Coaches

“Jacob’s background and experience are a great fit for the city-wide program we have been developing in our nation’s capital,” says Vitali Nazlymov. Working together with our world-class coaching staff, Jacob’s first responsibility is going to be the development of all aspects of our youth intermediate and competitive programs as well as streamlining our after-school and day camp offerings in DC leading independent schools to ensure consistent and rewarding experience for children being introduced to the sport.

Jacob started his fencing career when he was eleven, attending classes in a church basement along the main line of Philadelphia’s western suburbs.  From there he developed a passion for the sport which carried him through middle school, past high school, and into college.  At Drew University he became captain of the Varsity Fencing team where he defeated their regional rivals Haverford.  After graduating, he got offered a position as assistant coach at Haverford, and from there he started on his coaching path. 

Jacob spent three years at Haverford, and six years at Fencing Academy of Philadelphia (FAP).  During his time coaching he found that he loved introducing people of all ages to fencing, but was especially drawn to the sight of a Youth fencer getting hooked on the sport.  He started specializing in Youth Programing, and learned the extensive pedagogy of FAP’s training philosophy.  Within a few years he starting running the new program at FAP North, and helped design the competitive training classes that took athletes from complete beginners to Regionally and Nationally competitive fencers. 

Jacob started refereeing nationally in 2016, and is working hard to break into the International Reffereeing Cadre.  As the sport continues to change and evolve, and him alongside it, he has found more and more joy in officiating.  Other than the fun of being steeped in fencing culture, reffing keeps him up to date with Sabre conventions.  Finally, Jacob likes the contrast between fencing and reffing.  When you fence a strong bout, you bring everything you have to the table, but when you ref a good bout, you do the opposite – you remove yourself and fade into the background. 

In his off times, Jacob spends time writing creative fiction.  He has a few projects bubbling underneath the surface, and if you see him staring off into space, it means he’s either thinking about a fencing drill or a new idea to write about.