Coaches
Brian Chen
Head Saber Coach, TFA Founder
Coach Brian Chen has nearly 20 years of competitive fencing experience and brings to Titan Fencing Academy a wealth of fencing and training knowledge. Coach Brian began fencing at Island Fencing Academy at the age of 12 under the tutelage of former US Junior and Cadet National Team Coach Boris Khurgin, and was also mentored by renowned Team USA Coach Andrew Fischl (CyrusOfChaos).
Coach Brian trained at Manhattan Fencing Center, home of the US Olympic Saber team, studying under legendary 7-time Olympic Coach and Hall of Famer Yury Gelman, where he served as a training partner for several members of the US National Teams. As a fencer, Coach Brian has competed at and achieved top results in competitions at the regional and national level, in addition to participating in numerous international training programs both domestically and abroad, which included members of National Teams from various countries.
Coach Brian is a USA Fencing certified coach since 2021 and has previously coached at Island Fencing Academy, Allegro Fencing Center and the Cold Spring Harbor Varsity Fencing Team. Many of Coach Brian’s students began fencing under his guidance as complete beginners and have gone on to earn medals at regional and national competitions. His coaching philosophy is rooted in pushing limits, building perseverance, and helping each student discover their unique strengths through consistent training, mentorship, and hard work— both on and off the strip.
Deniz Berkay
Elite Saber Coach
Coach Deniz has an extremely sucuessful competitive career spanning nearly two decades. Coach Deniz has spent much of his competitive fencing career training at Island Fencing Academy, Manhattan Fencing Center, and Fencer’s Club, learning from two legendary Olympic Coaches; Yury Gelman (7-time Olympic Coach and Hall of Famer), and Dimitri Rhonzin (2-time Olympic Coach).
As a competitor, Coach Deniz fenced for St. John’s University, where he competed extensively for 4 years as a member of their NCAA Division 1 team. Coach Deniz has competed in the Cadet, Junior, and Senior World Cups and World Championships and European Championships. These competitions have included Grand Prix and World Cups held in Cairo, Madrid, Moscow, Seoul, Budapest, Padua, Warsaw, and Tbilisi, among others. Coach Deniz’s career finish was a Bronze Medalist at the 2014 World Cup held in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Prior to joining Titan Fencing Academy, Coach Deniz has previously coached at Globus Fencing Academy alongside Coach Hyokun Lee, the former South Korean Olympic Men's Saber Coach, and at Scarsdale Fencing Center with Coaches Archil Lortkipanidze and Coach Maksim Lahotska. Coach Deniz has also coached the Cold Spring Harbor Varsity Fencing Team alongside Coach Brian.
Donal Mahoney III
Saber Coach
Coach Donal Mahoney is an accomplished fencer, with a long list of achievements in his fencing career. Coach Donal started fencing at Island Fencing Academy under former US Junior and Cadet National Team Coach Boris Khurgin and Maestro Misha Shimshovich, and is a former 2-time All-Long Island fencer as well as Captain of the Garden City High School fencing team. During his competitive fencing career, Coach Donal was a finalist in the 2016 Summer National Championships and was the Gold Medalist at the 2019 Atilla Peschauer Open Tournament.
During his collegiate fencing career at UMass Amherst, Coach Donal was also named Captain of the fencing team, where he was a Bronze Medalist in the New England Intercollegiate Fencing Conference Individual Championships. In addition to coaching at Titan Fencing Academy, Coach Donal has previously taught fencing at Allegro Fencing Center as well as served as both Assistant Coach and Head Coach of the Cold Spring Harbor fencing team, where he played an integral role in recruiting and building out their high school fencing program.
Andrew Fischl
Guest Saber Coach
Coach Andrew Fischl is household name in the fencing community, renowned for his YouTube and social media presence Cyrusofchaos, where his fencing videos, analytical discussions, and fencer interviews have amassed over 18 million views. Coach Andrew has been involved in the sport for over 20 years, where he first began learning at Island Fencing Academy at the age of 16 and became a mentor for countless students.
Coach Andrew went on to fence at Vassar College from 2007-2011, where he was the first in the program’s history to qualify to the NCAA Championships 4 times, and has studied at numerous world class clubs, including the New York Athletic Club, training with dozens of top ranked coaches and fencers. Coach Andrew went on to achieve remarkable success both domestically and internationally, where he went on to become ranked as high as 5th in the US and in the world, competing as a member of the US Senior National Team.
In addition to his successful career as a national team fencer and YouTube work, Coach Andrew has also been a regular presence at Regional and National competitions as a referee, where he directed countless bouts over the years, including numerous Gold Medal matches at National Championships. Coach Andrew made the transition to coaching in 2021 at Globus Fencing Academy where he immediately made an impact on the club's students alongside Coach Hyokun Lee, the Korean Olympic Men's Saber Coach.
Many students of Coach Andrew have been accepted into and are fencing for top universities in the US, such as Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. Two of Coach Andrew's most notable students include Taylor Chon and Silas Choi. Having trained extensively under Coach Andrew, both are members of the US Junior and Cadet World Teams and are multiple-time national champions. Taylor was the world champion of the 2023 Cadet World Cup in Meylon, France and both fencers have been ranked as high as 5th and and in the world, respectively.