Fencing is deeply rooted in Cal athletic tradition, with a team existing in some form since the founding of the school (it's the oldest club!). The sport itself dates back much further, and can be counted as one of the longest-practiced combat disciplines in history. Modern fencing is a fast-paced and challenging, yet at the same time, it is accessible to a wide range of ages and stylistically can be tailored to all levels of athleticism.
Fencing is divided into three weapon categories: foil, saber, and épée. The team is home to students of all three weapons.
The Cal Fencing Club is part of the Cal Sport Club Program and competes in the Northern California Intercollegiate Fencing League, in which the most active schools include UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, SJSU and Cal Poly SLO. Cal has won the league cup for three years running!
Anybody can join, including community members and alumni. All levels are welcome, including beginners! College is the perfect time to get involved in fencing. Just want to try it? Check out our DeCal!
Fall 2020 schedule TBD.
Instead of in-person practice, we will be holding regular virtual practices and exercises, along with other events. We are determined to have a semester of high-quality fencing-related activities, despite the current challenges we all face.
Short answer: We're not sure yet. We're working on setting up an alternate plan for dues this semester, due to the major changes to our club operations.
The club operates in the Combatives Room of the Recreational Sports Facility (RSF) at the southwest corner of the UC Berkeley campus, on 2301 Bancroft Way between Dana Street and Ellsworth Street. After entering the RSF, turn left and go past the treadmills to find the Combatives Room right next to the Martial Arts Room.
The club goes to tournaments hosted by NCIFL schools, as well as hosting a home tournament. There are two to four tournaments a semester, but several fencers will attend additional local tournaments such as the Bay Cup, and will often go as a group.
Come in athletic clothing that allows you to move freely, rather than jeans. Come to practice wearing long non-jean pants, a t-shirt, thick socks, and athletic shoes. Any light athletic shoe will be fine, but the lighter the sole the better. Please do not come in jeans.
For beginners, we have all the gear you will need. However, after one semester you will probably want to buy your own gear. For advanced fencers, we currently don't have space in our armory to store your equipments, so you will have to bring them to practice for now, but in the future we will be able to store some of your personal equipments
Though it may look dangerous, fencing is one of the safest sports. A smaller percentage of fencers were injured in the 2008 summer olympics than the percentage of winter 2010 curlers. Fencing blades are surprisingly bendy, and a lot of the force is absorbed by the blade's flexibility.
Apparently, aerobics and hip hop dance are cooler than fencing...but the later practices are really not as bad as they sound. If you're concerned about the late walk home, there are groups of people going in all directions after practice. Talk to an officer to help find someone going the same way.