about
The Cabrillo Academy of the Sword was opened in February of 1996 at the location it still occupies. It has a threefold mission: (1) to provide a source of high-level, professional fencing instruction for the San Diego area (2) To offer a place for recreational fencers to learn the sport and to enjoy it on a regular basis, and (3) To provide the facilities, instruction and training to enable tournament fencers to be successful at the highest competitive levels.
That the club has been able to achieve these goals can be determined by the fact that roughly two-thirds of its members are recreational fencers, almost all of whom learned to fence right here.
In competition on the world stage, at Veteran World Championships our fencers have won two silver medals in Women's Sabre and a bronze medal in Men's Epee.
At the national level, it is currently two national championships in Women's open Sabre, one in Veteran Women's Sabre & one in Veteran Men's Epee. Moreover, they have earned national medals in Men’s Foil and Veteran Men’s Sabre. Locally Cabrillo fencers have captured a large portion of the gold, silver, & bronze medals warded in San Diego every year.
Of our approximately 100 members, about a third are female. Currently our youngest fencers are 10 years old while our oldest are in their eighties.
Fencing is classified as a “Lifetime Sport” by the president’s council of Physical Fitness, which means that it can be learned and enjoyed at almost any age. However for instructional reasons, we set a minimum age of 10 years for participation in our group classes, but will take a student as young as eight for private lessons.
CLASSES
Foil
A thrusting sword, like the epée, with a flexible rectangular blade, weighing less than one pound (16 ounces) and with a smaller guard.
Cabrillo Academy of the Sword offers group classes for beginners, intermediate, and advanced students.
epée
The descendant of the dueling sword, epée is the heaviest of the three weapons, weighing approximately 27 ounces. It has a larger bell shaped guard and a much stiffer blade.
Cabrillo Academy of the Sword offers group classes for beginners, intermediate, and advanced students.
SABRE
The modern version of the slashing cavalry sword, similar in length and weight to the foil. The guard curves over the handle to protect the fist.
Cabrillo Academy of the Sword offers group classes for beginners, intermediate, and advanced students.
THEATRICAL FENCING
Discover the art of theatrical fencing for stage and film performances.
Maestro Hurst is accredited a Fencing Master by the U.S. Fencing Coaches Association and holds an international accreditation as a Maitre of the Academie d’Armes Internationale. In addition to his coaching of competitive fencers, he teaches theatrical swordplay, has served as a Fight Director for stage and television, and has trained and provided fencers for several films including Twelfth Night, Macbeth, The Mask of Zorro, and Pirates of the Caribbean: the Curse of the Black Pearl.
“I have been a student of other sports and physical arts including Karate and yoga, but nothing has brought me more enjoyment or improved my core strength more than fencing. Maestro Hurst is knowledgeable, patient, and kind.”
