Durham Fencing Centre

Welcome to the 2026 Edinburgh Team Challenge! This fun team event will give you the chance to dust off your kit and ease yourself into the coming season.

We've got 3 events: Mixed Team Foil, Mixed Team Sabre, and Mixed Team Epee.

Eager to compete and don't have a team? Contact us and we'll get you into a team as best we can!

More details available on Sport80, including how to register!

https://bf.sport80.com/public/wizard/e/40734

Applications are now open for the Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE)!

BF is committed to providing fencers with opportunities to improve performance and develop as individuals in a cost-effective way.

All 16- to 18-year-olds who have completed their GCSE year and are ranked in the top 40 (for their age on any national ranking list) are eligible to apply for DiSE. Priority will be given to fencers who are already part of the GBR Pathway programme, and places
are limited.

🗓️ Application deadline: 1st August 2026

🔗 Learn more and apply here: https://www.britishfencing.com/gbr-pathway-programme-zone/dise/

BF-affiliated clubs are invited to express their interest in joining the new Club Circle (Communities of Practice Clubs Working Group).

The newly formed group will be a critical friend to the BF Club Development Officer role and advise on how BF can practically support affiliated clubs.

🗓️ Expressions of interest close 24th July 2026.

🔗 More info: https://www.britishfencing.com/fencing-clubs-invited-to-join-the-new-club-circle-working-group/

📝 Expression of interest form: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=DiZsdi8gNk6j6cFzfUspLC0FcCGFN9BHtmfz_j8l3wdURFFUOU5TMFdXNjBOVUVKMTlGRTlTS1VJWS4u

Yorkshire Team Foil Championships & Under 14 Team Competition The Yorkshire Team Foil Championships is for teams from clubs in the Yorkshire Region of British Fencing. In addition the event will include a ‘Visitor’ category for teams from outside …

Gym-goers and young athletes across the UK are increasingly being exposed to misleading content online about IPEDs (Image and Performance Enhancing Drugs) including SARMs (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators).

This year, is shining a light on the risk of IPEDs, and making sure young people know the facts.

👉 Learn more: https://www.ukad.org.uk/clean-sport-week

UK Anti-Doping

Our next Northern Development Sabre Training Day, led by Beth Cranston -Selby will be on Saturday 14th March 10.00 - 3.00pm at Wetherby High School, Hallfield Lane, Wetherby, LS22 6JS.

The cost of the session will be £50 per fencer and again this will be booked online via this direct scheduling link

https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule/bdd78974/?appointmentTypeIds[]=88963407

MENTAL HEALTH MONDAY

Performance anxiety in fencing bouts - what do you worry about before a fight?

Performance anxiety is the nervous feeling that appears when we really want to do well. In fencing, it might show up as a racing heart before “Allez”, tense shoulders, or worrying about making mistakes. This happens because the brain links competition with importance and turns up the body’s alert system.

From a science point of view, the body releases adrenaline to prepare for action. This can sharpen reactions and speed, which is useful in sabre. But when adrenaline becomes too high, fine motor control and decision-making can suffer, leading to rushed attacks or hesitation.

The goal isn’t to remove nerves, but to manage them. Routines before bouts, steady breathing, and focusing on the first action rather than the final result all help the brain feel more in control. Over time, repeated exposure to competition teaches the nervous system that the piste is a challenge, not a threat.

Feeling nervous doesn’t mean you’re unprepared, it means your body is getting ready to perform.