Fencing Club

About us

The LSE Fencing Club has made significant strides in the past few years since it was first established. We are located directly on-campus and warmly welcome fencers of all levels of experience - from complete beginners to experienced national-level fencers - in fact, some of our current committee members started out new to the sport when they joined LSE. So whatever your background, do come along and get involved!

Often considered chess with movement, fencing offers you the chance to test your mind to find a way to hit your opponent and then adds the physical excitement of exploding in to get the touche (a fencing point).

You’ll get the chance to meet new people and socialize while you try something new. Our members come from many different departments in the LSE - both undergraduate and postgraduate programs.

We are proud to provide the opportunity to learn, practice, and compete in all three disciplines (foil, epee, and sabre).

Beginners can take up the sport under the guidance of our coach David Williams in our beginner sessions (these will include warm-up, footwork, pair exercises, sparring, and individual lessons). More experienced fencers can use separate training sessions to hone their skills with peers. Practice will take place on the LSE campus. Please feel free to contact the club or committee in regard to any queries.

The current committee is President Samiya Sriwastawa, Treasurer Damiano Stramaglia, Vice President Dorian A. M. Sandover, and Secretary Jessica Bryce. 

Membership

We have two tiers of membership; Standard and Competitive. Both memberships contribute to the upkeep & purchasing of equipment and the employment of a club coach.

Standard membership is £70 per year. This includes training on Tuesday evenings and all the fencing kit required to participate in practice.

Competitive membership is £85 per year. This covers a separate training with the club coach as well as entry to BUCS fixtures. To be selected for BUCS, you must have a competitive membership. The club has the possibility to provide a kit for all weapons during practice and BUCS if a member does not have a certain part.

The memberships are available as a termly or yearly option. You will also have to buy an Athletics Union (AU) membership on top of either of these membership options, which will make you part of the wider sporting community at LSE. Please note that BUCS requires all participants to be members of British Fencing. 

For Alumni

LSE Alumni will be allowed to participate in club activities through the purchase of an associate membership. This will grant you access to the same events and training as the standard membership for current students. 

Events and Activities

Training

All training will be held on campus in the Marshall Building sports field. There will be coached training on Monday with beginners, intermediates, and advanced between 2:00-3:30 pm. Competitive fencers will free fence and train for BUCS on Fridays between 7:30-9:30 pm. Both trainings will take place in the Marshall Building Basement B2. 

Socials and Events

Throughout the year, the fencing club will provide regular socials and events. New for this year is a termly Club Championship and look into the possibility of collaborating either in practice or competition with other London University Fencing Clubs. Beyond what the club provides, the Athletics Union will have the AU Carol and AU Ball. 

BUCS

We have both a men’s and a women’s team for BUCS fixtures on Wednesday afternoons. Our home fixtures will be held on campus in a facility through the Students Union with a new piste set-up. The men’s team will compete in South Eastern 2B, with the women’s in South Eastern 1A. There is also a BUCS individual championship in February. 

Those wishing to be selected for BUCS teams must purchase Competitive Memberships on the SU website - memberships are higher, reflecting more coaching and entry into BUCS team competitions. 

The Coach

This year, we have a new club coach, Louis Geunnou, and we are very excited to have him on board.

Louis is the 2022 British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) National Champion and currently serves as a member of Team GB. His international experience includes participating in the U23 European Championships for Team GB in 2022 and 2024. In 2023, he won 5 national championships,  representing Team England. Beyond his competitive achievements, Louis has established themselves as an experienced coach, with six years of teaching and coaching experience in various London clubs and schools. Louis' coaching prowess was further recognized when they served as the Personal Coach for Team Malaysia at the 2023 Cadet & Junior World Championships.

Helpful videos

Foil explained by the FIE

Mens Foil 2019 highlights

Epee explained by the FIE

Mens Epee Budapest 2019 Final

Sabre explained by the FIE

Sabre highlights

Contact Us

Committee members regularly moderate the club’s Instagram pages answering questions in DMs. If you wish to ask a question, you can always email the Club at fencing@lsesu.org