Musketeer Highlights for November 2019

It’s that time of the month again where we turn our spotlight onto those Musketeers that have gone above and beyond in helping the Sword Experience continue to reach countless sword enthusiasts across the globe! Our top Musketeer of the month is none other than David Chandler. David has worked with us as a Sword Partner twice now. Once in Carbondale and most recently at our Kentucky event.

David spearheaded our visit to Gilbertsville and was essential to the success of our event. As a Musketeer, he helped us secure a location for the event and was incredibly successful in spreading the word about the Sword Experience visit to Kentucky. 

Thank you, David, and we look forward to working with you again.

Our honorable mention for this month is Jay Wall. Jay has been helping us look for locations for our upcoming events in Texas. He has also volunteered to help us on-site at the event. With his continued support, we are sure to have another successful trip to the Lone Star State.

Thank you, Jay, and see you soon.

We value each and every one of our Musketeers and appreciate your continued support. It is always difficult to decide who to honor each month due to your excellent work spreading the word about the Sword Experience. Keep it up and hopefully, the spotlight will shine on you next month.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

The Star Wars franchise has been a staple in gaming since the earliest home consoles and Star Wars fans have been very particular about their games. On May 6th, 2013 Disney gave video game publisher Electronic Arts exclusive rights to make Star Wars video games for the next several years.

Since that time, EA has seemingly done little with the franchise. Fans have been waiting patiently for a triple-A publisher to release a fantastic single-player experience using the Star Wars world. Since 2013, EA has published Star Wars: Battlefront 1 and 2 that was developed by Dice, the company behind such first-person shooters as the Battlefield franchise.

Fans seemed to be disappointed in the Multiplayer heavy format of those games as well as the lack of a substantial single-player campaign. Many were worried about the fate of Star Wars video games in the hands of a publisher that seemed to be more interested in microtransactions and loot boxes than creating games that expanded upon the Star Wars universe. Enter Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

Fallen Order is EA’s newest Star Wars game and was developed by Respawn Entertainment. Respawn is most famous for developing the much-beloved first-person shooters Titanfall 1 and 2 as well as the hugely popular free to play Battle Royale game Apex Legends.

Fallen Order is set five years after the events of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The story centers around Cal Kestis, a young Jedi padawan being hunted by the Galactic Empire after the execution of Order 66. As the story progresses, Cal attempts to finish his Jedi training while struggling to restore the now-defunct Jedi Order.

The game is a third-person action-adventure game with gameplay reminiscent of the Dark Souls series mixed with the Uncharted series sense of platforming and movement. You have many tools at your disposal such as force powers that can knock enemies off of ledges and of course the iconic lightsaber.

You’ll travel to several planets on your journey picking up new skills and items to enhance your powers as you play. You can even upgrade your lightsaber and change its color. You’ll face various storm troopers and animal creatures to hack and slash your way through.

As far as Dark Souls inspired games are concerned this one falls on the more forgiving side allowing you to play through at your own pace and playstyle.

The story itself is the true selling point of the game. While it is undeniably fun to play as a Jedi, Respawn has done an incredible job adding to the Star Wars story. As with Titanfall 2, Respawn has created a story that starts off small and self-contained but slowly reveals a grander plot line with vast implications for the future of the galaxy.

There has been great care taken in creating a world that fits well into the overall Star Wars universe. By placing the story after the events of Revenge of the Sith, there is an immediate sense of urgency for the player considering that the Jedi are on the verge of extinction. While Fallen Order may not reach the dramatic heights of games like Star Wars: The Old Republic, it certainly delivers an incredible cinematic experience that will stay with you afterward.

The game has been released on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It has garnered critical and commercial acclaim since its release. Hopefully, with the success of this game, EA will see the value of a single-player Star Wars franchise and will continue to bring us more stories set in the Star Wars universe.

Netflix Gems: The King

Netflix has recently released a new period drama detailing the life of King Henry V. The film follows Hal, played by Timothée Chalamet, a disenfranchised Prince that spends his days partying at the local tavern. Hal seems to have no desire to follow in his father’s footsteps, and his younger brother appears to be the next in line to the throne.

However, Hal quickly finds himself crowned King Henry V after the untimely passing of his brother followed quickly by the death of his father. King Henry sees himself as a more benevolent and peaceful King than his father with the intention of uniting England, but first, he must face hostilities from both inside and outside the castle walls.

The King delivers an excellent display of cinematography, fight choreography, and strong acting performances from its cast. Chalamet and Edgerton are engaging to watch as they plot out the best course of action in their war against France. Edgerton truly shines as a battle-weary soldier that understands the true cost of battle.

The fight scenes range from one on one armored combat, to castle sieges, to ground warfare. These scenes are masterfully handled and beautifully shot. One battle, in particular, brings memories of the infamous “Battle of the Bastards” scene from Game of Thrones.

Outside of the epic battle scenes is a larger sense of political intrigue. King Henry must contend with vast conspiracies that threaten his every rule. He must put his faith in his closest council while contending with dissent from the clergy.

His war tactics seem brazen and appear costly, but it seems that fate and strategy may hold the keys to his legacy. Although his victories may come at an unexpected price as he becomes a victim of politics and greed. The King boasts a sharp script with characters that are well thought out and realized throughout the film.

This is not to say that the film is without faults. The King runs at two hours and twenty minutes long and could do with some slight trimming. Some scenes tend to drag on and there is a repetitive nature to some of the exchanges between Chalamet and his council. However, this is a minor grievance as the film tends to have a quick pace from scene to scene. The film also suffers a bit from an archetype villain. And while Robert Pattinson delivers an interesting performance, one can’t help but feel as though his character is a bit underdeveloped.

As far as Netflix films are concerned The King is certainly a cut above the rest and is why we’ve named it a Netflix gem. If you’re interested in historical dramas or have been searching for a movie that will grab your attention, then The King is truly worth your time.

Musketeer Highlights for October 2019

It’s that time of the month again where we celebrate those of you that have been doing incredible work for the Sword Experience. This month’s Top Musketeer is none other than Emma Condren. Emma has been integral to our successful events in Ireland. She has also been helping us scout locations in Ireland for our return in 2020. We can’t wait to return and we know with Emma’s continuous support that the next event will be just as incredible as the last. Thank you, Emma, and keep up the incredible work.

Our honorable mention of the month is Ryan Goins. Ryan did a fantastic job promoting Saluki Con and has successfully spread the word about the Sword Experience. Ryan has also been helping us coordinate a future event in St. Louis. With Ryan’s help, we hope to bring the best fitness and travel event to The Gateway to the West in 2020!

Thank you, Ryan.

Our Musketeers are the driving force behind the Sword Experience and we appreciate everything that you do for us. If you haven’t seen your name in our Musketeer highlights, do not be discouraged.

We see the hard work that you put in month after month. Your dedication has not gone unnoticed. So, keep up all of the incredible work that you do and maybe you’ll be recognized in the coming months!

Attention Holiday Shoppers

For those looking to get their resident sword fanatic something special this Holiday Season, check out the Holiday Offers on our website! You can find Sword Experience Merch, personalized photos from Adrian Paul, and limited-edition photographs.

Upgrade your workout with a Sword Experience water bottle. Get your Highlander fan a one of a kind personalized photograph with a special message from Adrian Paul. Get your loved one something they’ll treasure forever.

We’ve added new merch like our Grey Highlander t-shirt and have sizes ranging from small to XL. In addition to our merch, we’ve added limited edition photographs. Only two copies of these prints exist and can be found exclusively on our site.

Not sure what size shirt your loved one wears or what picture they want?

Fear not! Simplify your Christmas by getting them a Sword Experience Gift Card and they can buy anything their heart desires!

Don’t forget to check out the auction block where Adrian has opened his personal collection of Highlander photos that cannot be found anywhere else. Each week a new photo will be uploaded to the site to give you a chance to bid on this unique collector’s item.

For those looking for a new adventure for 2020, we have also added a new pre-event offer for Dallas, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and New York. This is the perfect gift idea for those living in or around those cities, or for those travel junkies looking for something to spice up their life. Reserve your tickets for the Sword Experience headed to your city and you’ll receive a free gift at the event!

Don’t miss out on these incredible deals that will surely make your friends and family smile this Holiday season.

Nioh

For those of you that have a PlayStation 4 with PlayStation Plus, the video game Nioh is now free on PlayStation for the month of November. From the developers of the popular Ninja Gaiden franchise comes an action role-playing game set in Japan during the 1600’s. The game features several interesting mechanics and is heavily inspired by the Dark Souls franchise. For the uninitiated, this means you will die quite frequently.

While some may find the game frustrating, the game can be rewarding as the player begins to understand how the flow of combat works. You have a large arsenal of weapons at your disposal ranging from samurai swords to axes and spears, to bows and muskets. Your character has limited stamina, known as Ki, so timing your attacks, dodges, and parries are critical in a fight.

You also have an ability to regain your stamina quickly with a timed move known as a Ki pulse which boosts the rate at which your stamina recharges. This can be critical during gameplay as you may find yourself with low stamina after an attack, but you may need to dodge quickly afterward in order to avoid a counterattack. If you missed your opportunity to recover stamina quickly, you may just find yourself on the wrong end of a samurai sword.

And while you may find yourself dying frequently, the way the game handles its upgrade system always makes you feel as though you are progressing in some way. Experimenting with the combat system is also part of the enjoyment and enemies are constantly dropping items that can change the outcome of a fight. The enemies are quite difficult but it is incredibly rewarding when you finally take out that one pestering enemy that you encountered earlier.

The game will continue to be free until the first week of December and we recommend it to anyone looking for a game featuring samurai or for those that like a side of punishing difficulty with their video games.

Update on The Witcher Netflix Series

A few weeks ago, Netflix released a new trailer for its adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher book series. You may remember that we talked a bit about our hopes for the series in one of our previous pieces and it appears from the new trailer that the combat in the Witcher series is exactly what we had hoped for.

While many of the fight scenes in the trailer are short, you can clearly see Geralt’s fighting style in some shots. He dances and twirls around his enemies in a unique and exciting way reminiscent of the video game series.

We also get a little more detail regarding the story as well as some insight into Geralt’s character. It seems as though Henry Cavill has nailed the character’s wry humor and broody indifference. It seems as though the series will be set early in Geralt’s career as a Witcher and the series will center around him protecting a young Ciri from forces unknown.

It is no surprise that shortly after this trailer was released that Netflix announced that The Witcher has been renewed for Season 2 ahead of it’s December 20th release date. Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich will return for Season 2.

“I’m so thrilled that before fans have seen our first season, we are able to confirm that we’ll be returning to The Continent again to continue telling the stories of Geralt, Yennifer, and Ciri,” Hissrich said. It appears that Netflix is confident in the quality of the series already.

We cannot wait to discuss this series when it is finally released. Check out the new trailer for The Witcher here.

Spotlight with Sword Partner Steaphen Fick

We’re are incredibly excited to be working with our new Sword Partner, Steaphen Fick. We thought it would be fun for you to get to know a little bit about our newest Sword Partner.

Sword Experience (SXP): What is your background in Martial Arts?

Steaphen Fick (SF): I started training in medieval armor in 1989. I was part of a traveling tournament group that traveled around California and performed and competed at Renaissance Faires. I did the tournaments for about 7 years, and then in 1999 I went to Europe for 6 months and studied in Edinburgh and competed in tournaments, duels, and reenactments while I was there.

Once I started teaching, I was going to international workshops around the US and trained with practitioners from different European traditions as well as sharing my experience and knowledge.

SXP: We noticed that you started off in your garage and then eventually expanded. Can you tell us a little about the growth of your school and how it has affected your life since 2000?

SF: I did start in my garage, and I was working in my yard and then when I outgrew the yard, I moved to a friend’s yard that was larger and allow me to work with more students. In 2002 I was able to rent a space in the back of a fruit packaging plant. I had the first dedicated Western Martial Arts school in the US.

I stayed there until I was forced to move for safety concerns. I moved into a different location but it was in a better location. I moved from there when they tore it down to build condominiums. From that time on, I moved when I outgrew the location that I was in.

It is because of my wife that I was able to move into the full-time position of teaching. In fact, we met and were married at a Renaissance Faire. Once I moved into professional teaching, I have been able to teach all over the country and in Mexico, Canada, UK, France, Holland, Australia, and New Zealand.

We now have a school chapter in Las Vegas, NV and Midland, TX as well as the main chapter in Santa Clara, CA.

SXP: What kind of classes do you offer for DEMAS?

• SF: At DEMAS we offer a Renaissance Track, a Medieval Track, and a Modern Track.
• Medieval track: longsword, dagger, grappling, armor, Dragon Slayers (children’s class for ages 8-13).
• Renaissance track: rapier (into rapier and dagger), side sword (into sword and buckler), sword and shield.
• Modern track: firearms training, women’s self-defense, Italian stick fighting, and Pugilism.

SXP: What does it mean to you to be a Sword Partner for the SwordExperience?

I saw Highlander in 1990, and when the TV series came out, I didn’t miss an episode. Getting to work with Adrian Paul and the Sword Experience means that I get to ‘go back to my roots’ and share an early love that meant so much to me when I was early in my sword career. I will also get to offer fans of the show the opportunity to meet and work with Mr. Paul in a school dedicated to the study of sword martial arts.

SXP: For those that are interested in learning more from your programs, what is the easiest way to contact you?

SF: The best way to learn more about the classes we offer at Davenriche European Martial Artes School is to visit our website at www.swordfightingschool.com or go to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/swordfightingschool and we can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/davenriche and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/swordfightingschool. I can be contacted by email at info@swordfightingschool.com

Our school is one of the largest in the world and we have built our student family through word of mouth and by offering not just a martial arts school, but a community that supports and helps one another.

SXP: Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions Steaphen, we look forward to partnering with you for our future events.

Now for another special piece for our blog, Adrian Paul discusses the evolution of the Sword Experience, as well as the development of his targeting system and how it will apply to future Sword Experience events. So, get ready to learn how the Sword Experience can…

Upgrade Your Life Part 2

Beginners, experienced martial artists and sword handlers alike all had recurring themes. Along with the feedback we were getting from the Sword Experience, I saw the need to improve the way we taught and not just make our experiences one-time events. We also realized that taking the Sword Experience events on a regular basis was not available to everyone, that finances to travel, or the timing to attend, would sometimes be limited.

So, we decided to launch The Sword Experience Academy, a place to be able to work on the individual aspects of Fitness, Technique, and Performance.

By doing this, the benefits were not just an improvement in technique, knowledge, and fitness, but a belief that with hard work anything could be possible. So, we developed a fitness regime that tested, balance, stamina, and mobility; a technique system that worked on targeting, flow, and sword handling; and finally, a performance session to put everything you learned in a test of communication, memory and space awareness.

To make this successful we needed to create a system that was easy to use and could be applied across the board. As a base, I saw, as did other professionals, the need to work on one of the most important aspects of sword work, Targeting. Whether targeting as a martial artist, a Hema practitioner, or for stage and film, the importance of knowing where to strike and how to strike, became glaringly clear.

So, The Sword Experience Academy numbering system came into being. Numbering systems are not new, but many times they come with names or terms, that most would have a hard time to learn in the time allotted at our events.

The basic 1-12 system we created, with attack and corresponding defense numbers, allows everyone to work on a level playing field. The moves also have corresponding footwork, to show a variety of movements that can be used.

These are by no means set in stone, since in many situations, either on a film set or in the real world, any fight needs to be fluid in the environment you find yourself in. You need to find what works best for you and like any system, we are finessing it constantly. Slightly different hand position, adjusted footwork, a change of timing, are some of the things we look at as we move it forward.

Plus, it can be applied to whatever your style, or sword you use, a katana, Broadsword, Claymore, Jian, Zweihänder, Longsword or any other long-bladed weapon. Of course, the technique for handling each is different but the cuts are the same and being precise is paramount to beating your opponent, or keeping your partner safe.

Most of the numbers in the twelve-movement system can be adjusted for different sword situations. For instance, our number 2 defense position is a right shoulder, tip pointed upwards, blocking parry. However, sometimes you may block with the tip pointing downwards, based on your particular technique, or your partner’s.

Our number 3 lower left hip blocking position, with sword tip pointing down and forwards, right hand in a supinated (palm to the sky) position, can be adjusted to pronated (knuckles to the sky) downwards block position. The technique for handling each is different, but the target and the corresponding cuts are the same.

So, how does this apply to the rest of the sword experience events? Well, later in 2020 we will be creating our grading system, challenging you to show us your ability to perform the twelve attack and defense system as a whole and then gradually performing numbers together in a variety of katas and techniques.

This will allow you to have a goal to rise through the grades and allows us to get to know your skill level better. That way, when you attend any of our events, we will know how much information you already have, which in turn will allow us to know what sword work would benefit you best.

We will be applying this at our upcoming SXP Academy in Chicago (November 2019) and in Los Angeles (January 2020) where we will be looking to challenging you to improve over a three-session course.

This cost-effective course will allow you to choose what you want to learn so that if you are just looking to improve your sword technique, or learn more about stage combat you will have an affordable fun and challenging way to do so. Watch the sword experience pages and our social media channels for upcoming special offers.

I look forward to seeing you at one of our Elite or convention events or better yet, watching you improve at one of our Academy events. Until then.

“If you cannot do great things today, do small things in a great way and tomorrow great things will surely come.”

Netflix Gems

There is a lot of content on Netflix that tends to get buried. We thought it would be fun to point out some Netflix Gems that you might not have heard of. There’s a wonderful documentary on Netflix called Playing Hard about the development of the video game For Honor.

It follows the story of Jason Vandenberghe and Stéphane Cardin as they create an entirely original video game property as well as the trials and tribulations that go along with developing an original concept.

Jason Vandenberghe had dreamed of developing a game like For Honor since he was a child playing with sticks in his backyard and pretending to be a knight. His dream was to capture the feel of sword fighting. The game itself is quite innovative as it created a brand-new fighting mechanic for the genre.

While most games with swords usually just amount to button-mashing which turns them into hack and slashers, For Honor attempts to create realistic sword fighting by forcing the player to be wary of their opponent’s positioning of their sword in order to properly block, parry, or attack. This creates very intense encounters as you must be constantly aware of your surroundings as well as your opponent’s movements.

Video games are the top-grossing entertainment industry right now with the gross profits doubling those of the yearly box office, but 85% of all video games are sequels.

Original concepts are incredibly rare as they present a huge risk to publishers. Producer Stéphane Cardin has an unenviable task of trying to develop Jason’s ambitious project while also appeasing his company Ubisoft and releasing a triple-A game on time.

The documentary is incredibly interesting to those who have a passion for video games and swords and shows just how difficult it is to develop a completely new IP. So, check out Playing Hard on Netflix. It’s definitely worth your time.

Note: Many of the developers at Ubisoft Montreal speak French and there are no subtitles for them unless you switch on Closed Captioning. A large portion of this movie is in French so it is vital to turn it on.

Musketeer Highlights for September 2019

It’s that time again where we turn the spotlight on you, our wonderful Musketeers. We’re proud to announce that the Top Musketeer for September is none other than Joe Estee.

Joe was a fantastic Sword Partner for our Boston Experience, but his work did there! Joe absolutely went above and beyond in bringing Boston together by helping us find a wonderful location, a photographer, and a videographer. He also helped promote the event, which was a huge success.

Thank you, Joe, and keep up the incredible work.

As with every month, it’s not always easy to pick our Top Musketeer, so we’d like to mention Shan O’Connor. Shan has been actively promoting the Sword Experience on social media and we’ve noticed the incredible work she has been doing.

Thank you for your continued support Shan.

Now, for a special piece for our blog, Adrian Paul took time out of his busy schedule to discuss how the Sword Experience has evolved over time. Learn how Adrian decided to start the Sword Academy, as well as what he has learned through his time with you at his events.

So, get ready for a two-part series on how sword fighting, sword choreography and physical fitness can be used to…

Upgrade your Life Part 1

When I was looking for a name for this new business, I called this company the Sword Experience because I didn’t want to state that I was teaching a particular style of sword work. I knew there were many martial arts groups and practitioners, who adhered to the style they practiced and there would be those critiquing what we were about to launch.

I realized that my job was not to teach a sword style but instead give people the experience of handling one. Let’s face it, Duncan Macleod’s “style” grew to be a collection of many that he had learned along the way, in order to face the enemies who confronted him.

So, starting the Sword Experience, my goal was to give people a taste of the art, in the hopes that they would enjoy it and perhaps begin studying in whatever style they felt a connection to. But to many, it has become more than that.

Our initial events were structured to learn the choreography from certain television shows and movies, allowing you to participate in something that you could only watch on screen, and perhaps secretly wished you could.

The comments we received from the more than 70 events we have offered, across several countries and in a variety of amazing locations, has made me learn how powerful putting a sword in someone’s hands can be. I am not talking about strength, but what it does to your spirit.

Some have taken away the need to study a martial art or return to one they abandoned many years before. For others, it has given them the inspiration to get fitter, to be able to accomplish something they never thought possible, even get on a plane for the first time to take an amazing vacation or visit places that they only read in history books.

Being a teacher, I learned that the way someone handled a sword was a pretty good indication of their character, or how they approached their lives.

If they held the bokkens too tightly, they would sometimes be holding on to things in their personal life. If they struck their partner with too much strength venom it showed me that they may be too aggressive. If they didn’t want to swing the sword and held back, they were probably doing the same thing when approaching situations that they were faced with in life.

Being A Sword Partner

We recently reached out to our wonderful Sword Partners to ask them what it’s like to work with the Sword Experience and Adrian Paul. We thought it would be interesting to get to know a little bit more about the people that help make the Sword Experience such a success.

Sword Partner Jay McCabe has worked with the Sword Experience for two of our events in the UK, and he was kind enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to give us an inside scoop into his background with sword choreography and his relationship with the Sword Experience.

Sword Partner Jay McCabe
‘Never give a sword to a man who can’t dance’ – Confucius

My journey to being part of the Sword Experience, I imagine, will be slightly different from others. As a young man, I trained in Latin American dance and Tae Kwon Do and it wasn’t for a long time until I was introduced to the amazing world of swords.

After training as a performer, I was fortunate enough to be at the right place at the right time. I began working at Warwick Castle and was introduced to a company called ‘Dressed to Kill’, a company that not only makes and manufactures armor but also provides, performances, education, and team building in the form of archery, axe throwing, and sword training.

I began working with them providing shows as a knight for castles around the UK. Fast forward nine years later, and here I am, a 15th Century knight (war of the roses) for most of my daily life, performing at some of the most amazing sites that the UK has to offer as ‘The Warwick Warriors’

As the Warwick Warriors, we have three main shows, all of which are combat-based. The Warwick Warriors show is where we use a mixture of historically accurate sword fighting, storytelling and myth-busting to entertain and educate in a fun way.

Though we have another 15th Century show ‘Tournament of the Knights’ a mixture of choreographed historical combat with competitive combat between the four knights who take part including swords, axes, pole hammers, and maces.

Great fun! Our third main show is ‘Georgian Duelling Gents’ set in the 15th Century that is akin to the Warwick Warriors though this time fighting with rapiers, daggers, and Sabers!

After 9 years of full-time fighting, we have gone from strength to strength, fighting for hundreds of thousands of people, in castles, halls, stages, streets, and even nightclubs!

It has been an unbelievable journey and every day I get strapped into my armor; I can’t help but think of how incredibly lucky I am!

It was at Warwick Castle where I first met Adrian Paul. I was a Sword Partner for the Sword Experience Warwick event two years ago. I overcame my small amount of being starstruck, having been a big fan of the Highlander television series, and fell quickly into my usual relaxed manner and was happy to see that I was able to have a laugh with him whilst we rehearsed and ran through the fight.

Having been a Sword Partner for two Sword Experience events I can say It’s been a huge amount of fun. The dedication the team has to making sword fighting accessible to everyone regardless of previous training is truly great. Everyone can do it and everyone will have fun doing so.

That, more than anything, is what I hope to add to future events to come. It’s great to swing a sword, it’s great to meet Adrian, but it’s even more great to do it in a safe and fun way!

Musketeer Highlights for August 2019

It’s that time of the month again, where we highlight those Musketeers that have gone above and beyond for the Sword Experience. We are proud of the hard work that you put into promoting our work and spreading awareness for the Sword Experiences pursuit of bringing our love of fitness, sword choreography, and fun to fans across the globe.

Our top musketeer of the month of August is none other than the wonder Mr. Shawn Dempsey.

Shawn proposed a number of wonderful venues for us to explore in Denver. His suggestion of holding the Sword Experience at Wings Over the Rockies is exactly the kind of exciting venue that we were looking for.

Shawn even took it a step further to help promote the event by putting up flyers all over the area to spread the word!

So, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for all that you do Shawn.

As with every month, it’s difficult to choose the top musketeer of the month. We have two Musketeers that we think deserve an honorable mention.

First up is Shelley Shearer. Shelley has helped us look for venues to host the Sword Experience on the East Coast. She also helped promote our recent trip to Boston and was successful in spreading the word.

Thank you, Shelley, and keep up the great work.

We’d also like to recognize Ginny Hough. Ginny is an active member of our Musketeer Facebook group and has created many engaging discussions. We always appreciate those that are active in our community and continue to engage with others about all things related to the Sword Experience.

Thank you, Ginny, we look forward to reading more of your posts.

If you haven’t seen your name mentioned yet, do not worry. We are very much aware of the fantastic work that all of our Musketeers have done for us.

Your dedication to the Sword Experience is greatly appreciated and one day, you may just see your name here!

Being A Sword Partner

We thought it would be interesting to reach out to some of our past Sword Partners and learn a little bit more about their side of the Sword Experience. We also thought it would be interesting to learn more about their background in Martial Arts.

Sword Partner Robert Frankovich was kind enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to tell us a little about his experiences working with Adrian Paul in Minnesota as well as his preferred sword fighting style.

Sword Partner Robert Frankovich

The Adrian Paul Sword Experience has partnered with White Tiger Martial Arts for two events in Minnesota. They have been outstanding experiences. Being able to assist and teach for Mr. Paul has made for great memories.

It does help that I have been an avid Highlander fan since the show was originally broadcast.

The first event was part of the 2016 Crypticon. It was something that I kind of fell into. I saw the posting for the Sword Experience and decided to email an offer to assist as possible. The response was an offer to help teach, which was immediately accepted.

Shortly after committing, the scene information was sent over. It was going to be interesting! I hadn’t seen Dracula Untold yet but the choreography was cool.

The second event was July 2018 and held in the Normandale Community College Japanese garden. All of the preparation for attendees was done outdoors. As the way things go, of course, it started to rain.

Actually, the rain helped make the preparation portion of the event even more cool. Once it became too bad to continue, the group moved into the parking ramp to finish the preparations.

What could be more awesome than training with the Highlander in a parking ramp?

Now, the rain didn’t help to get the performance portion out in the garden. Adrian got all of the attendees positioned and ran through the filming plan. The rain allowed a handful of runs before getting heavy.

The heavy rain caused a break where everyone gathered in a gazebo. This happened two or three times. It was a bit frustrating though it allowed everyone to chat with Adrian. Many good stories were told.

This second event included a handful of local martial artists. Three of them were my Korean sword (Haidong Gumdo) students. The technique flexibility makes it easy to adapt to the performance of the fight.

Haidong Gumdo is the branded name of the organization that I belong to. It is very common to see it listed as Haedong Kumdo. Our organization doesn’t do the Kendo version, though, which is partly why the branding is applied.

White Tiger Martial Arts have been teaching the curriculum of the World Haidong Gumdo Federation for the past 14 years. We are part of the USA Haidong Gumdo Association and the Midwest Haidong Gumdo Association.

This curriculum focuses on the use of the sword for cutting and understanding combat applications. This work has the tangent benefit of helping develop problem-solving skills and working under stress. This personal development is a prime focus.

A really fun piece from all of this is that all of the fun with Mr. Paul started because about a dozen of my students went to the Crypticon event in 2016. Well, that started doing panels (demonstrations and discussions) at local SciFi and Anime conventions that we still do.

For more information on White Tiger Martial Arts, visit www.wtma-mn.com.

Swords in VR

Virtual Reality has slowly but surely taken a life of its own lately. The technology has only been getting better and the applications of VR are becoming much more advanced. For those who are fans of sword fighting

there are plenty of games that are on the market that can allow you the chance to become the ultimate warrior.

We thought it would be fun to look at some of the games that have come out on various VR platforms that allow you to wield a sword.

First up is Beat Saber.

While Beat Saber is mostly a music game in the same vein as Rock Band and Guitar Hero, what sets it apart from those games is that you’re tasked with hitting blocks that are flying toward you with lightsabers.

Fans of Star Wars will have a blast flinging around lightsabers, but what makes this game to another level is that the game requires you to strike the blocks with a certain direction which requires timing and precision.

This game will definitely have you sweating as you hack and slash your way through the game’s electronic soundtrack. Beat Saber is available on all VR platforms.

Next is, of course, Skyrim VR.

Skyrim was initially released in 2011 and has seen various ports across a number of consoles, so it was no surprise that it would eventually make its way to virtual reality. Bethesda has done an excellent job of recreating the world of Skyrim in VR and at times just walking around the map can create awe-inspiring moments.

However, nothing can beat coming across a dragon in VR and plunging your sword into it in a battle to the death.

The game itself is massive and you could spend months searching every nook and cranny in the game and still find new and exciting adventures. Skyrim VR is also available on all VR platforms.

Lastly is Blade and Sorcery.

Blade and Sorcery have done a tremendous job of creating swordplay in a game that feels like it has weight to it. It is still in early access, so the developers are sure to add more modes, but at the moment the game is a gladiator arena-style fighting game.

You are placed in an environment and they are bombarded by waves of enemies. You’re given a wide variety of weapons at your disposal to fight your way through the enemies.

Fair warning though, the game is quite realistic in its depiction of violence. It also requires plenty of space to play as you will need to be able to move around the room.

At the moment, the game is only available on the HTC Vive, the Oculus Rift, and Windows VR.

There are plenty of other great VR games with swords as well, but these standout amongst the crowd.

As VR continues to progress, there will surely be other fantastic swashbuckling adventures to be had. The most promising part of virtual reality is the promise of a merging of physical fitness and video games.

Video games have unfortunately been linked to laziness and lethargy and with VR becoming more and more popular, the myth of the lazy gamer seems like it will eventually disappear.

What video games have you been playing?  Let us know in the comments………..

A Look Back at Blade (1998)

With Marvel’s recent announcements at this year’s Comic Con, one franchise that seemed to surprise the most was a reboot of Blade with Mahershala Ali. The Blade comic book and movie franchise are known for their brutal violence and adult content, which begs the question if Marvel and Disney are going to finally delve into the R-rated comic book movie genre that has been popularized recently by Fox’s Logan and Deadpool.

The original film was one of Marvel’s biggest successes as a small production company at the time, and the success of the next few Blade films paved the way for the Marvel Cinematic Universe thus changing the course of cinema for the next few decades. So, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at the original Blade starring Wesley Snipes.

Initially, Marvel studios had developed the film as early as 1992 with LL Cool J in talks as playing Blade. However, Marvel opted to license out the character to New Line Cinema. Executives at New Line had only three actors in mind for the role; Denzel Washington, Lawrence Fishburne, and Wesley Snipes. Writer David S. Goyer believed that Snipes was the only person who could do Blade justice.

The film was produced with a budget of $45 million and grossed $70 million domestically for a total of $131.2 million worldwide. Two sequels were produced after the success of the first movie.

Blade is considered a signature role for Wesley Snipes. His portrayal of the vampire hunter is nothing short of perfection. He brings broodiness and a sense of cool that truly makes the character iconic. Blade is a man of mystery.

Throughout the course of the film, you learn that his mother was bitten by a vampire while she was pregnant with him, making him half-human half-vampire. He has all of their strengths, but no one their weaknesses, except for a thirst for human blood.

With the help of his mentor Whistler, played by Country Music legend Kris Kristofferson, Blade is able to curb his thirst for blood with the help of a serum.

Blade’s main task is to hunt down Deacon Frost, played by Stephen Dorff, and stop him from unleashing the vampire blood god, La Magra. Twist’s and turns abound in the film, as it is later revealed that Blade’s mother is not dead as he thought, but in actuality is now a vampire.

The vampire that turned her is none other than Deacon Frost. This sets up an interesting power dynamic between the villain and the hero. If Deacon Frost had never attacked Blade’s mother, she would not have gone into labor birthing him as the half-human half-vampire that he became. In essence, Deacon Frost is Blade’s father.

One aspect of the franchise that hopefully Marvel gets right, is the vampires themselves. In the original film, the vampires were scary. The film spares no time showing us this as it opens with a vampire blood bath night club scene that Blade crashes.

The vampires dance around as blood pours from the fire sprinklers above them and toy with the only human on the dance floor like a cat with a mouse.

The vampires in the movie have increased strength and are shown being able to rip out an individual’s throats with a swift bite to the neck. Blade was made in an interesting time period where CGI hadn’t quite surpassed practical effects, so a large portion of the film was filmed practically. Much of the violence in the film is created with fantastic prosthetics that are both gruesome and scary.

Because CGI wasn’t quite up to par as it is today, many of the fight scenes are also practical, featuring incredible sword and fight choreography.

The fight choreography in Blade still holds up quite well. Blade swings his sword with ease slicing through a large portion of his foes with his iconic sword. He has a range of weapons in his arsenal as well and during combat, mixes between gunplay, swordplay, and stakes.

The fight scenes are all backed by a fantastic soundtrack that truly adds to the visceral impact of the choreography.

The news that Marvel is rebooting the series is fantastic. It will be exciting to see what Marvel and Disney will do with this franchise. The character is much more grounded in reality and his reality is hard, brutal, and violent.

He is not a god-like Thor, nor is he a billionaire with a vast army of flying suits, but simply a half breed between a human and vampire.

One can only hope that the powers at Marvel take a look back at their first successful film franchise and incorporate some of the aspects from that series into the new one.

The Witcher is Coming to Netflix

Netflix recently released a trailer for its new series based on The Witcher book series.

For those of you that are unaware, The Witcher is a fantasy series comprised of short stories and novels written by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. The story centers around the adventures of Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter that wields steel and silver swords and takes bounties for coin.

The books have spawned several games, graphic novels, and even a Polish Television series and film.

Very little is known about the upcoming Netflix Witcher series. Henry Cavill is playing Geralt of Rivia and he has stated that he’s played The Witcher 3 multiple times. Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich recently stated at Comic Con that fans of the games should not expect the show to ever mine the games for source material.

While this may disappoint some fans of the game series, The Witcher has quite a lot of material to draw from the books. So, the plot of the series will not be in short supply of monster hunting, magic, and political intrigue.

However, one aspect of the video games that should not be overlooked is the combat design for Geralt. Motion capture artist MaciejKwiatowski has provided his sword handling skills for all three of the Witcher games, and the choreography is unique to Witcher series.

Witcher’s do not carry shields with them, so their combat style is much more agile and swift. One could liken their moves to a type of a deadly dance.

One could liken it to Oberyn Martell’s fight style from Game of Thrones but with a sword rather than a spear. While enemies in the game follow a traditional combat style like HEMA, Geralt dances around them with deadly pirouette’s that make his fight style shine.

He also has an arsenal of magic at his disposal that makes him able to chain attacks in combat for a cinematic fight. Check out this video of the motion capture design of Geralt in action below.

Considering that Henry Cavill is such a big fan of the game, there is hope that he pushes for a combat style similar to the combat that is featured in The Witcher 3. We already know that Cavill is fully committed to doing his own stunt work.

His recent work on Mission Impossible: Fallout is a testament to just how far he’s willing to go to take stunts over the edge. In all likelihood, he will be doing all of his own stunts for The Witcher series.

It will be interesting to see if the Netflix series does take a cue from the combat from the game series as the sword choreography could make for some amazing spectacles of action that will hopefully keep this series relevant for a long time.

Let’s Build Our Community

We here at the Sword Experience strive to create an environment that is friendly and inviting for those who love sword culture, pop culture, physical fitness, and of course fun. We’ve got a lot planned in the coming months for the blog.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our previous series The Perfect Sword, written by Chris Fields, and soon we will be starting a series featuring our Sword Partners to learn a little more about their training in sword choreography and their experiences with Adrian Paul and the Sword Experience.

We’d love to hear more from you guys. What topics would you like to see covered in the coming months? Is there a franchise out there that you think doesn’t get enough love?

Is there a new fighting style that is piquing your interest and you’d like to learn more about it?

Feel free to comment below and tell us what interests you!

 

Musketeer Highlights for July 2019

It’s that time of the month again, where we put the spotlight on those Musketeers that have gone above and beyond the call of duty for us here at the Sword Experience. These Musketeers have taken it upon themselves to help us continue to deliver the best fitness and travel event around. Many of you have helped us over the past month and we have noticed your effort and dedication to the Sword Experience.

Our Musketeer for the month of July is the fabulous Ulrike Gaate. Frau Faate was an integral part of the success of our most recent Retreat Experience in Germany. Ulrike helped us find the beautiful Ahrensburg castle and helped Adrian on a daily basis during the event itself. She even helped us lock down a wonderful photographer for the weekend. She helped promote the event leading up to the retreat and generated a lot of buzz for the Sword Experience. With all these things in mind, Ulrike Gaate is the months top Musketeer. From all of us here at the Sword Experience, thank you Ulrike!

As like in our previous months, it is never an easy decision to pick our top Musketeer. This month we have two honorable mentions. First up is Launi Pettersson. Launi has continued to expose more people to the Sword Experience through social media. She shared discount codes and we always love when we can help save people money. Second is Chris Fields. Not only is Chris a very active on all of our social media platforms, but most importantly Chris has helped contribute to the blog with his Perfect Sword pieces. Thank you so much for all you do Launi and Chris, and keep up the fantastic work.

If you haven’t seen your name mentioned in our Musketeer Highlights, do not get discouraged. We have noticed your hard work month after month and we appreciate all that you do for us. Your dedication to the Sword Experience may just be recognized next month.

The Perfect Sword Conclusion

During the Middle Ages of Europe, Asia saw a different progression of sword crafting happening. The traditions and cultures of Asia took these societies down different paths. Chain mail armor became common, but never as common as it was across Europe. Lamellar armor, sections of plates woven together, similar to Roman armor, became more common in many areas of Asia, especially China, and became a mainstay, for the most part, all the way up into 16th and 17th centuries. It is thought that ease of construction and better textile availability may have led to this long period of similar armor designs.

The cultures, arts, and traditions of the warriors, as well as the sword makers themselves, kept sword design somewhat similar through this period through Asia as well. Even though hardened and tempered steel was common all over Europe, the sword art of blending various steels together to create a layered steel blade stayed prominent in much of Asia. This led to these types of blades being typically shorter and thicker, and therefore stiffer than their European counterparts typically. Sword usage was also somewhat different than that of Europe.

Although still a backup weapon to the spear or polearm, for the most part, sword techniques used much more flat parries and deflections, and thus guards on Asian swords tend to be rounder disk-like shape, instead of the European style crossguard. When shields were being used in combat, swords had smaller guards and were single-handed. When shields weren’t used, swords had larger guards and longer handles for two-hand use. The Chinese Jian and Dao swords of the Ming and Qing dynasties, as well as the famous Japanese Tachi and Katana, all come from this time.

With the advent of firearms like the musket and the prominence of gun powder growing in the late 15th and 16th centuries, we yet again see a major change in sword design. Note however, again, sword design change seems to lag change in armor design in this time. The musket essentially made plate armor obsolete. Since plate armor was dying off, the sword’s design to be used against it also started dying off. And swords shifted from a backup weapon to the polearm, to the backup weapon of the firearm.

Armor now reverted back to more textile-based, and sword design changed to be suited for this type of armor, or lack thereof. Here is when we see the designs of the cutlass/sabers and rapiers and eventual small swords become prominent. These split off based on design intent, with the cutlass and saber being focused on cutting, and the rapiers and small swords being focused on thrusting.

A few sabers and rapiers had a good capability for both cutting and thrusting, but due to the war tactics of the times, usually, one was preferred over the other. These preferences depended on the preference and tactics of the individual military groups. And for civilian use, the dueling sword became prominent, which is the small sword. This is one of the view examples of a sword being the primary weapon, but as a civilian sidearm and not a weapon of war. On the battlefield, the same blades were secondary weapons.

So, as you can see, when searching for the perfect sword, it really depends on the variables. What’s it made of, what armor does it have to be against, is it used with a shield or from horseback, are all vital variables in choosing the perfect sword. So, with this in mind, we can say that there probably isn’t a perfect sword overall, but instead, a perfect sword for a certain set of variables.

Chris Fields has trained in martial arts and various forms of swordsmanship for 29 years, and instructing for 23 years, including choreography for various stage, theater, and film. Chris is critically acclaimed for his choreography work in the St. Petersburg Shakespeare Company production of Hamlet and Richard III, as well as various works in independent film and film festivals throughout the southeast.

Chris is also a sword maker and smith of 25 years, and owner of Sterling Armory, providing quality functional swords for various industries. When not working on swords and martial arts, Chris is a Senior Aerospace Engineer working for Honeywell Aerospace, a NASA subcontractor and affiliate.

Combat Corner

What Makes the Brienne of Tarth Vs the Hound Such a Great Fight Scene

Despite the negative backlash from its final season, Game of Thrones was and still is a magnum opus that broke new ground for storytelling for the small screen. There have been countless battle scenes throughout the seasons with people arguing over which one is the best. Is it Battle of the Bastards? The Battle at Black Water? Or is it The Battle for Winterfell? Everyone seems to focus on the large-scale battles, and often overlook the small one on one battles sprinkled throughout the series. One of the best fight scenes in the entirety of the show is Brienne of Tarth versus The Hound.

Game of Thrones has always defied expectations in exciting and scary ways by placing characters in dangerous and often unpredictable situations. What makes the battle between Brienne and The Hound so exhilarating is that they are both fan favorites being pitted against each other in deadly combat. The stakes are high in this universe and at the time of airing, it seemed like no one wanted anything horrible to happen to either character. But when titans collide, the results are often devastating.

The lead up to this fight makes it all the more devastating. Over the course of almost an entire season, The Hound and Arya develop an odd couple father and daughter type relationship. Arya despises The Hound and even has him on her list of people to kill. Yet over the course of their journey, we see the pair’s relationship develop into an odd sense of trust. Even though they may not say it directly, they admire each other.

While this story unfolds, Brienne continues her quest to uphold her oath to Catelyn Stark to find Lady Stark’s daughters and return them to Winterfell. When Brienne stumbles across Arya and the Hound she believes that her quest is finally over. As Brienne tells Arya that she’ll take her to safety, The Hound reminds Brienne of all the Stark family members that have been killed. “There’s no safety…. If you don’t know that by now, you’re the wrong one to watch over her.”

With that line, the two begin to fight in one of the most brutal and gut-wrenching fights of the series. Each slash, parry, and punch carry so much physical and emotional weight behind it. As Brienne bests The Hound in sword combat, The Hound switches things up to hand to hand combat by grabbing the blade of her sword with his bare hands and ripping it out of her grip.

As they begin the hand to hand fight, each one of their punches and kicks feel devastating to the viewer. Eventually, Brienne is able to grab a rock and repeatedly smash it over The Hounds’ head, sending him over the edge of the mountain and falling to what looks like his death. The win is ultimately a Pyrrhic victory for Brienne of Tarth as Arya escapes.

What makes this one of Game of Thrones best fight scenes is the emotional toll that it leaves on the viewer. The fact that these two powerhouses and fan-favorite characters were pitted against each other in the first place is a testament to the subversive writing of the series. The fight itself is painful to watch on multiple levels. That’s what makes it one of the greatest battles in the entire series