14 years or over? Then we want you to learn to fence!
We endeavour to run three (following the school terms) Beginners' courses a year. That is starting every January, April and september. However, if the extra space and coaching required impedes the existing club members activities we may skip a term now and again.
We meet on a Thursday evening and this is the only day we meet.
The cost of the course is now £90.

Please follow the "join list" link below to email to us
a web-form to get information about the next available course.

Fuller details will be sent if you apply to the list.

Please do feel welcome to come along and have a look at any time
but please note that there is now a lot of interest in any future courses,
so be prepared to act quickly when dates are announced.

Select "join list" if you wish to join the e-mail news list to be notified of any future course's commencement date. We will contact you as soon as any dates are confirmed.

Select "other beginners' courses" to see alternative local clubs, where you could start sooner.

Select "links page" if you wish to check the BFA list of other London clubs.

The Saxon venue is:

Regular club night: 8.00-10.00 p.m., every Thursday night.
Beginners (new time slot): 8.45-9.45 p.m., every Thursday night.
The session starts then, so please allow yourself time to change beforehand.

Twyford Sports Centre, Twyford Crescent, Acton, London, W3 9PP
(for reference, the centre's number is 020 8993 9095)
Part of Ealing Borough's Sport Development, the sports hall has full changing room and shower facilities. There is ample car parking, but the gates get locked at 10.30 p.m. and you will not be able to retrieve a locked-in car until the next day!

select here to see a map

The course:

All are welcome at any level of experience, but as we are an adult club, only age 14 up.
Twyford Sports Centre themselves, not us, run a junior club for 10-13 year olds, so please contact them directly.

The course is 10 weeks of an hour's session every week, though it can take longer allowing for hall closures, etc..
At the end of it you will get the British Fencing Association's Achievement Award for Grade 1 foil certificate (select to see more)
After this course you are welcome to join the club proper and join our regular improvers' sessions. See below to find out what a foil is*

The equipment:

We undertake to provide you with the appropriate equipment for your safety:-
plastron, mask, glove, jacket*.

You need to bring:

• a T-shirt;
• trainers (white-soled and non-marking for the gym. We recommend a pair with low ankle cut-outs, such as squash or badmington type, in order to allow a full rotation of your ankle);
• and jogging bottoms with pockets that can be zipped shut, or are sewn shut, or better still- no pockets. This is because of new BFA regulations coming into force on 01.01.06. Any other trouser will not be allowed.

* If you are interested in seeing further details of this basic equipment, please select an item below. We have prepared a simple introduction to all of these items, in order to point out the particular requirements for fencing.

Mask Jacket Under Plastron Glove Foil

some health considerations        go to site guide

Or visit some of our beginners past and present to see how they got on.

• Katherine used our beginner's course as a refresher, having fenced a little before.
• Chris Evans passed his grade one today, 21.06.2001, and has joined the club.
• Anna joined us recently.
• Mike O'Regan, since being a Saxon Beginner at age 31, he is still fencing with us 10 years later.
• Sophie and Katherine, Saxon beginners joining 1999 and now well on their way to flashing bladed glory!

Almost everything you need to know is on this web page,
but please e-mail Saxon or call Gordon on 01753 851 660 (early evenings only),
if you have any other questions.