MTeam Fencing So Cal

My friend and I went for our first lesson on a groupon, and we had a great time. The instructor was extremely knowledgeable and personable. Can't wait for next week's lesson! Good size class with a good age range of adults. (kids are in a separate time slot)

The coach at Mteam SoCal is a very knowledgable and dynamic person. From our first meeting we could see that he was teaching skills to the kids that they would not only carry on the strip in a fencing bout but skills that would carry them through life. They exude core values that I think anyone with a child growing up would appreciate. Respect, knowledge, strategy, and honor were being taught and no one had to tell us that before we could see it in practice. My son has been begging to go back. Nice to see this sport has good people in it unlike our last experience. We used to have to pay extravagant fees to have the coach in our former club to travel across the country and still couldn't rely on him to be at the strip for bout time. He was unfocused and uncaring. Mteam is definitely a step above the rest. The results will show.

Thanks Mteam!

There's a reason this school has such a good reputation in Northern California. It sets the bar in what fencing should be. It has a well-organized program, positive coaching, and a high standard for developing competitive fencers. There's a reason why this studio consistently puts out nationally ranked fencers. With that being said, there are some strikes against this studio. For one, there should be more coaches in the Southern California studio, and the program should try to emulate the M-Team NoCal studio. I had a chance to observe the NorCal studio for a month last year, and let's just say it's a tightly run ship. While the SoCal studio aspires to be that, it just didn't have the same feel. The older coach was affable enough, but I also think there needs to be more young blood and energy in the studio. Plus, I think the whole program needs to be fine-tuned more to develop and train fencers through a structured program that will enable the kids to move from beginner to intermediate to competitive in a logical way. Also, while Massialas's' name is on the website as the head coach, the parents told me he's never around as he lives in NoCal, so I do think it's a bit misleading to state that he is the head coach at this site. He's not. The acting head coach at this studio seems passionate about fencing but not quite as connected with the kids as I would have liked. With that being said, there was a lot to like about this studio, including the good class times for kids (some studios offer classes way too late for children who have to get up early for school in the mornings) and the emphasis on good sportsmanship. I do wish they offered a sabre program here as that is something I would like my sons to try once they master the foundation of foil. In conclusion, from my observations, this seems like a quality studio that lives up to the owner's name and reputation. He just shouldn't put himself on the website as the head coach of this studio when he's not.