Our Coaching Team

 

The coaches at Las Vegas Fencing Academy are all unified in terms of their styles of teaching and vision for member advancement. They are all available for private lessons.

 
 
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Coach Luis Patino

All the way from Cuba, Luis Patino Matamoros is a renowned fencer in sabre in his home country. He was part of the Cuban sabre national team He is passionate about passing on his tactics and skills to all of his students. He had participated in many national and international fencing tournaments, and had earned his “A” ranking in sabre.

Luis is energetic and enthusiastic, and is the perfect addition to LVFA. He is head coach of the sabre program at LVFA. His international fencing experiences will be an asset to his sabre classes.

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Coach James Bui

James Bui first started fencing at Kalamazoo college with John Kreuger in 2013 and later became an assistant instructor alongside him. A year later, James then came to the former Red Rock Fencing Club and trained with Head Coach Frank Van Dyke in 2014. He was then deemed assistant coach in 2017 and had coached many young adults.

James has fenced in many competitive tournaments . He is currently a Division 1 épée fencer. James is talented in all blades but mainly specializes and excels in épée.

He mainly specializes in the strength and conditioning of our fencers along with teaching various tactics and moves to help improve our fencers’ game and style. His effective communication and innovative approach to training and fencer development has baffled many opponents, and produced remarkable results. Empathy and compassion are the hallmarks of his coaching style, emphasizing the growth of the fencer both on and off the strip. He is available for private lessons.

Of note, James does not believe in smiling for photos. However, he is one of the most well decorated and sponsored fencers on the circuit. Be sure to ask him for free samples when you meet him!

 
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Coach Lester Gonzales

All the way from Cuba, Lester is also a renowned fencer in sabre in his home country. He was recruited by Coach Luis Patino, and is now an integral part of the sabre team at LVFA, As a national sabre fencer back in Cuba, Lester had earned numerous national and international fencing titles.

Lester has an enthusiastic but gentle approach to teaching his students, and thus making it super fun and supportive for new fencers to learn this Olympic sport.

Assistant Coaches

Natasha Lee and Abigail Operario are assistant coaches who specialize in coaching children. They both possess the fun and patient personalities that are vital to teaching and engaging kids. They both are nationally ranked and regularly compete in regional and national fencing competitions.