The Sport
Modern Olympic fencing is a fast paced combat sport. Fencers are strong athletes who are able to make tactical decisions and execute precise form while accelerating faster than a race car. Fencing’s combination of athleticism and complex mental components make it one of the most challenging sports in the world. Fencing is one of the four sports that has been included in every modern Olympic games since the first Olympiad (Athens 1896). There are three different weapons contested at the Olympics: Foil, Epee, and Sabre.
More on Foil
More on Epee
More on Sabre
The Club
South Denver Fencing Academy, established in 2004, is located in Centennial, Colorado. Our facility is 5,600 square feet, especially designed for fencing. The fencing rooms have 13 feet from the floor to the lights, year round climate control, and floors designed to deaden impact. We have five fully regulation strips with electronic scoring systems and underground wiring. Our club teaches foil and Epee to students of all ages from ages 7 to 70+. Our fencers have fenced all over the world and have represented many NCAA teams at the collegiate level.
The Coaches
Matthew Jordan, our head coach, is a Colorado native who has been involved with the sport of fencing for over 30 years. Coach Matt is a certified coach with the United States Fencing Association and has completed courses through the National Coaches College and the Black Star Epee Program. He has trained hundreds of fencers, with many of his top fencers competing nationally and internationally. After overcoming a stroke in infancy, Matt went on to become nationally ranked fencer in both foil and Epee, making the finals at a number of national tournaments. He holds a B.A. in Theology.
Jeffrey Miller, has been fencing for over 20 years and has been both a nationally and internationally ranked fencer. Jeffrey competed internationally representing the United States. Jeffrey fenced epee for Penn State University where the team won the NCAA national championship in 2014. Coach Jeffrey is an A rated fencer as well as a nationally certified referee for both Épée and foil. Jeffrey coaches all of our classes from Intro through competitive and gives private lessons in both weapons. Coach Jeffrey holds a B.A. in Political Science from Penn State University and a J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.
Matthew Cole has been involved in fencing for over 17 years. He started his career in fencing in Minnesota and Georgia before joining us in Colorado in 2011 as a competitive fencer, certified referee, and coach. He also earned the rank of Prevot D’Epee with the United States Fencing Coaches Association. Coach Cole teaches Young Blades, Level 3, and Level 1 and 2 Epee. Coach Cole also gives private lessons in foil and Epee. He holds a B.S. from Washington University and an International M.B.A. from the University of Denver.
Jourdain Blyth has been fencing for 16 years. He started fencing at SDFA in 2006. He fenced for Northern Colorado Fencers while attending CU Boulder in 2010 and later worked as an assistant coach there from 2012-2015. Coach Jourdain moved back down to fence at SDFA in 2016 and began coaching there in 2019. He is an A rated Epee fencer, has competed nationally, and won the Colorado Cup in Men’s Epee 3 years consecutively. He holds a B.A. in History from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
