True Focus Sports Academy

🥉 Nathan Li Earns Bronze at the AFM Youth and Cadet Cup!

Congratulations to True Focus Sports Academy’s Nathan Li on earning bronze—joint third place—in Y12 Men’s Épée at the AFM Youth and Cadet Cup — Event #1 in Sunnyvale, California, on October 4, 2026!

Alexander Allison also made his competition debut, finishing 12th of 34 in Y14 Men’s Épée. He earned three wins in six pool bouts, then earned a narrow 15–14 victory in the Table of 32 to reach the final 16—a one-touch victory that made his first competition especially memorable. New to fencing and already making rapid progress, Alexander took an exciting first step onto the competition strip.

Thank you to Academy of Fencing Masters (AFM) for hosting the competition, to our fellow competitors for the challenging bouts, and to the parents and families for their encouragement and support.

We’re proud of you, Nathan and Alexander! Keep learning, keep training, and enjoy the journey!

For TFSA Junior and Cadet athletes and parents planning to enter the 2027 Junior Olympics: check your athlete’s nationality-verification status before registration.

Sign in to your USA Fencing member account → My Account → Edit Profile → Nationality Verification. Your athlete may already be verified. If not, submit an accepted document directly to USA Fencing—not to TFSA. Check age, membership, and qualification requirements separately; verification is not an event entry.

Registration opens October 7, 2026. The regular-fee deadline is November 11, 2026. This new verification requirement does not apply to NAC events.

Official USA Fencing instructions: https://www.usafencing.org/news/2026/september/28/nationality-verification-now-required-for-national-championship-events

Full TFSA notice: https://truefocussports.com/news -2027-nationality-verification

Meet Geoffrey Yao — an athlete whose discipline, drive, and fearless attitude show what steady work can build.

We’re grateful to California Fencing Camp for this feature and for recognizing Geoffrey’s journey with True Focus Sports Academy.

Watch their original Reel: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVeaEzIEk3_/

Thank you, , for the feature and for supporting young fencers.

Geoffrey Yao 🇺🇸 Geoffrey isn’t just a rising star in fencing — he’s a full-blown force to be reckoned with. During the 2024–25 season, he’s already built an impressive international résumé on the ECC Cadet World Cup circuit, earning an individual silver in Grenoble and a team gold in Samorin. And because one medal haul wasn’t enough, he also picked up a junior bronze at a NAC — just for fun. But Geoffrey’s journey hasn’t exactly followed the usual playbook. Training at True Focus Sports Academy, a small club in the quiet village of Davis, California, he didn’t have daily high-level sparring partners to push him. Instead, he had to test himself on the biggest stages — against the best. That never slowed him down. At just 14 years old, he cracked the Top 8 in juniors at a NAC, proving that while experience is nice, dedication, discipline, and a ton of hard work can take you just as far. We’re excited to have Geoffrey at the California Fencing Camp — bringing his drive, focus, and fearless attitude to every bout.

From Schoolwork to the Strip: Amy Earns Silver as TFSA Fencers Keep Pushing Forward

Balancing school and sport takes commitment. On September 26, True Focus Sports Academy (TFSA) fencers competed in Las Vegas and San Salvador.

At the 2nd BBFC Duel in the Desert, Amy Xu went 6–0 in pools and won five direct-elimination bouts to reach the Y-14 Women’s Épée final. The final came down to a single touch, 8–9. Amy earned silver, finishing 2nd among 85 competitors. TFSA teammates Chloe Yu and Astrid Yao finished 23rd and 75th.

At the San Salvador FIE Cadet & Junior World Cups, Tristan Yao went 5–1 in pools and finished 18th among 67 competitors in Junior Men’s Épée.

We celebrate the results—and the persistence, focus, and learning behind every bout. Thank you to the organizers, referees, staff, volunteers, and families who make these opportunities possible.

— True Focus Sports Academy (TFSA)

San Salvador Top 8

Tristan Yao finished 7th in Cadet Men's Epee at the San Salvador FIE Cadet & Junior World Cups.

In a demanding 25-fencer field, Tristan stayed composed under pressure to earn a Top 8 finish. Results are one moment in a longer journey of focus, decision-making, and resilience.

Thank you to the organizers, referees, staff, volunteers, and families who make international competition possible.

Official final results:
https://www.fencingtimelive.com/events/results/9AAA3AAB68BD4FBB820844FED37E3E9F



- True Focus Sports Academy (TFSA)

USA Fencing Rule Update — Effective October 1

USA Fencing has eliminated the P-Yellow card for non-combativity.

Previous progression:
P-Yellow → P-Red → P-Black

New progression:
P-Red → P-Black

The one-minute definition is unchanged: after one minute of fencing time without a touch, the first penalty is now P-Red. The October NAC in Orlando (Oct. 9–12) will be the first national event under the updated rules.

USA Fencing also strengthened safety requirements for practice bouts and lessons at competitions. Athletes and families: please review the update before travel.

Official details: https://www.usafencing.org/news/2026/september/20/p-yellow-card-eliminated-at-usa-fencing-events-beginning-oct-1



— True Focus Sports Academy (TFSA)

From classrooms to competition: TFSA athletes keep moving forward. 🤺

Amid demanding school schedules, our athletes spent the weekend at the BladeRunner ROC/RJC, completing nine official event entries across two days.

Amy Xu earned bronze in Junior Women’s Épée after four consecutive DE victories. Jessie Wang, Chloe Yu, Tristan Yao, and Austin Yu each met demanding fields with focus, resilience, and support for one another.

We are proud of every athlete for balancing academics, training, and competition with purpose. Thank you to the organizers, referees, staff, volunteers, and parents who made this weekend possible.

— True Focus Sports Academy (TFSA)

True Focus students recently took part in the club recruitment fair at Davis High School. During lunch, clubs set up tables in the campus plaza to speak with students and invite new members to sign up by email.

Jessie coordinated the shift schedule and prepared the materials; Fina arranged the tables and chairs. Fina and Woody worked the first shift, and Devin and Max worked the second. Club officers also introduced the activities DHSEFC (Davis High School Epee Fencing Club) plans to offer throughout the school year.

The event brought in 17 new student sign-ups, not including former or current members. Everyone had a lot of fun talking with students, and as a small thank-you for leaving an email address, all the candy we prepared was given out.

Thank you to every student who carefully introduced the club and warmly welcomed new students. We look forward to helping more students discover epee, enjoy training, and grow through mutual support this year.

Silver in Oakland for Nathan Li

Congratulations to TFSA athlete Nathan Li on earning second place in Y-12 Mixed Epee at today's EBFG Open in Oakland California.

Nathan entered direct elimination as the No. 5 seed and delivered two strong victories - 13-8 in the quarterfinal and 15-7 in the semifinal - to reach the final. He finished runner-up after a hard-fought 10-15 championship bout in an 11-fencer field.

A great day of focus courage and growth. We're proud of Nathan for competing with determination from the first touch to the last.

Thank you to East Bay Fencers Gym for hosting and to every fencer coach and family who helped make the event possible. Strong opponents help every athlete grow.

Congratulations Nathan

- True Focus Sports Academy TFSA

Come join the True Focus pre-NAC warm-up tournament this Saturday. Senior mixed epee with plenty of strong fencers. Potentially an A2 event.

https://www.askfred.net/tournaments/0ace5321-6e45-4484-a37e-8979203e7ca3