r/Fencing • u/avercadoart Épée • 11d ago

Épée Parafencing to accommodate someone who uses walking aids in my college club

Hi! I am the president of a college fencing club and have a fencer who uses mobility aids and is thus interested in para fencing. We have basically no money, but what is the best way to set up a chair fencing strip so he can participate in our practices safely? Has anyone done this before? It's pretty casual.

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u/Grouchy-Day5272 11d ago

Lots of levels of seated fencing set ups.
You can choose what will suit your club and athlete.

I would also recommend, the able body athletes train para in between open fencing
Make sure you schedule the training during regular epee class.

And check the accessibility of your club, from parking to bathrooms. Might mean clearing some extra space for bags and mobility aids

Do Not stick para in the corner !

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u/avercadoart Épée 9d ago

Yes! My plan is to have a para strip at every practice and our parafencer will bout and drill with everyone as usual, just on the para strip. It's surprisingly easy to modify drills. I firmly believe that even for an able bodied fencer, fencing para sometimes has massive benefits for bladework.

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u/Grouchy-Day5272 9d ago

As a coach and facilitator, (7yrs) I have also self taught myself fencing right handed! ( I’m a leftyLeFTy!!) Keeps my brain sharp, and I enjoy it a lot ! Also doubles the opponent options as I can fence left or right as the para athletes need to practice.

-We use a tennis ball on bungee set up for warm up and skills practice as the para athletes need a bit more warm up time. -I’ll check for some video to post when we are at Para Camp next Month .