Levels of Certification:
The Coaches Association examines and certifies coaches in four levels of expertise:
- Assistant Moniteur (or Aide Moniteur)
- Moniteur
- Prévôt
- Master (or Maître)
In the initial level, Assistant Moniteurs are qualified to assist all levels of certified professional coaches (Moniteur, Prévôt, and Master) in teaching group lessons and beginner level classes in the club or salle. They can help the coach run a training class during the warm-ups, games for agility, speed and coordination, footwork, basic partner drills, and bouting. Assistant Moniteurs should operate under the direct supervision of a certified professional to carry out beginner courses which may be in a fencing club or school, college, or recreation program. Assistant Moniteurs earn their certification by passing an online written exam and completing 20 hours of work and 20 hours of instruction under a Moniteur, Prévôt, or Master that is a current USFCA member. Log sheets can be found here.
The Moniteur level is a professional level fencing certification that is designed primarily for those wishing to teach or coach fencing in club, community and school programs without direct supervision. They give group classes and individual lessons to recreational beginners and up to intermediate level fencers that compete.
A Moniteur candidate should know how to: care for personal fencing equipment, teach correct technical execution of various types of footwork, blade work (simple actions, compound actions, parries, counter attacks) and be familiar with basic fencing theory and tactics.
This level of certification is achieved by first passing a written online examination. Then the candidate will schedule an oral and practical examination under the supervision of two USFCA Fencing Prévôts or one Fencing Master who are Board certified. Fencing instructors can receive Moniteur certification in one weapon, two weapons or all three weapons. Each weapon is tested separately.
Click here for information on the Moniteur level of certification. For a complete study guide, you must register and login as a member and go to the Certification/Reference section.
The Prévôt level is similar to the Master level professional fencing coach with more emphasis on training fencers rather than other coaches. The Prévôt has proficiency with a variety of teaching methods so that they can train fencers of all levels to compete. They may also train fencers to become Assistants or Moniteurs. Prévôt candidates must pass a thorough test comprised of oral, written, and practical parts. The practical examination is given by a certified board of two USFCA Fencing Masters.
A coach can be certified as a Prévôt in an individual weapon (e.g. Prévôt de Fleuret (Foil), Prévôt de Sabre, etc), or can be certified in all three weapons (Prévôt d'Armes). Each weapon is tested separately.
Click here for more information about the process and requirements for becoming a Prévôt. For a complete study guide, you must register and login as a member and go to the Certification/Reference section.
Fencing Master is the highest level of accreditation. Masters are capable of teaching fencers from beginners to high-level competitive champions. Masters can also train other coaches to become Prévôts or Masters. This certification requires a passing the Prévôt written test, a written thesis and a comprehensive practical and oral examination given by a certified board of three USFCA fencing masters. A coach can be certified as a Master in an individual weapon (e.g. Master of Foil, Master of Saber), or can be certified in all three weapons (Master of Arms or Maitre d'Armes). Each weapon is tested separately.
Click here for more information about the process and requirements for becoming a Master. For a complete study guide, you must register and login as a member and go to the Certification/Reference section.