The GBR National Camps are athlete development camps which give athletes the tools needed to become a successful, self-sufficient athlete. This is done by bringing the country’s top fencers together with the top coaches across a number of annual camps, aligned to their competition calendars.
Development camps aim to provide strong sparring opportunities aimed at developing both an individual’s skills and a wider GB squad culture. This combines with developing the broader skills vital to negotiating the modern sporting landscape, including managing time and budgets, designing and following a training plan and how an athlete can publicise themselves for potential sponsorship or funding opportunities.
To help achieve this, the development camps have partnered with the Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE), funded by the Department for Education. This is a BTEC level qualification for development program athletes aged 16-18, not in university, and allows athletes to gain a qualification alongside their training.
The camps are structured to complement the cadet and junior competition calendar, with themes to match the time of year relative to this. Below is a summary of the dates for each camp, as well as their aims and any additional learning being provided:-
8-9 February 2025 Royal Masonic School Rickmansworth – epee foil para sabre. European championships cadet & junior team preparation
15 April 2025 Nottingham Jubilee – epee foil sabre. New Pathway applicants and all DiSE
16-17 April 2025 Nottingham Jubilee – epee foil T1 & T2
16-17 April 2025 Cardiff – para sabre T1 & T2
12-13 July 2025 Nottingham Jubilee – epee
12-13 July 2025 Leon Paul – foil
12-13 July 2025 Cardiff – para sabre
30-31 August 2025 – epee foil para sabre (1st of 2025-26 season)
Training events will vary in their set-up depending on intended outcomes, some separated by weapon and some by competition level.
If you have any queries regarding Pathway activity, please complete this form: Pathway Queries
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