Coaches

Maestro Abdul Habek
Abdul is a passionate and effective fencing coach who has trained nationally ranked athletes for many years. His love of fencing led him to found EBFG in 2001. He was twice voted the “Coach of the Year” at the University of California, Berkeley where he is also Head Coach. He earned his M.S. in Physical Education/Coaching at Ukraine State University of Physical Education and Sport in Kiev. Abdul has coached both here and abroad, including the Moroccan National team. He has a competitive background in fencing and soccer, and speaks 4 languages: English, Arabic, French and Russian. Maestro Habek’s students range from beginner to elite competitor, including many nationally and internationally ranked fencers.

Keith Lichten
Keith has a rich background in fencing. He ranks nationally and internationally and brings enthusiasm and a love of fencing to his coaching.

Joel Kaufman
Joel brings a love of teaching to the sport of fencing. He was formally trained as a coach in all three weapons under the USFA Coaches College program, working under the tutelage of Alex Beguinet, Ed Richards, Abdel Salem and more. In addition, he also was trained as an armorer in the same program under Dan Dechaine.  Joel is a multi-time division 2 and division 3 epee National medalist as well as having victories in a variety of Baycup events. He currently competes in national and local Veteran events. Joel has been a student at East Bay Fencers Gym with Abdul Habek since 2001 as one of the first members of the club, and a coach as well since 2016. Joel currently teaches both beginning foil as well as beginning and Intermediate epee classes and private lessons.

Brett Williams
Brett started fencing in high school where he was a two time  NJ state champion.  He was recruited by many top university fencing programs and ultimately chose Columbia University.  During his college career, Brett earned two NCAA Championships, two NCAA second place finishes,  and 3 Ivy League Championships.  He also spent a year in Madrid training with the Spanish national team.  During his time in Europe, he represented the US in World Cups and other international events.  Brett attributes his success to great coaching and training at the NY Athletic Club with Olympic athletes.  As a student of Dr. Aladar Kogler, he learned that the mental side of the sport is as equally important as is perfecting the technical discipline.  His philosophy is to build a strong foundation in conjunction with training the heart, mind and body to optimize performance.

Matt Maychrowitz
Matt started fencing at age 18 and has been coaching for over 20 years. He is a highly ranked national fencer who has trained and competed in all three weapons. He has experience coaching athletes of all ages and levels. Matt brings his extensive background and strong passion for fencing to his coaching. He is committed to helping athletes maximize their potential.