Fencing classes, private lessons and camps
A $40 trial lesson, one hour, gear provided, ages 5 to adult, at Tim Morehouse Fencing Club in New Canaan.
Text us and the desk answers by text. If you call, you hear a short greeting and get a text back.
Class times change by season. Text the desk for this week's times.
$40
one hour, gear provided
Start with the trial lesson
Every fencer at Tim Morehouse Fencing Club, from a five-year-old to an adult who has never held a weapon, starts the same way: a $40 trial lesson, one hour long, with the mask, jacket, glove and weapon provided. After that hour you know whether this is the sport, the coach has seen the fencer move, and the desk can book the right class. Nothing on this page needs to be decided before the trial. What that hour looks like.
Who the classes are for
Kids, from age five
Group classes for children from age five. Footwork, the grip, the target and the rules of the weapon come in that order, in a form a child can repeat, and which group a child joins is the coach's call after the trial lesson.
Teens
Teenagers who start fencing at twelve or fourteen are not late. A teenager who takes to it has the competitive team inside the same club rather than in a different program.
Adults
Adults from complete beginners up. Adults who fenced at school or college and stopped can say so and the coach starts from there; the trial lesson is the same hour for them as for anyone else.
Private lessons
One coach, one fencer, one weapon, for the fencer who wants more than the group class gives or who competes. Private lessons are booked through the desk around the coach's availability.
Camps
Full days of fencing in the school breaks, for children and teens, and often the easiest first step for a family with a long drive. The desk texts the dates for the next break when you ask.
The competitive team
Fencers who train to compete hold USA Fencing membership and fence under the club's name at tournaments. The team is where the club's founder, Tim Morehouse, 2008 Olympic silver medalist in saber, is most directly felt. Nobody is placed on the team at a trial lesson, and no parent needs to decide at the start whether their child will compete. That is a conversation with the coach once a fencer has been training.
The three weapons
The club teaches foil, epee and saber. Which weapon a fencer settles into is a choice made with the coach after the trial lesson, not before it, and nothing about it is permanent. Foil, epee or saber explains what each weapon rewards.
Times and prices
Class times change by season and by age group. Text the desk for this week's times and you get the slots that fit the fencer's age. The trial lesson is $40, one hour, gear provided, and that is the only price printed on this site. What a class block, a private lesson or a camp costs depends on the age group and the season, and the desk texts the current figures when you ask, rather than this page printing numbers that go stale by the next school break.
Class questions people actually ask
My child is five. Is that really old enough?
Yes, five is the club's starting age. The first classes for the youngest fencers are about footwork, balance and learning to hold a weapon safely, in short pieces a young child can follow. If you are not sure your child is ready, the trial lesson is the test: one hour, gear provided, and the coach tells you honestly how it went.
Can my child try fencing without us buying anything?
Yes. The trial lesson includes the mask, jacket, glove and weapon. Bring sneakers, long athletic pants and water. If your child carries on into classes, the coach tells you what to buy first and what can wait, so the first purchase is small.
How do private lessons work?
One coach, one fencer, one weapon, booked through the desk around the coach's availability. Private lessons suit a fencer who competes, who wants to move faster than a group class, or who needs work on one specific thing. Text the desk with the fencer's age, weapon and experience and the desk comes back with what is available.
When are the camps?
In the school breaks, for children and teens. The dates change with the school calendar, so this page does not print them. Text the desk and you get the dates for the next break and what a camp day looks like.
Do I have to commit to a season to start?
No. The trial lesson is one hour for forty dollars and commits you to nothing. What comes after the trial, and how it is booked, is a conversation with the desk once you know the fencer wants to carry on.
