Coaches
Our Coaches
Great coaching is what separates a good fencing club from a great one. At PBFC, our coaches bring international credentials, decades of competitive and teaching experience, and something you can't fake, a genuine investment in every fencer who walks through our doors.
We keep our classes small because coaching is personal. Our instructors learn how each fencer thinks, what motivates them, and when to push versus when to encourage. Whether your child is picking up a blade for the first time or you're an adult stepping onto the strip for a new challenge, our coaches will meet you where you are.
Yousef Alaghehband — Head Coach, Épée
Yousef is an FIE Master Certified Coach with over 30 years of elite coaching experience across five continents. His fencers have earned more than 354 medals in national competitions across Canada, Iran, Brazil, and China, with recent podium finishes in both male and female épée events across every youth category from U8 through U16.
A specialist in developing young talent from their earliest years through elite junior competition, Yousef has built and led fencing programs at every level. He founded and served as Head Coach of SilverSword Fencing Academy in Montreal and the Canadian Fencing Club before that. He has coached at the Udine Fencing Association in Italy, at international schools and fencing centers in Shanghai, and at clubs in South Korea. He also served as Head Coach of the NYU fencing team.
Yousef holds coaching certifications from the International Fencing Federation (FIE), Italy's National Sports Authority, the Brazilian Fencing Federation, and the Canadian Fencing Federation. He holds a Master Diploma from the FIE Master School and has academic training in physical education, literature, and business.
Beyond Olympic fencing, Yousef is the founder and former National Coach of the Canadian Para Fencing Team. Among his athletes is Sylvie Morel, a three-time Paralympian. He is an internationally certified Para Fencing coach and referee with experience across Brazil, Italy, Poland, Austria, Canada, South Korea, Hong Kong, and China.
His coaching philosophy says it all: "Building champions is not about medals alone, it is about discipline, confidence, character, and lifelong values."
Christophe Vandaele — Coach & Club President
Christophe is a former modern pentathlete with a competitive background across Europe. Modern pentathlon is one of the most demanding Olympic disciplines, combining fencing, swimming, show jumping, shooting, and running into a single event. Fencing is its tactical core, requiring the same precision, composure, and split-second decision-making that define the sport at every level.
That multi-discipline foundation shapes how Christophe coaches. After relocating to New York City, he trained under Nora Szita — a Hungarian National Champion — and later with Olympian Tim Morehouse at TMFC. He continued to deepen his fencing knowledge by studying the techniques of seasoned veterans and integrating their strategies into his own approach.
At PBFC, Christophe works primarily with beginners and younger fencers. He's passionate about helping new students — especially kids — fall in love with the sport from their very first class. His background in multi-discipline athletics gives him a natural ability to build coordination, confidence, and mental toughness in young athletes who are just discovering what they're capable of.
As Club President, Christophe took on the leadership of Palm Beach Fencing Club to carry forward a legacy that dates back to 1927, and to shape its next chapter. His vision for PBFC goes beyond producing competitive fencers. Drawing on research into how children think and learn, including the growing evidence that intelligence is not fixed and that the right environment can unlock high performance in any child, he is building a program where fencing serves as a vehicle for deeper development. Critical thinking, problem-solving under pressure, emotional control, and the confidence to take ownership of outcomes, these are the skills fencing naturally cultivates, and they are the same skills that research shows matter most for success in school, in leadership, and in life.
Join Our Coaching Team
PBFC is actively growing, and we're looking for passionate coaches to grow with us. If you have experience coaching or fencing at the high school, college, or club level and want to be part of building something special at one of America's oldest fencing clubs we'd love to hear from you.
→ Contact Us About Coaching Opportunities
Ready to Meet Our Coaches in Person?
Book a free trial class and experience our coaching firsthand.