Midway through day 6, I hit a mental and physical wall. This is probably fairly common since they scheduled the afternoon off for everyone. I spent the afternoon sitting in the shade and shooting the breeze about fencing and directing.

The next day I resumed the regular schedule. I finally started to really get a feel for the movement and flow of saber. We got into more complicated lessons and sequences. I have also gotten a lot better at "coach walking."

By day eight I really felt like I could pass the practical exam, although I was still quite nervous. I knew all of the skills that I needed, but I also wanted a lot more time to practice them first. The written test was that evening, and it was not too difficult. It requires knowledge of the USFA rulebook, basic directing, fencing vocabulary and some simple educational theory.

On the last day, I took the practical exam. This required a small footwork demonstration and a short lesson on a topic selected at random a few minutes earlier. I was really nervous, but I did well. I was rather stiff in between each element of the lesson, but moved well within each sequence. My cues were the best I have done them yet, and my student had no trouble following them. I neglected to use verbal cues and this hurt my score, but I know that this was an oversight due to nervousness, since my usual coaching style is much more vocal.

Now that I have my level 1 saber certification, I have a good intellectual grasp of what I need to do, but I still need a lot of practice. I am excited to get started. I will probably start with giving individual lessons and then see about getting a beginning saber class organized.

Overall, I had a great time and learned a lot. I cannot speak higher of the coaching staff there. They were informative, approachable, enthusiastic and excellent teachers. My classmates were also great to work with. I hope to see many of them at tournaments over the years. In two years when I return to take some level two classes, I hope to take some BFC club members with me.