What is strip coaching?

Strip coaching is when a coach accompanies a competitor to a tournament and provides advice during the actual bouts. A student will generally have anywhere from 3-12 bouts per event, and most events run for 1.5-2.5 hours). Strip coaching is incredibly important for successful competition. Often, in the moment, the competitor is unable to see why they are not getting points or are unable to take advantage of mistakes their opponent is making. The strip coach, watching from the outside, can see these things and guide the student during a match.

Strip coaching is most effective when there is a relationship between the coach and the student. This means that the student must have trained with the coach sufficiently that the coach knows how the student moves, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and understands their psychological state during a bout. While a coach can help out a student that s/he has had no interaction with, the results will not be much better than grabbing a random coach at a tournament and asking them to coach you. The coach and student must “speak the same language” for it to be a successful endeavor. For this reason, it is important for our competitive students to attend classes and training sessions regularly!

Additionally, by coaching a student during competition, the coach gains insight into what aspects of training they should focus on with their students.

Are there times when a student can’t be coached?

Occasionally, one student who is getting coached may fight another student who is also being coached by the same coach. If only one coach is available, then neither student is coached. If two coaches are available, they will often split the duties, with one coaching one student, and one coaching the other.

Sometimes, there are multiple students competing at the same time on different strips, and the coach can not be everywhere. Generally, the coach will prioritize coaching less experienced competitors in the round robin bouts, and prioritize the more experienced competitors in the DE rounds.

Can’t I just strip coach my child?

Parents (and fellow students) certainly have a role in coaching when the Coach is not present. However, when a coach is present, they are the one that should be directing the student. When a coach is present, the role of the parent is to provide encouragement and praise for the effort that their student is putting into the match. Try to avoid shouting out advice, as it may be at odds with what the coach is telling them to do, or it may overwhelm to the student by giving them too much to think about at once. By the rules, only ONE person may have access to the fencer during breaks between points. This is generally the coach, so if a coach is there, avoid stepping up to your student to provide water, advice, or assist in fixing gear.

How do I get strip coaching and how much does it cost?

Strip coaching is automatically provided when you compete at a Seattle-area tournament (not including in-class tournaments). When you begin competing outside of class, a Competitive Fee will be added to your monthly membership. These add-ons run in 3 month cycles, and are designed to spread out the cost of strip coaching. They are also designed to provide newly competing students with ample time to decide if they want to continue competing. If you decide that competing is not in your future, just let us know so that we can remove the fee for the next competition cycle.

Local Competitive Add-on (If you are competing only at local level tournaments): $35/month
Regional Competitive Add-on (If you are competing at local and Regional level (RYC, RJCC, ROC, etc.) tournaments): $60/month