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Header images courtesy of Fencing Master and Fencing Sport Academy (via Facebook)
In July this year, the whole of Hong Kong watched with bated breath as Edgar Cheung Ka-long competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics individual men’s foil event. It was a glorious moment for the city when he ended up winning the gold medal—Hong Kong’s second-ever Olympic gold since Lee Lai-shan’s windsurfing back in 1996.
If you have been understandably swept up in the “Ka-long Effect” and now want to try your hand at fencing or enrol your little ones in classes, look no further: here are Hong Kong’s top places for fencing lessons. En garde!
Fencing Podium might be new to the game—it was founded by Vincent Tsui in 2020—but the level of attention and care it applies to its students stands as a testament to its instructors’ combined years of experience. Offering fencing lessons for all ages, the school aims to foster strength of the mind, character, and body through the sport.
Classes are taught by ex-Hong Kong team members and internationally recognised fencers in small groups, or even one-on-one. Little ones will be introduced to the sport in beginner classes suitable for children aged three to 12 years old. Adult classes are also available, in addition to professional coaching.
Fencing Podium, Unit 3, 2/F, Sing Shun Centre, 495 Castle Peak Road, Cheung Sha Wan | (+852) 3974 5524
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Led by two-time Olympian head coach Lau Kwok-kin, Hong Kong Fencing Master offers a variety of classes structured in eight levels to suit everyone from beginners to competitive fencers. Each level also targets specific areas of improvement, such as endurance, agility, hand-eye-foot coordination, bladework, and strategic skills.
Hong Kong Fencing Master also runs summer and winter camps, and are even available for corporate team building sessions! Fencing lessons start from $1,500 and are offered in English.
Hong Kong Fencing Master, locations across Hong Kong | (+852) 6900 1070
Don’t let the dated-looking website put you off; Hong Kong Fencing School is by now famous for producing our very own athletic talent Edgar Cheung Ka-long after a gruelling six-year training period. Hong Kong Fencing School has recently opened enrolment for their September and October intake, to be spread across their Yau Ma Tei or Kornhill locations, starting at $1,400 for five lessons. Classes are offered in Cantonese and Mandarin, but not English. As might be expected, this academy has seen a huge influx of interest, so don’t be surprised if you are waitlisted.
Hong Kong Fencing School, locations across Hong Kong Island and Kowloon
Affiliated with the Hong Kong Fencing Association, the Academy of Fencing welcomes novices from the age of five and up, where students can be trained in all three of the fencing weapons—the foil, épée, and sabre. Interestingly, they even offer courses for those interested in coaching and refereeing. Training is available at various sports centres across Hong Kong, and trial sessions for September and October are available for booking now at $250 per session.
Academy of Fencing, 16/F, The Hong Kong Club Building, 3A Chater Road, Central | (+852) 9421 3579
Fencing Sport Academy offers lesson plans ranging from baby classes using plastic foils and cadet classes with beginner foils all the way to elite classes wielding advanced foils. We also particularly like that they are working to change the image of fencing as an exclusive elite sport by offering learning experiences to less privileged children in Hong Kong. For the month of September, FSA is running a promotion on young beginner classes for kids aged three to five, priced at $2,530 for 10 lessons and a round of competition. Classes can also be offered in English.
Fencing Sport Academy, Unit 2706–10, 27/F, Prosperity Place, 6 Shing Yip Street, Kwun Tong | (+852) 3568 0155
Those living a little further out need not worry about having to travel too far for fencing lessons; Fencers Club is located smack dab in the middle of New Territories. Boasting a roster of fully certified coaches, the Club’s sessions are guaranteed as long as there is a minimum of two students present, which means you’re unlikely to encounter sudden cancellations and might even get increased coaching attention.
September classes are already underway, but October enrolment for junior classes have just been announced, priced at $2,070 for nine lessons or $2,990 for 13 lessons.
Fencers Club Hong Kong, Room 10, 6/F, Kinglet Building, 21–23 Shing Wan Road, Tai Wai | (+852) 2388 2383
ProFencing fosters a steady growth in performance by exposing students to local, regional, and international fencing competitions. ProFencing is possibly the only fencing school in Hong Kong where all necessary gear is provided at no extra rental charge; students are also given their own fencing mask and gloves upon enrolment.
Summer classes are split into groups aged three to six and seven to 12, starting from $1,800 for eight sessions. First-timers may also be able to sign up for two periodical taster sessions at only $200.
ProFencing, 3/F, Chinachem 333 Plaza, 333 Castle Peak Road, Cheung Sha Wan | (+852) 2390 3292
Operating all days of the week and late into the evening, Excel Fencing offers one-on-one and group coaching in Cantonese, English, and Mandarin, so there’s something to suit every learner. Expect state-of-the-art equipment in their new studio and options for all three fencing disciplines. Summer classes are priced at $500 per class at a minimum of two classes per week, with discounts increasing with the number of lessons booked.
Excel Fencing, Unit 203–205, One Island South, 2 Heung Yip Road, Wong Chuk Hang | (+852) 2110 9655
Catharina has recently returned to her hometown of Hong Kong after spending her formative years in Singapore and the UK. She enjoys scouring the city for under-the-radar things to do, see, and eat, and is committed to finding the perfect foundation that will withstand Hong Kong’s heat. She is also an aspiring polyglot, a firm advocate for feminist and LGBTQIA+ issues, and a huge lover of animals. You can find her belting out show-tunes in karaoke, or in bookstores adding new tomes to her ever-growing collection.
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