With his weapon aimed at her torso, Joseph DeLisi took careful steps forward and backward in line with his opponent's motions until it was time to lunge for the attack.
As the spring-loaded button of his flexible sword hit his competitor's electrically charged steel vest, a green light flashed above them. DeLisi, 11, had scored a point and ultimately he won the battle.
The Needham resident was one of several children perfecting his dueling skills at the Boston Fencing Club in Waltham yesterday afternoon in the middle of a four-day clinic that ends tomorrow.
"I like that you get to hit people," said DeLisi, who made sure to show sportsmanship by thanking and shaking hands with his opponent after the defeat.
The nonprofit Boston Fencing Club offers four-day clinics during summer vacation to introduce young fencers to the sport while keeping experienced competitors on top of their training. The clinics from from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and cost $350. The next clinic starts July 30.
Syd Fadner, the club's director, said fencing is becoming increasingly popular among young children and teens. The sport requires not only physical abilities but also a sharp intellect for tactical stragies, said Fadner.
"The equation in fencing is very complicated," Fadner said. "It's not enough to be just physically fit, it's not enough to be just agile and it's not enough to be just smart."
A petite and energetic woman of 50, Fadner took her first fencing class 25 years ago and was hooked. Today, she directs classes and programs at the Boston Fencing Club on Clematis Avenue, and coaches the sport at Boston College.
With roots stretching back to 1858, the club has been offering lessons for ages 6 to adult for the past 30 years, training international competitors in the process. Fadner said the clinics are geared toward the experience levels of the fencers who sign up.
Yesterday the fencers ranged in age from 8 to 15, and all of them had some experience. Each fencer wore an electrically wired vest with a cord running from their sleeves and attached to an overhead system. The system keeps track of points scored with colored lights and beeping sounds.
Roger Wieand, 15, of Concord, has been serious about fencing for about four years. "This is a sport that I can excel at," said Wieand, who said he tried baseball and hockey in the past without much success.
Helen Kwon, 10, of Sudbury, was one of only a couple girls at yesterday's clinic. Overall, Fadner said students tend to be about 60 percent male, with many boys becoming interested in the prospect of sword fighting as a sport around age 6 or 7.
For Kwon, fencing is as much a mental as it is a physical exercise.
"You have to think of different strategies for each person," she said. "They each have some strong points you have to be careful of."
Cesar Morales has been an instructor with the club for 10 years. In addition to training children and adult students, Morales also runs a program in collaboration with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, teaching cancer patients to fence. His wife Silvia, a breast cancer survivor, attends those classes.
"It helps them (the patients) to feel stronger and happier," said Morales, who is also starting a pilot program for people in wheelchairs.
For more information about the Boston Fencing Club, visit www.bostonfencingclub.org or call 781-891-0119.
Nicole Haley can be reached at nhaley@cnc.com or 781-398-8004.
