Academy Talent Development
To apply for the National Academy regional sessions please see the information and application documents at the bottom of this page
International Training, December 2011
The National Academy has organised international training camps between Christmas and New Year. These will be in La Rochelle for foilists and in Rome for epeeists and sabreurs. This training is for National Academy fencers born 94-97 and fencers who are part of the TASS programme. Spaces will be limited to 20 fencers per weapon. Fencers are now invited to apply to attend this camp; the application form is at the bottom of the page.
This training has been introduced to allow our talented young fencers to get good experience of fencing against a variety of international opponents. Traditionally fencers have gone to competitions for this experience, however experience has shown that many fencers get a very limited number of fights (sometimes as few as 5) for events that often cost over £400 for a weekend. This international training camp will allow fencers to get much more experience of training against international fencers with good coaching support for a similar cost.
For this season, 2011-12, the International Youth Committee has reduced the number of events the top cadets will be selected for. One of the reasons was to allow fencers to spend their limited funds on more effective international experience and these training camps are part of that process. For more information please see the international cadet fencing communiqué on the British Fencing web site at http://www.britishfencing.com/international/selections_and_rankings/cadet_and_junior_selection/
The National Academy Programme has been introduced to help us deliver our mission of becoming a “world leading fencing family”, and has three strands:
- Talent Development
- Workforce Development
- Club Development
The aim of the Talent Development strand of the Academy is to provide an opportunity for fencers with talent and desire to develop and prepare for life as an international athlete. It is based on the Long Term Athlete Development Framework (LTAD) for Fencing.
It is not a fencing camp, but a holistic training and education programme which seeks to give fencers the education and skills to reach their full potential as a successful senior athlete. It aspires to bring world leading experts in a range of fields such as psychology, strength and conditioning, injury prevention, rest, physiotherapy, nutrition, balancing education with sport and planning. It is not a one-off event, rather an ongoing national programme which will develop over the next few years. It will eventually deliver support to fencers, coaches and parents through a national and regional framework and will have support through a “virtual Academy”, with resources online.
Eventually the Academy will develop athletes in three main groups, however the National Academy will focus on the A3 & A2 goups (14-18 years, born in 94-97). These ages are approximate, as athletes develop in different ways, and the outcome is to produce medal winning performances at senior level, not necessarily at Junior or Cadet level:
- Academy 3 (A3): 14-16
- Academy 2 (A2): 16-18
- Academy 1 (A1): 18+
The Academy is a training and education programme and does not replace the GB national team. However, it will bring together into one programme all of the weapon specific training which exists at the moment and soon the GB teams to attend international competitions will be selected from those involved in the Academy.
We have run a series of road shows to explain the introduction of the Academy, and will continue to do to ensure that we communicate effectively with athletes, parents and coaches.
For our frequently asked questions on the Academy click here.
Academy Launch
British Fencing launched the National Academy with 2 pilot days (20th Feb & 20th March), a residential training camp (15-21 August) 2010 and Regional delivery in Birmingham, SUNEE (Sports Universities North East England) and Brunel. We have now run the 2nd year of the Summer residential in August 2011. The National Academy is the delivery mechanism for future programmes of training for young fencers.
It will operate at a national and regional level using principles of Long Term Athlete Development. It will focus on the important training to train & training to compete stages of an athlete’s development and will take an holistic approach for the development of fencers as athletes.
The National Academy is also be used as a mechanism for training coaches, referees, armourers, team managers & other officials who support the development of the successful British Fencing family. It is intended that upwards of 1000 fencers will be included by 2013. For this initial project, British Fencing is seeking a senior three-weapon coach to be the National Academy Coach Development Lead Tutor to lead and direct the delivery of the technical content of the Levels 3 and 4 England Fencing coach education syllabuses.
National Academy Feedback and Key Messages Oct 10
National Academy Invite and application 17-18th March 2012 - Word document pdf document
National Academy Invite and application Weekend 18-19th February 2012 - Word document pdf document
National Academy, Birmingham - Information and Application - word document pdf document
National Academy, Bristol - Information and Application Bristol - word document pdf document - updated 11.01.12
National Academy, Brunel - Information and Application - word document pdf document
National Academy, Northern Ireland - Information and Application, Northern Ireland - word document pdf document
National Academy, SUNEE - Information and Application - word document pdf document
British Fencing National Academy - Athlete Code of Conduct