Avant Garde Fencers Club

Like many parents, we spent years exposing our son (who loves reading, science, politics, computers and chess) to many sports and activities with the hope that one would «stick.» Karate, skateboarding, soccer, rock climbing, baseball, tennis, lacrosse, track and field — we tried them all (poor guy)! We were not looking for him to be the state champion at anything, we just wanted him to be active and happy.
We found Avant Garde through a facebook friend who used to live in the area and posts all about his fencing school in another state. This gave me the idea to try yet another sport for our son. When I asked our friend how our son could try fencing in L.A. he explained the differences between épée, foil and sabre and then immediately told us to disregard all those details and just go to Avant Garde. So we did.
THAT WAS ALMOST 2 YEARS AGO.
My son LOVES Avant Garde. He loves fencing. He loves Coach Daniel, Bianca, Eric and Jaake who are extremely talented and also funny and kind. The classes are fun, not scary. He sweats like a dog and has learned a tremendous amount of complex skill and strategy — sometimes while singing show tunes. Attending competitions as a beginner /​intermediate is optional and encouraged, but not required (we are pacing ourselves). There are no belt ceremonies, candy-​selling fundraisers or uptight parents. To the contrary, my husband and I look forward to fencing because of how much we love talking to the other parents, who are smart and interesting and mellow. Our son also feels a strong bond with his fellow fencers.
One important distinction from many other sports: There is no long term commitment and no auto-​payment. Every month, we decide how many classes to take each week (1, 2, o or 3) and pay for that month. Then we choose which days we want to come during each week. So if we choose to come 2x a week for the month of March, one week we can choose Monday /​Wednesday and then the next week Wednesday /​Saturday. We don’t have to let anyone know in advance — which allows us the freedom and flexibility to fit fencing within our busy lives.
Our son started at 2x a week and is now taking 3 classes and 2 private lessons each week and there’s no end in sight. This participation is completely driven by our son and, I can’t stress this enough, this is the first time he has ever been enthusiastic about a sport. His personal transformation has been amazing and I believe that it’s 15% because of the sport, and 85% because of special people that make this place feel like home.
If you have a son like mine, give these guys a call.

Unbelievably over priced. $ 175.00 a month for a once per week, hour long class for kids. The owner Bianca will mercilessly hunt you down and chase you out the door for payment. We felt unwelcome. We are not going back.

You will find world class training and amazing coaches here if you are looking for excellent training in Southern California. They are and will be the top club here in the LA area.

THE Place To Go In Los Angeles For Sabre Fencers
What’s the theme song from «Cheers???» «Sometimes you wanna go, where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came!»
If you love Olympic-​style sabre, this is your «Cheers,» no kidding.
Avant Garde is a family run establishment, founded by head coach Daniel Costin, who formerly coached the Romanian Olympic team before expatriating to sunny southern California. The club is efficiently managed by the endlessly vivacious Mrs. Bianca Costin, about whom I cannot rave enough, and the kids’ classes are taught by the Costins’ teenage son, an A-​rated fencer (and precocious, whip-​smart Gabriel Garcia Marquez enthusiast) Michael Costin.
If you’re into competitive sabre, you’ve come to the right place — Daniel Costin has coached any number of world-​class athletes, including Olympian Jason Rogers. However, if you’re a beginning sabreur or sabreuse venturing onto the strip for the first time, you’ve also come to the right place. Beginning coach Josephine «Jo» Roberts, a winsome gamine ingénue who loves to geek out on her favorite sport, will be more than happy to take n00bs through their paces as well.
For my own part, well, I’ve been coming to Avant Garde every week since it opened, and it’s been a great time indeed. See you on the strip — EN GARDE!!!

This is an awesome place to learn and practice saber fencing. I started going here a few months ago and fell in love with the place.
Daniel Costin and Daniel Grigoriev have taught a numerous amount of top rated, A level fencers. As well as athletes that have gone on to compete and then medal in the Olympics. Coach Costin is even featured in the American Museum of Fencing.
The members here are extremely friendly and always willing to give you fencing tips. And Bianca the general manager is always as sweet as pie.
Overall, if you’re a saber fencer, Avant Garde is definitely the place where you should be.

I love this place that I train. It is sabre fencing. it is good both in terms of coaching quality and customer service.
The club manager’s name is Bianca and the two coaches are both named Daniel. They are all really cool and friendly people. I definitely recommend this place for Fencing.

Great club, great fencers. The problem that Ms. K mentioned isn’t a design issue — fencers are loaded into Fencing Time — which does the club conflicts and reseeds. It isn’t by design.
That the AGFC fencers did well speaks to the effort that everyone puts in here. Not to stacking the deck.

Ben A’s comment nothwithstanding – give them a break, they had been open just a little more than a month – this is a great place to fence. My son has fenced in a lot of tournaments over the last two years. He has experienced endless delays and bad directors in a handful of places. That’s going to happen in any sport from horses to ice hockey and back again. Last Sunday, AGFC had a tournament that went off without a single hitch. Tournaments aside, the coaching and staff at AGFC couldn’t be better. Ask the parents. Daniel Costin and Daniel Grigore are consummate professionals, highly experienced, and brilliant with fencers of all ages. Bianca Costin keeps the place running like a clock. She and the two Daniels have created a family atmosphere where the kids (and the parents) treat one another like friends rather than rivals, even though they may engage in fierce competition on the strip. The more experienced fencers bring the less experienced ones along. There are no backroom politics or time-​wasting dramas. When I write a check at the first of the month for my son’s membership and training, it feels like money well spent. If you or your child are interested in learning to fence with a saber, you won’t find a better place in the greater LA area.

My son has been studying under Daniel Costin and Daniel Grigore for about a year now. Their expertise and knowledge of fencing is evident as is their ability to train and mentor Olympic medal athletes and National Champions in addition to young kids aspiring for future greatness as my son is.