Kids ages 6-12 who are just starting out should join the Youth Beginners class.

For teens and adults, come to the Teen/Adult Beginners class on Tuesday evenings, or try the Saturday Teen/Adult Fencing class.

Fencers with more than a few months’ experience should look at the schedule options for their age range and join one of those sessions. Reach out if you have specific questions such as which night will have the most fencers in a particular weapon.

Yes! Fencing is actually one of the safest sports in the Olympics. The goal of fencing for the last eight hundred years (or so) has been to live, and we keep getting better at it. Today we have access to lightweight steel masks to protect your head and neck and thick, durable jackets and pants to protect the rest of your body. The weapons are also blunt. You may walk away with a few bruises, but you will be perfectly healthy otherwise.

Fencing is a great sport for any age. At HSS we currently offer classes to ages six and above, but fencing is also a great sport for adults of all ages. Houston boasts a great veteran (ages 40+) fencing community, with frequent tournaments and events aimed at those with a little gray hair – or no hair – under their masks. Fencing is a lifelong sport, and you can be successful in it no matter how old you are when you start.

Come as you are! Fencing is highly adaptable to the fitness level of the competitors. Fencing can be hard on the knees and on the elbow and wrist of your dominant arm, but we are happy to work with you to find adaptations that will make you more comfortable.

Fencing is a martial art, but it relies on finesse rather than strength. This means that we do not separate competitions by weight class, and that at the local level boys and girls (or men and women) can compete on an equal footing. It also means that many people who have tried and disliked other sports find fencing to be a much better fit for their physical abilities and personality.

We also incorporate wheelchair fencing into our classes. This variation on fencing involves two wheelchairs on a fixed mount. Fencers must lean back to dodge and forward to attack while relying on superior bladework to beat their opponents.

Houston Sword Sports offers classes in the Olympic sport of fencing. There are three weapons in Olympic fencing - foil, epee and saber - and we are the only club in the greater Houston area to offer all three.

Foil fencing uses a lightweight weapon, hits with the point on the torso, and uses a set of rules called right-of-way to determine touches.

Epee fencing uses a slightly heavier weapon to hit with the point anywhere on the body. Epee does not use right-of-way, so the first fencer to hit scores the point.

Saber fencing uses right-of-way to score, the target is the waist up, and fencers can score using any part of the blade (not just the tip).

We recommend that new fencers start with foil to learn the fundamentals and then try the other weapons to see which one clicks best for their personality.

We will provide everything you need to get started. After you’ve been fencing for a few months, we can help you order your own equipment. Having your own equipment guarantees that you will always have the right sizes and that only your own sweat is stinking up your jacket.

We do recommend firm, low-heeled athletic shoes that you only wear while fencing. Volleyball shoes and any court shoe are easy to find and generally more affordable than fencing-specific shoes.