FENCING
Pentathletes fence with a type of sword called an "epee." Epees have an electronic tip that registers when a fencer scores a hit. In Pentathlon, the entire body is the target area.
In competition, pentathletes must fence every pentathlete in his or her division. To earn an optimum score of 1,000 points, a pentathlete must win 70 percent of his or her bouts. Points are added or subtracted from this optimum score depending on the pentathlete’s percentage of wins.
Recommended Coaches
Here are the coaches that West Coast pentathletes currently use:
San Francisco Bay Area
Olympic Modern Pentathlete Carmelo Felix holds fencing clinics on the first and third Saturdays in Novato. Or, you can attend his sessions in San Rafael at noon. For more information, call him at 415-599-5762 or email him at calbertofelix@yahoo.com.
707-763-8290
Los Angeles
Marina Nikiforova
UCLA fencing coach
310-266-4457
mnik59@hotmail.com
Geoff Russell
Fortune Fencing
144 West Chestnut Avenue
Monrovia, CA 91016-3412
(626) 471-3565
www.fortunefencing.com
626-584-7192
Palm Springs
Leslie Taft
Desert Fencing Academy
44-425 Town Center Way
Palm Desert, CA
www.desertfencingacademy.com
760-218-1343
Fencing Training Plan
Here is an outline for fencing training in first year of athlete's pentathlon life written by Janusz Peciak, Barry Matchett and Elaine Cheris.
Program One
This program is designed for athletes over age 13 who have a swimming background. (This regimen is not suitable for those under 14, unless they have shown strong willingness to work in the past.)
Sport priorities: 1) Fencing 2) Shooting 3) Running and lifting 4) Swimming 5) Riding
Month 1-2: Fence two times a week (strong emphasis on footwork – 80 percent of workout)
Month 3: Fence three times a week (introduction to more technical blade work and bouting)
Months 4-6: Fence three times a week (emphasis on footwork and bladework; bouting not emphasized, but allowed).
Competition: There should be a four-sport competition at the end of Month 6, with parents invited. Lots of analysis and feedback are necessary to detect training weaknesses, and to determine where training needs for the next six-month period.
Months 7-12: Fence four times a week
Program Two
Athletes over age 13 who come from a non-swimming background should follow this program.
Sport priority list: 1) Swim 2) Fence 3) Shoot and weight lift 4) Run 5) Ride
Month 1-2: Fence two times a week (strong emphasis on footwork – 80 percent of workout)
Month 3: Fence three times a week (introduction to more technical blade work and bouting)
Months 4-6: Fence three times a week (emphasis on footwork and bladework; bouting not emphasized but allowed)
Competition: Same event as in Program One, with closer attention paid to the swimming.
Months 7-12: Fence four times a week
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