Classical Academy of Arms

Continuing professional education after credentialing is critical for our credential holders.   Our knowledge of classical fencing is constantly evolving as new sources are found and new translations made available.  At the same time the large area of sports science knowledge continues to evolve and grow.  Resting upon a credential you earned last year means that in a very real sense you will be behind the times next year, and that you will not offer your students the knowledge and quality of training that you should.  

As an Academy we address the need for our members to be current with a requirement for continuing education.  To maintain your credential Classical Fencing Demonstrators and Instructors must complete at least 16 hours of continuing education each calendar year.  To meet requirements from the Acadmy and the Academie d'Armes Internationale Classical Fencing Provosts and Masters must complete 32 contact hours of continuing education each calendar year.

We stress that 16 and 32 hours of continuing education are minimum numbers of hours.  The engaged credential holder should easily exceed this number.  Members are encouraged to report all continuing education that they complete.  Your continuing education hours are an important measurement that documents the value of our overall continuing education program as a vital part of the Coach Education -> Coach Development -> Coach Support model of a good coach development program.  

WEBSITE CE can be used to meet hour requirements - study the continuing education topics listed on the Academy's Website CE page.  These may be current year or archived topics.  Complete the review questions with a score of 2 or 3 of 3 correct.  A total of 4 completed topics equals 1 hour of continuing education. Report those hours following the instructions on the Website CE page

The following types of continuing education may be reported for credit:

TECHNICAL BLOG - read blog posts on the Academy's technical blog at http://classicalacademy.blogspot.com/.  These may be current or previous year posts.  Commenting on the posts on the Blog is appreciated.

GENERAL SPORTS COACHING CLINIC, WORKSHOP, CONFERENCE OR COURSE - Other clinics or conferences, including those focused on sports science or sports management, may be approved for continuing education - if possible, please request approval in advance.  These include activities of the International Commission on Coaching Excellence, the United States Center for Coaching Excellence, and Positive coaching Alliance annual training, or equivalents.  Documentation of attendance and the number of hours involved is required.

IN SALLE TRAINING - training within the club or salle in new areas of classical technique and training skills may be credited hour for hour if documentation identifying the participants and the topic and verifying that the training was conducted by an appropriate professional credential holder is supplied.  

NEW CREDENTIAL - completion of any rank in our credentialing program results in the award of continuing education hours and continuing education units based on the duration of the training course for the year in which the rank is earned.

FENCING CLINICS AND CONFERENCES - a clinic or conference conducted under the auspices of the Classical Academy of Arms, the United States Fencing Coaches Association, any other national academy of arms that is a member of the Academie d'Armes Internationale or the International Fencing Coaches Association, USA Fencing or other national governing body of fencing, or the North American Mangiarotti Society. Participation in conferences and clinics includes as an attendee and as a presenter or instructor. 

IN SALLE TRAINING - training within the club or salle in new areas of classical technique and training skills may be credited hour for hour if documentation identifying the participants and the topic and verifying that the training was conducted by an appropriate professional credential holder is supplied.

INDIVIDUAL LESSONS WITH A TRAINER TO IMPROVE FENCING OR TEACHING SKILLS - Individual lessons to improve trainer fencing skills or teaching skills with a senior trainer or with a specialist in a particular School.  

COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC COURSES - academic courses dealing with sports science, sports management, fencing, or directly related subjects are credited at the standard equivalents of contact hours for semester hours or quarter hours.  A grade of C or better for undergraduate or a B or better for graduate courses is required.  Documentation in the form of a grade report or transcript is required.

OTHER CERTIFICATION OR TRAINING COURSES - other courses that result in new certifications, maintenance of certification level, or the acquisition of new coaching ranks and skills.  These should be submitted upon completion of the course or certification.

CRITICAL SUBJECT TRAINING - training in first aid or athlete or youth protection is credited at the standard number of hours for the training.  Documentation of completion is required.

PROFESSIONAL WRITING - authoring published articles, published textbooks, published training curricula, or equivalent professional writing about fencing or related sports science or sports management topics is credited at a reasonable rate for the specific product.  Translations of works in languages other than the member's native language may also be credited.  For example, the Classical Academy of Arms text Teaching Classical Fencing: A Master Text represents approximately 300 hours of work.  A copy of the document may be required.   

PROFESSIONAL READING AND STUDY - independent professional reading and study is an important component of continuing education.  Fencing manuals, books related to fencing, sports science, sports management, sports medicine, sports psychology, tactics and strategy, decision making, or other related topics may be reported. 

FENCING ORGANIZATION LEADERSHIP AND PARTICIPATION IN BUSINESS MEETINGS - Engagement in the management of fencing organizations above the individual club gives the member an understanding of how to develop policies, run the organization, evaluate programs and their success, plan curriculum, etc., all of which contribute the knowledge and skills of the member.  Documentation of the level of responsibility and the work performed is required.    

ZOOM SKILLS TRAINING - Courses delivered online either with a teaching platform or zoom.  These should be supported by proof og attendance and contact hours completed.

QUIZLET - completion at the mastery level of one of the Academy's Quizlet flash card sets for terminology and doctrine is credited as 1 contact hour.

PARTICIPATION IN ONLINE TOURNAMENTS - participation in online tournaments organized by the Classical fencing Circle and designed to meet specific training objectives.  Hour credit is awarded for each hour of play.   

OTHER - the above are the Academy's standard categories.  If you participate in an activity that you believe justifies the award of continuing education credit, but which is not on this list, please contact us to determine its eligibility for credit. 

If you do continuing education, the next step is to report it.  Report as soon after the activity as possible to avoid forgetting to do so.  Reporting is simple:

1.  Request and use the form for Academy continuing education.  Fill out all of the blanks.  In filing out the paragraph blanks in response to questions, think carefully about what the question asks, and critically respond to your reaction to the subject of that question.  Think about your answers carefully - we are looking for the impact of the continuing education on you and your teaching. 

2.  Make .pdf copies of any materials that support your eligibility for credit and submit them if requested.  For materials available on-line, such as published articles, provided a link if requested. 

3.  You should hear from us within a week verifying that your submission has been received.  If there are follow-up questions, please answer them quickly.

5.  When you receive your annual continuing education transcript, check to make sure that it is correct.

The Academy provides an annual transcript of all Verified Continuing Education reported to it for each member.  Requests for a transcript should be directed to the Academy's e-mail address.  The transcript provides verification of the member completing the annual continuation education requirement to maintain the currency of their credential.