Our Four Important Principles

Safety

Fencing, like many other sports, can be dangerous if not enjoyed safely.  That’s why the first thing we impress upon people is how to be Safe.  After all, we only want to stab our friends, not actually hurt them!  We believe careful consideration for ourselves and others is essential both in fencing and in our lives.  We believe in being safe people, and looking out for others.  We invite you to do the same.

Honor

We study period fencing, which is historically accurate swordplay but lacks electronic markers and scorekeeping.  We rely instead on personal integrity and honor.  If someone landed a hit on us we are expected to say so!  We believe sport should be about Honor and having fun as we become better people. We benefit from this ‘love for the game’ mentality and we invite others too as well. We believe our communities can benefit from honorable, fun-loving sportsmanship.

Attitude

As the saying goes, Attitude is a small thing that makes a big difference.  In fencing, you’re going to lose…a lot.  And we believe that is ok, as both winning and losing give you an opportunity to learn. We believe in and, encourage, a positive attitude on and off the field. If you lose, lose with grace.  If you win, win grace.  We believe in cheering on the successes of others and maintaining a positive learning attitude.  Fencing is the tool we use to develop this mentality towards life. We believe that this enthusiasm, and wishing the best for others, while developing a willingness to learn, will bring a lot of happiness to your life. We want to be happy, and we want others to be happy as well.

Skill

There is a lot that goes into fencing.  Footwork, range, speed, timing, tactics, offense, defense, so many things!  Fencing takes a lot of work, mentally and physically. As people improve, they train their bodies and their minds and gain a great deal of self-mastery. We believe that to get good at fencing, or anything really, it takes a lot of intentional, thoughtful practice. We believe life itself takes a lot of Skill and effort in order to live it well. We believe that fencing is uniquely effective at teaching people how to build skills. We believe that as a fencer progresses they become someone capable of teaching others how to fence, and a person who can help in their communities because they have learned how to build skills on the field and they aren’t intimidated by the work it takes.

We believe that fencing makes us Safe, and Honorable. We believe in the power of a positive Attitude and in the development of Skill. We want others to share in these benefits of swordsmanship that we have enjoyed so abundantly. Fencing is wonderfully fun, and it enriches our lives. For us, it’s a hobby and a way of life. We love it! And we believe you will too.

Come, Join Us!

This is an incredibly rewarding sport, and it is easy to feel real, tangible progress as you work.  Beyond the work part of fencing, what we pride ourselves on is our camaraderie.  We aren’t competitors- we’re friends!  We compete, certainly, but that doesn’t mean we’re out to shove everyone below us to prove we’re the best.  We do our best work when we know there are friends beside us, helping us learn and grow, while we practice together.  We can duel, practice, relax, talk, and have fun together, and that’s what it’s all about.  We’re people studying a really, really cool sport, and we focus on making each other better people, just as much as we are making each other better Swordsmen.

So, come join us!  We would love to have you come by and start learning and having fun with us.  We are so excited to learn about you and become friends with you.  We meet every Friday at 5:30 PM in Woodland Park, which is in Farmington, Utah. See you there!

For the Glory of the Rose!

---