms. My boy is hyper and overly active and they have learned how to get his attention and also know to give him warnings if he is disrupting the class. This is a sport that has taught him to grow and be patient. He is definitely enjoying evrything from competing with his classmates to playing the warm up games. They offer uniforms and gear, but you can bring your own. There is also limited free parking in front which is a bonus!

Golden State Fencing has top notch fencing with excellent coaches, but they've also been extremely…read morewelcoming to me as I was looking for a club to join. Would highly recommend!

The San Francisco Fencing Academy is run by the most knowledgeable and personable coaches out…read morethere. Brandon is a fabulous teacher and has taken me from "klutz" to "parafencer" over the course of seven months. He has improved my hand-eye coordination immensely. Stacey is a fountain of knowledge about the nutrition needs of athletes and all things yoga. She has been an invaluable resource on my weight loss journey and taught me to love the body that I'm in. I've watched them both coach both kids and adults and am amazed at how welcoming they are. They helped me see that fencing really is for every age, body type, and level of experience. I can't recommend their club highly enough. Whether you're an adult wanting to try out a sport for the first time or looking for a place for your child to do something productive, this is the club to hit up!

If we could give 6 stars we would! Stacey and Brandon are so great wirh kids and adults and are…read moresuch champions of Fencing. They are knowledgeable, encouraging and very patient with all levels. They also two great humans, kind and generous, HUGE hearts. Their volunteer work wirh parameters is so inspiring!! We are so glad to have found them that we make the trek across the City to this location just for them. Our fencer will be even further away in the Fall with new school but is determined to take multiple transports to continue learning from Brandon and to be nurtured by Stacey.

En garde. Prêt. Allez!…read more A year ago, my seven-year-old son's organized extracurriculars included kung fu, gymnastics, baseball, and swimming. Fencing was the furthest activity from his mind. But my wife and I brought him for his first introductory lesson with SF Youth Fencing's Maître d'Armes, Rob Handelman, at Halberstadt Fencer's Club in San Francisco anyway. Having fenced on my college's varsity sabre team (and trained at Halberstadt's for a time back in... a while ago!), I was eager to expose my son to this martial art. During my son's first six months of fencing training, it's fair to say that it was my passion for the sport that drove my son's participation, not his own. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2EArF1QpaY shows the tenor of my son's first few months at fencing, barely able to avoid tripping over his own feet! He's the little guy in the center foreground.) But something happened about six to nine months into his participation with SF Youth Fencing: sabre rattling started climbing my son's activities rankings. From the bottom a year ago, fencing began a steady climb to the top spot, knocking gymnastics off the list entirely and reducing his baseball availability. How did Rob's program win my son over? SF Youth Fencing's coaching staff, as the name implies, is incredibly child-friendly. The coaches are utterly competent in their craft, but also are marvels of patience, tolerance, understanding, awareness, and organization. Rob and his wife, Connie Louie (Prévôt de Sabre), are aided by Sándor and Marty, Moniteurs de Sabre, and a host of paid and volunteer assistants. The students' parents are also incredibly supportive to each other and to each others' kids. SF Youth Fencing is a community centered on sabre fencing. Each session's instructional program includes a regular progression of warm-up games and functional drills, one-on-one and group instruction, practice and challenge bouts, and warm-down games. Just about any kid can be slotted into the program at any time, regardless of skill level. Progress, especially in the early stages, is primarily self-driven; each kid decides how hard to push, how deep to engage with the program. As kids progress up the skills ladder, the coaches dial up the instructional intensity, but never more than each kid can handle. There's also an easy camaraderie among the students. You'll often find the more advanced students offering practical advice and assistance to junior members, even during bouts with them. For example, during my son's first introductory lesson, the one unequivocally positive aspect he demonstrated was his speed and agility during the pre- and post-session games. One of the better Y12 fencers sought him out after that first class and assured my son, "I can tell you're going to be a good fencer." Whether that prediction comes true or not, I appreciated the sentiment in which it was given and my son rode an early boost in his confidence. My son's still climbing the learning curve, but over the last year it's been a pleasure to watch him proceed through a continuum of humoring his parents (OK, his dad!), to mild interest, to burgeoning curiosity, to self-driven engagement with the program. His bouts now show some promising sparks of creativity and skill, and sometimes sheer joy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn_WI8PfqmA , my son's on the far strip, right). One year later, go ahead and put the question to my son yourself. "Are you a fencer?" He'll look you right in the eyes and respond, "Yes, I am."

One of the biggest rewards of parenting is seeing your adolescent child committed to achieving long…read moreand short-term goals something our son, Devon, has been able to do with the support of Rob and Connie Handelman as his coaches and mentors. Fencing is fun and, at the same time, it teaches kids resilience, persistence, integrity, strategic thinking, healthy competition along with many other qualities that are vital for success in the adult world. I encourage parents to let their kids experience the sport at an early age, we started at seven, and watch them flourish.