Fencing lessons for Greenwich families
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.
Greenwich families fence at Tim Morehouse Fencing Club in New Canaan, about 25 minutes from Greenwich, at New Canaan Country School, 635 Frogtown Rd. Children from age five, teenagers and adults start with a $40 one-hour trial lesson with the gear provided. This desk books it; the club teaches it. How that works.
Fencing near Greenwich
Greenwich has no fencing club of its own. The club that was next door, Stamford Fencing Club at 745 E Main St, is not running classes and its website is down, which is why a Greenwich search for fencing now lands on New Canaan. The club there runs classes, private lessons, camps and a competitive team, and was founded by Tim Morehouse, 2008 Olympic silver medalist in saber.
Greenwich is a long town, and the drive depends on which end you start from. Backcountry and the Round Hill side are nearer the parkway; Old Greenwich, Riverside and Byram are at the shore and start further away.
25 min
about, Greenwich to the club
The drive from Greenwich
From most of Greenwich the run is the Merritt Parkway east through Stamford to the New Canaan side, then local roads to Frogtown Road. From Old Greenwich or Riverside, I-95 or Route 1 to Stamford and then north on High Ridge Road or Long Ridge Road to the parkway is the usual alternative. From backcountry, the local roads across North Stamford are the whole route and the parkway never comes into it. Allow about 25 minutes; the shore end adds a few minutes, the backcountry end saves some.
The desk texts the entrance and parking details with every booking.
What a first visit looks like
The $40 trial lesson
One hour, mask, jacket, glove and weapon provided. Bring sneakers, long athletic pants and water.
02Classes by age
Kids from five, teens and adults, each in their own group.
03Private lessons
One coach, one fencer, one weapon, booked through the desk.
04Camps and the competitive team
School-break camps, and a team whose fencers hold USA Fencing membership.
Class times change by season. Text the desk for this week's times.
Before you text
Have four things ready: who the lesson is for and their age, whether they have fenced before and in which weapon, which part of Greenwich you are coming from, and which days could work. The desk books the trial lesson with the club and texts back the day and time, the entrance and parking at New Canaan Country School, and the short list of what to bring. Say whether you are at the shore or in backcountry; it changes which slots the desk suggests.
Why New Canaan and not somewhere closer
Because the closer club, in Stamford, is not running classes, and Greenwich never had one of its own. What is in New Canaan is a full program: all three weapons, groups for every age from five up, private lessons, camps in the school breaks, and a competitive team whose fencers hold USA Fencing membership, founded by a 2008 Olympic silver medalist in saber. About 25 minutes from Greenwich is the honest figure, and this page does not round it.
Greenwich questions people actually ask
Is there a fencing club in Greenwich?
No. The nearest club with a full program is Tim Morehouse Fencing Club at New Canaan Country School, 635 Frogtown Rd, about 25 minutes from Greenwich. It teaches foil, epee and saber to children from five, teens and adults, and this desk books the trial lesson there. Stamford Fencing Club, which was closer, is not running classes.
We are in Old Greenwich. How long is it really?
About 25 minutes is the figure for the town as a whole, and the shore end adds a few minutes to it. The backcountry end saves some. A weekend slot or a camp week may fit the shore end better than a weekday evening; text the desk with the days that could work and it tells you which slots fit the drive.
What does the trial lesson include?
One hour on the strip with the mask, jacket, glove and weapon provided, for forty dollars. Bring sneakers with a clean sole, long athletic pants and water. Nothing has to be bought before the trial.
Can a child who competes get private lessons?
Yes. Private lessons are one coach, one fencer, one weapon, booked through the desk around the coach's availability, and they are the usual route for a fencer who competes. Fencers who train to compete hold USA Fencing membership and fence under the club's name.
Which weapon does the club favour?
It teaches all three, foil, epee and saber. The founder's weapon is saber, and the club was founded by a 2008 Olympic silver medalist in it, but a beginner is not steered before the coach has seen them for an hour. Our guide on the three weapons explains what each one rewards.
