Without the skills provided by fencing, swordspeople would be helpless to defend themselves against tree branches and rogue orchestra conductors. Defend yourself from these common threats with today's Groupon: for $49, you get a six-week youth or adult beginner fencing class at Rhode Island Fencing Academy and Club's Warren or Warwick location (a $125 value).

Rhode Island Fencing Academy and Club employs professional instructors to teach fencing greenhorns during RIFAC's entry-level classes. Both youth and adult beginner sessions train students on basic defensive and offensive skills using the foil, also introducing strip and scoring equipment, etiquette, and proper form. All techniques and drills are served alongside historical fencing facts to imbue students with a rich appreciation for the story and lore of the sport. Future fencing masters can demonstrate their freshly gleaned skills during a fencing tournament held on the sixth week of each session, or during a sleepwalking spell the night before they get sent home from summer camp for dismantling curtain rods.

As classes are contiguous six-week sessions—no midsession drop-ins are allowed—new cycles start once every other month. Peruse the class schedule page for start dates and available times at either location. After four weeks of classes, RIFAC bequeaths students a 10% discount on their next session if they wish to further their fencing education to avenge Inigo Montoya's father in a one-man interpretation of The Princess Bride.