Prospective Students

Thank you for visiting Trovare di Spada on the web.  For more than 10 years our instructors and fencers have worked to provide the Saint Louis community the very best in fencing instruction and training.  Unlike other organizations in the area TDS is a school of fencing, not a club.  This difference means that complete understanding and mastery of the systems of defense is our only objective.  We do not drive people into competitions.  In fact our training method is described as “perpetual and cooperative”.  At TDS there is no segregation between genders nor ages.  All students and fencers cooperate in the learning process and work with one another to achieve personal goals.

We follow a classical pedagodgy of a traditional system.  This means that the process is logical and focuses on the practical combative techniques passed down to us through the lineage of fencing masters.  Rather than adopt unnecessary rules and deform techniques we maintain the precise and efficent use of dueling weapons.  For this reason training at TDS is a martial art rather than a modern sport.

Prospective students are asked to observe at least two training sessions at the sala di arma and then meet with the Head Instructor for admission.  When registered the student begins training as a Novice, a course of study which averages 10-12 months.  Upon successful completion of the novitiate the student is allowed to test and become a full member in the sala.  While we have no ranking system there is a simple method of differentiating fencers who are not instructors:  upon entering the sala you are junior to everyone else and they are all senior to you.

Students are encouraged to purchase and follow as textbook Maestro William Gaugler’s book, The Science of Fencing (Laureate Press).  Other books and print material are available to students of TDS upon request.

If questions remain after reading through our About page, please write to:  tdspada [at] gmail [dot] com

or

call 314.329.1893 and leave a message.