Laguna Fencing Center

I understand the perception that OC Y has, but I tend to disagree on a few points. First, Nick and Elena come from a direct culture and are direct about their approach. They’re also very nurturing. If anything, Elena is the mom of the club. She loves all of the kids and is incredibly giving.
I appreciate the extra effort they all give. My daughter has only been there a year, but has grown so much. She danced both recreationally and competitively on a national level. One thing she gets is hard work. Fencing, while fun to try, isn’t for everyone. It requires dedication and a major investment in time, cost and travel. Unlike dancing where you can dabble, I think this is really a sport. And as Nick always says, you get out of it what you put into it. He has high expectations, yes. Sometimes a dry sense of humor, but loves what he does and shares his passion for this unique sport with the kids.
With regard to Ian and Claudio, yes they’re young, but are extremely skilled. My daughter has a connection with Claudio and learns something in every class.
We couldn’t happier. It really is a community.

As my daughters have fenced at LFC for four and a half years, I am in a unique position of commenting about the quality of instruction in beginner through elite classes. In my opinion, a club is only as good as its coach. And, based on that criteria, LFC is one of the best. As nine year olds who had never held a saber, Coach Nick made fencing fun. He would joke with them, and allow them to goof off (a little). He encouraged them and praised them for effort — not medals. As a result, they fell in love with the sport. The family feel of the club — and the fact that their club mates genuinely care about and support one another — on and off the strip — was another factor. This atmosphere is a testimony to how the club is run and to the type of kids and families that support the center. The instruction is top notch and Coach Nick has fencers with results, including those fencing at elite universities, that prove this. He is understanding and supportive, but knows how to gently push his fencers when they need it. He cares about each and every one and does what he can to help all reach their goals. Clearly, this center is a 5-​star in my estimation, but it is not purely because of the fencing and atmosphere. It is also because of the life lessons that Coach Nick tries to instill in his students — lessons about dedication, responsibility, and work ethic. To me, this is just as important as the rest! If you are looking for a saber fencing center that provides superior instruction, a close-​knit atmosphere, and a great role model in its head coach, LFC cannot be beat.

Coach Nick and Elena run a very clean and organized center. My daughter always looks forward to the days when she has fencing class. My daughter has been fencing for a few years now and has attended the well run camps and classes. Coach Nick is an excellent coach. He is very well known and well respected in the fencing community. But what’s important is that I think he’s a great coach for my daughter. Coach Nick never berates or yells at his students. At one national event, I was recording one of my daughter’s bouts. Coach Nick was strip coaching her and unlike some of the coaches, Coach Nick never talked down to her. I heard him tell her, «It’s not about getting the point, it’s about doing it right.» I feel that this is the best kind of coach. Laguna Fencing Center and Coach Nick are doing it right.

I usually don’t give any place 5 stars but LFC deserves it. My two sons were fencing there for approximately 2 years but due to relocation we had to leave them last year. And we can all tell you that we miss them. We miss the structure of the classes. We miss the team feeling and the camaraderie. We miss Coach, staff and the administration. We miss the experience of the coach, the warm up games, the knowledge and the style of fencing. We were lucky to go to away competitions and we loved how Coach Nick coached the team. He divided his time accordingly, without yelling and screaming and we never had a problem! LFC and Coach Nick is very respected in the fencing community. Everyone comments on how great my son’s style of fencing is. And that is due to Coach. You never know what you have until you personally experience something else. We miss LFC and we cannot wait to visit.

We were at this fencing club for about six months. Overall, the warm up program is fun for the kids but when we were there, the classes were getting bigger and bigger, so less personal instruction. Our child enjoyed the creative games that Coach Nick had to develop footwork. But I have to agree with the other reviewer that Coach Nick’s behavior seemed very erratic. He was sometimes nice and sometimes very cranky. We put up with the crankiness and bigger class sizes b/​c he is the only sabre coach around but what broke the camel’s back for us was that when he went away for tournaments, which could be a week here or there, he just had some of his teenage students teach the classes. They were totally unqualified to teach anyone much less young kids. They did not have control of the class and kids were just whacking each other on the head with their sabres. It was so unbelievably dangerous. I said something to his wife, the manager, and she just came out and yelled at the teenager. But seriously, what do you expect when you put unqualified kids to teach other kids? This surely is a liability issue. I doubt those teenagers are insured to teach. In any case, when you are paying that much money for instruction, you expect to have a real coach teaching your kids and not putting them in a potentially hazardous situation. Although our child really enjoyed fencing, we decided to stop b/​c of the uncomfortableness of dealing with Coach Nick’s mood swings and the danger of teenagers teaching our child was not worth it.

LFC and coach Nick are passionate about sharing their knowledge and love of fencing. Our daughter is very timid in new environments, but coach Nick and the other students made her feel very comfortable. Since joining LFC, our daughter’s confidence and attitude have continued to improve. I tell everyone about the great work they are doing.