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A Look Back at Blade (1998)

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A Look Back at Blade (1998)

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

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

The Perfect Sword Part 4

The Perfect Sword Part 4

By Chris Fields

As the Roman Empire took over and iron and early steel were developed, the Roman’s iconic sword the Gladius came into prominence, as it served as an effective tool alongside the soldier’s large tower shields. The tactics of the Roman army lead to the general shape of the gladius, most likely derived from earlier bronze hop lite swords, designed primarily for trusting and quick cuts in close quarters, side by side in tight formation lines, with massive tower shields protecting the wielders. It was an effective combination that swept most of Europe, the middle east, and northern Africa. The longer version, the Spatha, was design to be used mostly from horseback, where longer reach and larger swings could be utilized.

As better materials were discovered, developed, and able to be better utilized, sword blades tend to get longer and more flexible, sword designs from all over the world started to develop at different rates.Driven mostly by armor design and cultural traditions of the time and place.

In Europe after the Roman empires steel developed early on, and mail, also known as chain mail, as well as cloth armor became more common, long single hand steel swords with wide I-beam like blades were designed to be light and flexible as to slice into the gaps in the mail armor.

These were still designed to be used with a shield, and not by themselves. Because they were very flexible and designed mostly for cutting, these blades usually had very rounded tips as they were not as effective at trusting. This is what we think of as a typical Viking sword, but we see this design all throughout Europe from the pre-Viking era all the way up in the early medieval era.

Once good steel became common in the late 13th and 14th century and better armor was being produced, sword design had to change to adapt to new armor designs. Plate armor became popular and sword design now shifted again from large, thin, slicing blades, back to more ridged blades with acute points with thick diamond cross sections.

These blades could not only trust into the gaps of the plates when fighting against armored knights, but also cut when fighting less armored ranks. From here we get designs of the famous knightly swords, long swords, and great swords of Europe.

The guards on these swords become more important for hand and arm protection as shields became smaller and less common. And style of combat, as well as cultural traditions and influences, brought about the design of the European cross guard. At the same time sword handle lengths often grew as shield size reduced or shields were no longer needed due to the armor and two hands could be focused on the swords.

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.

How to Bring the Sword Experience to You?

Many of our Musketeers have asked us how to bring the Sword Experience to your town, and today we’d like to share with you how to make your Sword Experience dream a reality. If there is not a Con Experience happening in your area, then the only way for a Sword Experience to come to your town is through your diligent work as a Musketeer to put on a fantastic Elite Experience.

Those who have read our previous blog regarding the Elite Experience already know that when we put on an Elite Experience, location is key. Our goal during an Elite Experience is to create a sense of immersion and scale with a unique backdrop to the event itself. Since we may not know what hidden gems of locations your town holds, it is up to you, our trusted Musketeers, to bring these locations to our attention.

A prime example of this is our Elite Experience we recently had in Bowling Green. Stephen Fisher, one of our most valued Musketeer’s and Sword Partners, found the perfect locations for both the training portion and the climactic final fight scene for our Bowling Green event. He allowed us to hold the sword training and physical fitness portion of the event at his Fencing Academy. He also made us aware of the wonderful Historic Railway Park located right next door. This Railway Park was the perfect spot to film the final fight scene for the event as it was not only relevant to the chorography learned that day, but it was a breathtaking and unique location that we felt took the Sword Experience to the next level.

The next thing to consider is that the Sword Experience is also a class in physical fitness, sword training, and sword choreography. All classes need students. When we bring the Sword Experience to your town, we need to know that people in the area are interested in learning the art of sword handling and fight choreography.

During all Sword Experience events, you will be paired with a partner as you learn the art of sword handling and sword fighting together. It is imperative to the learning process that there are as many participants as possible to ensure that people can be paired off with those with similar skill sets. If it seems like there is not interest in our event, then the likelihood of us coming to your town is slim. The easiest way to show us this interest is by tagging us on social media, and getting others in your area to show interest in our events. You and your friends can also email us at contact@swordxp.com with your interest in the Sword Experience.

Lastly, you can help us find photographers and videographers in your area. We pride ourselves on capturing the moments shared at our events and want nothing but the best. If you know someone in the area that is a professional photographer and or videographer, send them our way.

These individuals are essential in making the Sword Experience a success. Everyone wants to take home a keepsake of their adventure with us, so we’re looking for the best photographers and videographers we can find. These photographers and videographers are essential in telling a story through images. Your help in that subject is always greatly appreciated.

Of course, your hard work will be rewarded if each of these components are met. Not only will the Sword Experience make it to your hometown, but as our Chicago participants have learned, when we discover a location that we like, we love coming back! So, keep up the excellent work and you may even get a shout out from us at The Sword Experience.

What is the Sword Academy?

We’ve already discussed what the Con Experience, the Elite Experience, and the Sword Experience Retreat are, but what exactly is the Sword Academy. The Sword Academy is a program for those who wish to focus completely on the physical fitness and sword choreography portion of the Sword Experience. It is a stripped-down version of our Con and Elite Experience’s.

While our Con and Elite Experience’s are a fun one-time training day, the Academy is a continuing class that teaches you the fundamentals of sword training, fight choreography, and sword handling. As you continue with the program, your agility and strength will increase. Your targeting and sword mastery will increase. The goal of the Sword Academy is to increase your quality of life through the art of sword choreography as a form of physical fitness.

Each one of our Academy sessions has three seminars each with a different focus. The first seminar focuses on basic physical fitness to improve stamina, balance, mobility, and strength using swords to create an unconventional 90-minute workout. The second seminar focuses on technique.

This 90-minute session stresses the importance of sword handling by strengthening one’s ability to correct targeting, angulation, speed, and agility with a sword. The final seminar focuses on performance. If you’re interested in how fight and sword choreography translate to film, this is the seminar for you. This two-hour class focuses on understanding how camera angles and direction influence a fight scene.

When you sign up for the Sword Academy, you will automatically become a Sword Academy member and gain exclusive access to our Sword Academy training videos to continue your physical fitness and sword training at home. Every time you sign up you will receive a new set of training videos to add to your collection and continue you down the path of becoming a sword expert.

Musketeer Highlights June 2019

Musketeer Highlights June 2019

It’s that time of the month again where we honor the Musketeers that have been doing excellent work for the Sword Experience. With the help of these wonderful individuals, the Sword Experience continues to be the best fitness and travel event around the globe, because our Musketeers hail from all over the world!

Our top Musketeer in June is Priscilla Manriquez. Priscilla is a long time Musketeer who has attended many of our Sword Experiences. She is active on social media and runs her own fan Facebook page, constantly interacting with our social media team, retweeting and shouting out the website. Thanks to her active participation online, she has shared the message of the Sword Experience to countless people and as a result has brought new participants to several Sword Experience adventures.

Thank you, Priscilla, and keep up the hard work.

 

Like every month, it is always a difficult decision as to who is the top Musketeer of the month, so we have two honorable mentions.

First up is KioneFarish. Kione is a relatively new musketeer from the United Kingdom. She has been doing fantastic work promoting our European events on social media and has generated buzz for our Irish and English experiences.

Thank you, Kione. Your work has not gone unnoticed.

 

Our second honorable mention is Claudia Mehelm. Claudia is one of our most valued Musketeers. Claudia, a German Musketeer, helped us put together a very successful Germany trip last year and continues to be a proactive member of our online community by engaging with our social media and promoting our various events.

Thank you, Claudia. Hopefully, we’ll see you at this year’s Germany retreat!

If you didn’t see your name on this month’s top Musketeers list, fear not. Each month we will shout out those Musketeers that continue to do great things for the Sword Experience. Just continue to actively participate in our various social media outlets and keep spreading the word about the fantastic benefits that the Sword Experience has to offer.

Sword Culture

We at the Sword Experience wish to continue to be your best source for all things sword and sword related. We’ve asked one of our favorite Musketeers and sword maker Chris Fields to talk about The Perfect Sword as a serial piece for our blog. In this week’s blog post, Chris discusses the various swords throughout history and reminds us of the practical uses of various swords from their specific periods.

Chris Fields has been training in martial arts and various forms of swordsmanship for 29 years, and instructing for 23 years, including choreography for stage, theater, and film. Critically acclaimed for his choreography work in the St. Petersburg Shakespeare Company production of Hamlet and Richard III, he has worked in several independent film productions 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.

The Perfect Sword Part 3

In our quest for the perfect sword, it is wise to look back throughout history and see and understand how swords developed, why they take the shapes that they do, and how they fit the functions they were designed to serve.

If we look at the history of swords from all over the world, a great variety of shapes, sizes, and designs are present. Everything from single-edged curved two-handed swords, all the way to double-edged short single hand swords, and everything in between. Wide blades, narrow blades, fullered blades, diamond-shaped cross section blades, even blades with no sharp edges but only a sharp point, numerous amounts of designs exist.

So, why is this? Well, at the most basic level, you can take each sword design and attribute it to a relatively small number of variables that drive its design. These variables include the materials available, the armor it has to pierce, whether used with a shield, or on horseback, and finally, cultural influences, traditions, and art of the time.

Another fundamental trait that most people forget or may not realize is that swords, for the most part, were never primary weapons. They were typically the secondary sidearm that backed up either a spear and shield or lance or another sort of primary polearm or in later years, a firearm weapon. A typical trait for most cultures that cannot be forgotten when thinking of various swords and sword designs throughout history, and it adds much-needed context to different sword designs.

Materials available are most likely one of the main driving forces in designs, especially of early swords of the Bronze Age and early Iron Age. When you see an original bronze or early iron age sword, a few things might surprise you. These blades are typically very short (less than 25″), extremely flat, but have a very large ridge, or ribs, that run down the length of the blade. These ribs were required to stiffen the blades as the material of the time wasn’t strong enough or able to produce a flexible enough blade as the lengths increased.

This can be found in blades from ancient China to ancient Greece, and even amongst the ancient Celts. Greek hoplite swords, falcatas, Egyptian khopeshes, Celtic swords, and Shang to Han Dynasty swords all have these similar traits. These thin and light blades could cut through the mostly fabric armor of the times or exposed areas of the body behind the shields.

Another common trait of these early bronze blades is that they all lacked any substantial guard for the most part. Mainly because these types of swords were almost always used with a large shield of the period, and not designed to be used by themselves. Hand and arm protection were provided by the shield, and the sword did not require a guard as we typically think of a sword guard today. And to reiterate, these swords were secondary weapons, backing up the primary spear or polearm weapon for most cultures, and spent most of their time hanging from a belt on the warrior’s side.

What is a Sword Experience Retreat?

The Sword Experience has many different events that we offer. In our previous blogs, we’ve talked about the Con Experience and the Elite Experience, but what exactly is the Sword Experience Retreat? The Sword Experience Retreat isn’t just about physical fitness and sword choreography. The Sword Experience Retreat is a travel event like nothing you have ever experienced before. The goal of our retreat is to give you time to learn sword choreography and technique in a unique and fascinating location, a more relaxed version of our Elite Experience that takes place over several days. Our intention for the retreat is to open your world view to new experiences and cultures while also gaining valuable physical fitness skills at a relaxing pace.

Our first retreat in Belize was a smashing success. Participants in our Belize event had a blast with our numerous daily activities planned out throughout the week that included fitness, joint mobility, snorkeling, and sword training. The culmination of their training ended with a choreographed fight set against gorgeous Mayan ruins. These retreats allow you to fully immerse yourself in the Sword Experience for several days while creating a relaxing travel experience that you will be talking about for years to come.

Coming up very soon is our retreat to Ahrensburg, Germany. Each retreat offers a unique travel experience, and our Germany retreat is no exception. Join Adrian Paul as he trains you in the art of sword handling, fight choreography, and physical fitness with the gorgeous Ahrensburg castle as the backdrop for your travel adventure. Participants in this year’s retreat will get to have a movie night with Adrian Paul, where you will watch Highlander: Endgame featuring choreography that you will learn on your retreat. Pick Adrian Paul’s brain with an exclusive Q&A after the movie. Most importantly, though, experience the fantastic food and culture that Germany has to offer in this unique travel event. Hopefully, we’ll see you in Germany this year for the Sword Experience Retreat, and for those of you that cannot make it this year, keep your eyes open for a next retreat and join us for what is sure to be a best fitness and travel event that you will ever experience.

Thanks for Another Successful Con

Thanks for Another Successful Con

The Greater Austin Comic Con was yet another successful Sword Experience Con Event for this year. We’re thankful for every one of you that attended. Adrian had a fantastic time sharing his knowledge of fight and stunt choreography with you all. Of course, the best fitness and travel event in the globe is only strengthened by a fantastic Sword Partner, so thanks again to Anthony Buonomo for being a wonderful addition to the Sword Experience team.

Spotlight

We here at the Sword Experience strive to be the best source of information for all things Sword related, so we asked one of our favorite Musketeers to write a little about what goes into making the perfect sword in a continuing series. Chris Fields has trained in martial arts and various forms of swordsmanship for 29 years and been 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.

 

The Perfect Sword – Part 2 

So, what is your perfect sword? Well, to answer this question, we first need to ask what we plan on doing with your specific sword. Historically, there were countless types, shapes, and designs of swords, all to fit various functions. So, what functions does your sword need to serve? This is where The Sword Experience guides you. The Sword Experience that Adrian Paul has created teaches a very strong foundation in choreography techniques, and exercises, which draws from various forms of sword combat from all parts of history. It’s a fantastic blend of sword techniques that takes various choreography styles from theater, film, and martial arts, and blends them into one system that is relatively easy to learn and follow as well as an easy foundation to build on. So, what kind of sword is best suited for this class? A real sharp steel blade? Well… your partner may not agree with that. Even if they did, you wouldn’t be happy the first time one of you misses a beat in the choreography.

For the last 27 years, we have been developing various types of swords for various functions. From live steel sparring blunted swords to wood and aluminum training blades, to real steel historical recreations that match the original pieces in museums down the specific measurements. Each type of piece serves a much different purpose.

What Would You Consider The Best Qualities For A Sword used at A Sword Experience Event?

You might say it needs to be lightweight, comfortable in the hands, able to be used with two hands and can take a beating, with hours of sword on sword contact. It should also be safe to use against your opponent’s blade. Some people also may think of maintenance, it should be easy to maintain. After all, these aren’t Hollywood fantasy swords made from unobtanium! So, what fits these specific criteria? Adrian introduces students to the wooded or synthetic bokken. This is the perfect choice for the task at hand. Not only is the wooden bokken a historical tool for swordsmanship all throughout history, but the Sword Experience also takes this sword up several notches as they make available on their website several options for your perfect sword with custom handles and wood selection types, which allow you to personalize your own sword. The wooden bokkens are made by Texas Steel Props and are beautifully handcrafted to your design choices. These bokkens are built extremely tough and are easy to maintain, and safe to use with any partner in your Sword Experience class. You may have seen these custom bokkens at your local Sword Experience class.

Other Functions For a Sword.

Texas Steel Props and Sterling Armory can also provide these, or at least point you in the right direction if we cannot. An example of a different function, are pieces that are made for live historical reenactments. These typically require real steel blades, made as accurately to the originals as possible in form and function, including heat treatment of steel, but still made blunted so they can be used for either historical reenactment choreography, or actual historical martial arts sparring and combat. These blades serve a much different function and are therefore made to withstand the actual environment of steel on steel combat. They require a bit more maintenance than your average wooden bokken. However, they too are not indestructible, and a high degree of skill and experience is required to use these blades properly, with proper technique to not overly damage or break them. Not surprisingly, the best way to make these blades is very similar to how they were made in historical times. Care must be made in construction that they are not overly heavy or poorly balanced. This can only be achieved by deep study and hands-on experience of actual historical blades.

Theater or Film Choreography.

For this function, we typically make aluminum props, sometimes steel, to be used to appear as real blades in form, but be closer to bokken in actual function. What sets these apart often from both bokken, and many real swords is they are required to look like a real sword, have a good sound on impact, but be safe to use and easy to maintain. Aluminum swords can be brought to a high polish and be very hard to distinguish from a real steel blade, but maintaining that mirror polish is much harder than something like a satin finish, which can be maintained with typical scotch bright pad, especially for heavily used swords that see a lot of choreography. In many ways, these types of swords are just as hard to make as real historical steel blades, as care must be taken to ensure rounded edges are designed and engineered all over the piece and special construction methods are required to make the blades have that classic “ching” sound on impact, which is often dubbed in film, but can’t be dubbed for live theater and performances. Again, these are very durable props, but they are not indestructible, and care must be used, as well as good technique, and experience, to use these swords without damaging them. For instance, aluminum swords should be able to be used with wooden or synthetic bokkens assuming the edge thickness of the aluminum swords is thick enough, but aluminum swords should never be used against steel swords, even of the same design.

What is the Elite Experience?

You’ve already learned about the Con Experience from our last blog post, but many of you may be wondering what the differences are between the various experiences the Sword Experience offers. The Elite Experience is one of the most unique travel events we offer. Join Adrian Paul as you train in the art of sword handling and sword choreography on the grounds of spectacular locales. Past Elite Experiences locales have included castles, historic rail yards, and Japanese gardens. Included in your ticket is an epic five-hour training experience focusing on sword fighting techniques, targeting, and fight choreography from a film or television series. Your fight will be recorded by a professional photographer and videographer that will capture every epic moment.

The Elite Experience isn’t just about physical fitness. It’s about the unique travel opportunity that it presents. Join us this June in Limerick, Ireland and explore all that Limerick and King John’s castle has to offer. Learn the fight choreography from the 1938 cinematic classic, The Adventures of Robin Hood. After Ireland, we’re bringing the Sword Experience to the Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire, England. Join us on July 7th as Adrian Paul teaches you the fight Choreography from the BBC show The Hollow Crown. We’ve had rave reviews from past participants. One of our previous Elite Experience had this to say; “It exceeded my expectations, and I went in with high expectations. Calling it an Experience is exactly what it was. This isn’t a panel at a Con, a seminar on swords and choreography, or a meet and greet. It was an experience where you actually learn and perform skills that you can build on if you choose to.” So, don’t miss out on a unique fitness and travel event. Find the next Elite Experience that excites the travel bug in you.

Musketeer Highlights May 2019

Musketeer Highlights  – May 2019

Our Musketeers are the heart and soul of the Sword Experience. Without these wonderful people dedicating their time and effort to help Adrian and his staff, our events would not be as successful as they are. These men and women have helped us find unique and exciting locations to hold the Sword Experience.

They’ve tagged, retweeted, and shared us out on social media, and helped us engage our message of sword culture and physical fitness. We’re proud of the work they’ve done with us and so today, we’d like to highlight a few of you that have stepped above and beyond the call of duty and thank you for all that you do.

Musketeer of the Month.

For those of you that have been following the Sword Experience for a while, it should be no surprise that Stephen Fisher is our top Musketeer of the month. Stephen has done so much for us over the years, but this year’s Bowling Green event shows just how dedicated he is to the Sword Experience’s mission.

Stephen is not only our Sword Partner for the event, but he also offered to host the event at his Bowling Green Fencing Academy. Stephen also found the best spot to film the climactic final fight for the event at the Historic RailPark & Train Museum. A perfect fit for the choreography you’ll be learning from the episode “Methuselah’s Gift” from the Highlander TV series.

Stephen spread the word about the Sword Experience and helped us grow our family of sword culture fanatics. He helped us find the best videographer and photographer in the area to ensure that every moment of the Bowling Green event was captured beautifully.

We consider Stephen to be a shining example of what a Musketeer’s relationship with the Sword Experience can be. He loves swords, he loves physical fitness, and he loves to spread his knowledge of both with the world. So, from the bottom of our hearts, Stephen, thank you for all that you do for us at the Sword Experience.

Musketeer – Honorable Mentions 

First up is Richard Ganey. Richard may be a newer musketeer, but his service to the Sword Experience community has not gone unnoticed. Richard helped us as a Sword Partner with our recent Elite Event in Lakeland, Florida. He also brought the Sun n’ Fun event to our attention which was a great location and we were happy to attend.

Our second honorable mention is Rileah Ringo. Rileah has been a long-time supporter of the Sword Experience, the PEACE Fund, and all of Adrian Paul’s work. She’s one of our most valued musketeers on social media and continues to spread the word about the various events that the Sword Experience holds. Rileah also helps run a fan-made Sword Experience Facebook page. We’re proud of the work that both of these Musketeers have accomplished and we can’t wait to see what else they have in store for us in the future.

If you don’t see your name listed here, don’t worry. We know a lot of you are doing incredible work for us, and we see you. This Musketeer Highlight will be the first of many, as each month we plan on focusing on those Musketeers that go above and beyond in helping the Sword Experience community thrive and grow. This month’s top Musketeers list was not an easy decision considering how much you all do for us.

We have so many events on the horizon, so if we have an event in your area, don’t forget to ask us for your referral discount code so you can start earning points as a Musketeer while also helping your friends save money on the best fitness and travel event that they’ll experience all year.

If you’re new to the Sword Experience and want to learn more about becoming a Musketeer, click here. Otherwise, keep up the great work you have done as one of our valued Musketeers, and who knows, we may be writing about you next month!

Sword Culture

The Sword Experience has traveled all over the globe practicing the art of sword choreography, physical fitness, and fandom since 2015. Over the years, we have developed the Sword Experience into one of the best fitness and travel events across the globe. Our goal is to find those who have a common interest in physical fitness, film and television, martial arts, and swordplay and share in our knowledge of these interests.

We here at the Sword Experience strive to be the best source of information regarding sword culture, so we asked one of our musketeers, Chris Fields, to write a continuing series about what makes the perfect sword.

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 theSoutheast. He 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.

The Perfect Sword Part 1 by Chris Fields

If you are a sword enthusiast, or a fan of 80s movies like Conan, Highlander, Beast Master, Excalibur, and the Highlander TV series, you may have thought about and dreamed of what the perfect sword is for you. Back in the 80s and 90s and even today, Hollywood portrays swords as indestructible weapons and symbols of famous warriors that can slice through anything and do impossible deeds without receiving even a scratch.

History, though, teaches us something very different. And it takes leveraging a bit of both to find the perfect sword, or at least, the perfect training sword, or bokken, to help get the most out of The Sword Experience. In reality, historical swords, even the best swords ever created, can and did get damaged, and were far more fragile tools than what we’ve seen portrayed in Hollywood. Real swords are also much lighter than most modern perceptions and are very agile and quick weapons for the most part.

Most of the modern blades available 10, 20, and even 30 years ago, fell into 2 basic categories.

  • First is what is commonly called “wall hangers” and are typically stainless-steel blades, which not made to actually be used, but instead to hang on a wall as decorations. These swords are typically extremely beautiful pieces of art.
  • The second type was the complete opposite, usually found in renaissance fairs and theaters around the country, and are plain looking swords usually referred to as “Stage Combat” swords that are typically extremely overweight compared to their historical counterparts found in museums all over the world.

Back in the 80s and 90s, most of us didn’t know the difference, even those of us in martial arts, theater, and film. It was through the popularity of these 80s and 90s movies and shows though, that the history of swords and sword usage and combat techniques from all over the world became much more explored, researched, and studied.

Thus, today, if you know what to look for, you can find a variety of options that you may consider to be your perfect sword.

What Is the Con Experience?

The Sword Experience offers a multitude of options to get the most out of your sword training. The Con Experience is one of those options, but what exactly is the Con Experience?

Adrian Paul loves to visit with all of his fans and the easiest way to get to spend time with them is by visiting various conventions around the globe. After many years on the Con circuit, chatting with fans interested in swords, fight choreography, and film, Adrian had an epiphany. He could bring his Sword Experience directly to his fans as part of his time at the convention.

Conventions usually have quite a bit to offer, but no one was giving fans the chance to reenact their favorite fight scenes. So, Adrian created the Con Experience.

During the three and a half to four-hour Con Experience, convention-goers are given the opportunity to learn sword safety, sword basics, sword choreography, as well as fantastic film industry insights. The most basic package of the Con Experience even offers fans the chance to take home a Hollywood edited video of their final fight from the choreography learned throughout the experience.

Fans receive access to all the photographs taken at the event by a professional photographer. For those that want to practice the sword choreography they learned at home, simply upgrade your ticket to the Silver Con Experience and take home your very own bokken dedicated by Adrian Paul

With the Gold Con Experience, you can customize the blade length on one of our beautiful Classic White Oak Sword Experience bokken with a carbon-Kevlar cast of a traditional wrapped Japanese tsuka as its handle.

The Gold Con Experience ticket must be purchased 4 weeks prior to the Con itself because we send the bokken directly to you before the event.

We here at the Sword Experience want your convention-going experience to be more than just the usual con shuffle. Our goal is to share with you Adrian’s vast knowledge of physical fitness, sword training and fight choreography to provide a Con Experience that is unlike anything you’ve had before.

Don’t miss out  –  Past participants have described as “The best con experience I’ve ever had!”

Spotlight on Anthony Buonomo !

Spotlight on Anthony Buonomo !

We here at the Sword Experience are excited to be working with our new Sword Partner, Anthony Buonomo, for our upcoming Con Experience at the Greater Austin Comic Con. Anthony was brought to our attention by one of our wonderful musketeers, Erik Middleton. A fantastic find Erik, thank you. We had quite a few submissions from our other musketeers, which we are very grateful for, but there was something about Anthony’s fighting style and fight training that caught our attention. We sat down with Anthony to learn a little more about the man, his fight training background, and what exactly this HEMA thing is that he’s brought to Austin.

Sword Experience (SXP): So first off, tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? What is your martial arts background?

Anthony Buonomo (AB): Though this always gets me odd looks in Texas, I’m a Yankee. I grew up in a small town in upstate New York, roughly an hour south of Albany. I went to college in Philadelphia, and lived there for about 9 years before I made my way to Texas in 2010. Perhaps fittingly, my martial arts background is as varied as the places I’ve lived. In my hometown, several friends and I got into ‘boffer’ fighting – we’d take PVC pipes, wrap them with pool noodles and duct tape, and make swords. This was little more than a bunch of guys hitting each other with padded sticks, but definitely solidified my love for weapon combat. In Philadelphia I took classes at Zhang-Sah Martial Arts, in a system that combined multiple styles into one; we studied a mix of Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Judo, and Aikido. I studied with them for 5 years, and was able to receive my black belt. During this time, I also was exposed to SCA (The Society for Creative Anachronism) combat, and did their heavy fighting (rattan weapons, metal armor) for about 3 years as well. There was an unfortunate lull in my training from when I moved to Texas until I found HEMA, but in 2014 I met some crazy guys in a park, swinging metal swords at each other, and was hooked.

SXP: Tell us about the Austin Historical Weapons Guild. How long have you guys been in operation? What is HEMA?

AB: HEMA stands for Historical Eurupean Martial Arts. We’re not just swinging swords around, doing things that look cool, but instead are basing our teachings and techniques on our best interpretation of what was done in the past, back when people still fought with swords. We are fortunate to have dozens of manuals from that time that we can reference, and they often have pictures of the actions they are describing, aiding in our understanding. HEMA can cover a broad range of topics, and time period. One of the earliest manuscripts that people study teaches Sword and Buckler, and has been dated to around 1200; others will look at Saber manuals from the 1800s. Other weapons that we have manuscripts for include wrestling, dagger, poleweapons, rapier, side-sword, and of course, longsword.

Austin Historical Weapons Guild is my labor of love and passion project that has exploded beyond my wildest dreams. When I started in 2014, there was a group of guys that met up once a week at a park. Soon after I joined, the head of the group had to move and the rest of the group was left adrift, no direction, and no leader. With my previous martial arts background, I offered to help the more experienced members ‘go back to the sources’ and create our own understanding and interpretation of things. When we started this, we were purely focusing on longsword, and even went by the name ‘ATX Longsword’. As we slowly expanded our weapons base, the longsword became less relevant, so in 2016 we rebranded as Austin Historical Weapons Guild. We now offer classes 5 days a week and cover six different weapons.

SXP: What is the benefit of training in a multiple weapons system?

AB: One of my favorite idioms has become “it’s all just sticks in hands”. The human body can only move in certain way, and when you put a weapon, any weapon, in your hands, the options actually get smaller. You need to deliver force through the weapon, and to do that, you need to keep body position and structure.

By training with multiple weapons, we are able to focus on a technique or concept and learn it in the easiest way. Sometimes it’s with a shorter weapon, like the dagger or through wrestling; other times, it’s easier to learn something with a longsword. Regardless of where we start, we can take that idea, learn the basics of it, and then swap out the weapon and do the same core idea with only minor modifications.

SXP: What is the Lichtenauer system?

AB: A system is a bit of a misnomer, but it’s the easiest short hand to describe what is going on and how we approach things. In the 14th or 15th century, there was a fencing master by the name of Johannes Lichtenauer. By all accounts, he wrote a poem, called the zettel, and this is what he gave his students so that they would remember what he taught them, a sort of mnemonic device for sword fighting. In this poem, he has a verse that is translated as follows:

4 Wrestle well, grappler.

Glaive, spear, sword, and knife,

5 Manfully handle.

And in others’ hands ruin.

To me, this is part of him defining his system, saying that you need to be able to wrestle, that you should be able to fight with a polearm, a spear, a sword and a knife. Only after that, do we teach you how to use longsword. This also is a large reason why our classes are set up the way they are. However, if all we had was this poem, we’d be in a lot of trouble. His verses areintentionally vague and confusing. If you know what he’s talking about, it’s clear, but if you don’t, it’s all but useless. Fortunately, some of his students wrote their own manuscripts, or fechtbooks. These are glosses of the zettel, where they will transcribe the poem, but then have multiple plays describe what the passage means. It is from these plays that we are able to begin to understand the art of fencing as Lichtenauer describes it.

SXP: For those that are interested in learning more about HEMA and the courses you offer, where can they should they start?

AB: Well, if you’re in Austin, reach out to us! We run Beginner’s Courses year-round, and have one starting up at the end of June! You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, or our website. For everyone else, I highly recommend you check out the HEMA Alliance Club Finder. This will help you find a club in your area and give you a place to go. If there isn’t a club nearby, starting one yourself is an option as well. HEMA is a very welcoming community and we’re always happy to help people get started.

Another great resource that everyone should look at is Wiktenauer. This is a free database of dozens of the manuscripts people are working from. You can see the original images as well as a transcription of the original text and any translations that have been done of it.

We here at the Sword Experience are excited to add Anthony to our roster of Sword Partners and we cannot wait to work with him at the Greater Austin Comic Con. His style will be a great contribution to the experience. We always strive to bring you the best resources in sword culture and we value the ideas that Anthony has shared with us. If you or anyone you know thinks they have what it takes to become one of Adrian’s Sword Partners, email the Sword Experience at contact@swordxp.com with a resume and a video of your skills.

The Sword Experience is Coming to the Greater Limerick, Ireland!

The Sword Experience is coming back to Ireland.

The Sword Experience is coming to Limerick, Ireland! This June 30th, join Adrian Paul and the Sword Experience at King John’s Castle for one of the best fitness and travel events in Ireland. Accompany Adrian Paul as he teaches you the sword fight choreography from the 1938 cinematic classic The Adventures of Robin Hood with the beautiful King John’s Castle as the backdrop of this once in a lifetime event in Limerick, Ireland. We’ve already had two successful events in Ireland at the Cahir Castle last year and the Trim Castle the year before that, so whether you are returning for another adventure, or it’s your first event with us in Ireland, we can guarantee that you will have an incredible experience that will rival any trip you’ve had before.

A Castle’s bloody History

King John’s Castle is steeped in history. The castle itself was originally built in the 13th century under the orders of King John, but archaeological digs have uncovered remnants of a Viking settlement that date back to 922. Early Viking settlers used the site as a base to attack other settlements that had cropped up along the River Shannon. The Vikings eventually clashed and lost with settlements in Dublin which loosened their grip on the area, paving the way for King John to erect the castle that stands today. In spite of being relegated to a minor clan in the area, the Vikings still played pivotal roles in the near endless clashes of power between the English and Irish for the next few centuries. By 1168, the Irish laid claim to the land building a large city. However, after many battles with Anglo-Norman invaders, Domhnall Mór Ó Briain, the King of Thomund in Ireland, razed the city in a bid to keep it out of their hands. After his death, the Anglo-Normans successfully captured the land in the name of John, Lord of Ireland. King John ordered a castle to be built on the site and around 1210, King John’s castle was finally erected. Under Norman rule, the castle became a major port and trading center due to its proximity to the River Shannon. The city of Limerick’s economy began to boom and as a result, King John set up a mint in the North West corner of the castle. The pennies and half pennies that this mint produced are still available to see in the Limerick museum.

The castle stood untouched for centuries, until the Irish Rebellion of 1641. At the time, King John’s castle was occupied by Protestants fleeing the rebellion. Irish Confederate forces surrounded the castle. Garret Barry, the leader of the Irish Confederate forces surrounded the castle and began the 1642 Siege of Limerick.(insert photo Siege of limerick here) However, Barry did not have the artillery to take down the castle walls. Instead, he planned to undermine the integrity of the walls themselves by digging away at their foundations. His plan was successful. Before the walls collapsed, the Protestants inside surrendered to Barry and the Irish Confederate forces. However, the damage to the castle’s foundation had already been done and a section of the castle walls had to be demolished. This was the first of five sieges on Limerick in the17th century. King John’s castle’s bloody history did not stop in the 17th century either. In 1922, King John’s castle was involved in another siege during the Irish Free State offensive at the height of the Irish Civil War. The city of Limerick and King John’s castle had become divided by those who approved of the Anglo-Irish treaty between England and Ireland, and those that opposed it. On July 11, 1922, the two opposing factions began to fight as Free State reinforcements arrived in Dublin. After ten days of street fighting, anti-treaty Republicans retreated from Limerick setting fire to the Artillery, castle barracks, and New Barracks as they fled to Patrickswell toward Kilmallock. The entirety of the castle’s history makes it the perfect setting for the Sword Experience as you learn the sword fight choreography from the film.

One of the greatest Swashbuckling movies of all time.

Released in 1938, The Adventures of Robinhood set a benchmark for the way action-adventure films are shot and choreographed. The film stars Errol Flynn as Robin Hood, and Basil Rathbone as his nemesis Sir Guy of Gisbourne. This was the third film the two had starred in opposite of each other, but the two eventually starred in nine other films together. The first film they starred in together was the 1935 swashbuckler Captain Blood. The success of the film convinced Warner Bros. that they had the makings of a star in Errol Flynn, and thus production began on The Adventures of Robinhood. At the time, the film was the most expensive project Warner Bros. had ever produced costing the company an estimated 2 million dollars. The film was the studios first large budget technicolor film that utilized Technicolor’s three strip process. Warner Bros. acquired all 11 technicolor cameras in existence at the time to film the movie. The risk paid off for Warner Bros. as the film became a critical and financial success. The film’s fight scenes were choreographed by sword master Fred Cravens, who had previously worked with Flynn and Rathbone on Captain Blood. Cravens had a specific vision for how the sword fights would play out on film. He choreographed the fights as a sort of dance between swords with counts and phrases. The fencing techniques in the film were ahead of their time and were eventually incorporated into real fencers’ repertoire of moves. When put to film, Cravens choreography reached an epic scale as the cinematography captured every glorious parry and lunge creating one of the most iconic sword fight scenes in cinema history that is both grand and intimate. Errol Flynn’s depiction of Robin Hood became such an instant hit, that his image of Robin Hood became a part of the world’s collective conscious. When most people think of Robin Hood the image that pops into their head is that of Errol Flynn’s costumed Robin Hood. This image has been often parodied or imitated in countless films including Disney’s 1973 animated film Robin Hood. In 1995, the film was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation and was placed in the National Film Registry. It is these reasons that Adrian Paul chose The Adventures of Robin Hood for the choreographed sword fight you will learn on the grounds of King John’s castle in Ireland.

Discover Limerick

If it is your first time travelling to Ireland, why not make the most of your visit. Limerick is home to many unique tourist sites that any traveler can appreciate. Visit St. Mary’s Cathedral, a secluded place of worship built in 1168. According to legend, the marks on the surrounding stonework of the cathedral are from defenders of the cathedral sharpening their swords on the castle walls during various sieges. Enter the cathedral to experience a mesh of medieval architecture, gothic stained windows, and 17th century accoutrements. Admission is only €2. Or, check out St John’s Cathedral, the church with Ireland’s tallest spire. Or if cathedrals aren’t your thing, check out the Foynes Flying Boat Museum. Located off the Shannon River, the Foynes Flying Boat Museum offers visitors a chance to board the only B314 flying boat replica in the world. After taking a tour of the boat, test your flight skills with a realistic flight simulator that captures what it would be like to fly the B314 flying boat. Or you could check out the many exhibits that the museum offers. If you’d rather just explore the town of Limerick itself, check out People’s Park. Located right next to the Limerick City Gallery of Art, People’s Park is a wonderful place to leisurely stroll through with a vast selection of deciduous and evergreen trees as well as an array of flowers on display. Limerick has many more secrets and sights for you to discover on your adventure with the Sword Experience, so don’t delay, book your tickets today.

Why travel to Ireland?

Ireland is beautiful for one. Secondly, it’s a place to tick off your bucket list. Yes, we’re absolutely excited to share in these experiences with you while you train with Adrian Paul, as he teaches you the art of sword handling, sword fight choreography, and physical fitness.But traveling with us to Ireland is the essence of what the Sword Experience was created to share:

  • Invaluable fitness training.
  • Sword and fight choreography training in an amazing setting.
  • Autographed photos.
  • A professionally edited video of your experience.
  • Free professional photos for you to keep for your memories.
  • A travel adventure unlike any you have experienced.

You’ll also meet like-minded world travelers,whoshare your love of physical fitness, travel, and film. Who knows, like many of our past experiences, you too mightform newfound friendships with people from all across the globe! So why wait for next year? Ireland maybe a stone’s throw away for some but even if it isn’t, travelling to Ireland is an experience to remember. Personally, becoming the hero of my own Robin Hood story and takingmy next travel adventure to the next level with a The Sword Experience trip to Limerick, isn’t something I would want to miss.

The Sword Experience is Coming to the Greater Austin Area!

The Sword Experience is Coming to the Greater Austin Area!

Get ready Texas, the Sword Experience is coming to the Greater Austin Comic Con. Join Adrian Paul this June 15th for an exciting adventure of swordplay and fitness as you learn the fight choreography from the 2005 blockbuster superhero film Batman Begins. Train alongside Adrian Paul just as Bruce Wayne trained with the League of Shadows and hone your sword handling and fight skills, and take your Con experience to new and exciting heights. Everything is bigger in Texas, and we’re excited to bring the best fitness and travel experience to Austin. The Greater Austin Comic Con is sure to attract Texans from all across the state, so if it’s your first time in the greater Austin area, we thought we’d share some great tips to get the most out of your visit.

When you think of Texas, food is always the first thing that pops to mind, and Austin has no shortage of delectable eats. Just south of Austin is the small town of Lockhart. Considered the Barbeque Capital of Texas, this small town is the perfect place to drop by after getting your sweat on with the Sword Experience. Step into a piece of Texas barbeque history at Smitty’s Market. Smitty’s has been named one of the Top Barbeque Restaurants in Texas by Texas Monthly Magazine. Try some of their delicious brisket or sausages that have won multiple awards. Or pop on over to Chisholm Trail BBQ, a favorite with the locals. You’ll find delicious barbeque and buffet style sides that will blow you away. Or if you’re looking for a more personal experience with your pit master, with barbeque at an unbeatable price, head over to Smokey Z’s BBQ for some delicious roadside dining.

If you’re looking for great burgers, Austin is home to several burger joints to tickle your fancy. If you’re looking for a quick bite to eat, then the homegrown chain P. Terry’s Burger Stand is the perfect fit for you. Founded in 2005, P. Terry’s has quickly become an Austin staple and has branched out with locations surrounding the greater Austin area. You’re never too far from one of these delicious burger joints, so grab one on your way to or from the Con. If you’re in search of a premium burger experience, look no further that Salt & Time, a farm to table dining experience. The restaurant sources all of its meat from Texas ranchers. The result is the famous “Butcher Burger.” The freshly sourced meat guarantees that every burger has a different flavor day after day. Grab some beef-fat fries with your burger to top it off. Or, if you love burgers, but think just an ordinary bun is too plain, then indulge in gluttony with Gourdough’s Public House. Gourgough’s menu is filled to the brim with delectable donuts and deserts, but why not try one of their delicious donut burgers. That’s right, donut burgers.

If you’re trying to take it easy on the calories and get the most out of your workout and training with Adrian and the Sword Experience, then take a look at some of the great vegan and vegetarian food that Austin has to offer. Although Texas is mostly known for its barbeque and meat, Austin is a fantastic city for those whose diets mostly consist of the plant variety. Many Austin restaurants source their vegetables from local farmers for fantastic food to table dining. Visit Citizen Eatery for an entirely plant based and vegan menu. Get a taste of Vegan Tex-Mex with their Chik’n Nachos, tortilla chips covered in vegan chik’n, bell peppers, onion, vegan queso, and guacamole. Or, check out Counter Culture and experience their vegan takes of Philly cheesesteaks, cold cuts, burgers and more. So, no matter what food you are in the mood for, there are plenty of options for you in the greater Austin area.

If you want to make the most out of your trip to Cedar Park for the Greater Austin Comic Con, check out some of the amazing tourism spots that Austin has to offer. The Austin area is home to dozens of caverns to explore. The Inner Space Caverns are located just outside of Georgetown and offer a view of a distant past. The caverns were discovered in the 1960’s when construction crews happened upon them while drilling. Once uncovered, the cave became a fantastic archeological find. Bones from and fossils from a prehistoric era are still on display, and the caverns are now home to thousands of bats. Exploration of the caverns yields gorgeous views of stalactites and stalagmites. Each spire represents centuries of growth and transformation and are a testament to the wonders of nature. There are plenty of natural wonders that Austin has to offer. Check out the Congress Avenue Bridge, home of the world’s largest urban bat colony. After training with Adrian Paul and learning the fight choreography from the film Batman Begins, what better way to get in touch with your inner Batman than watching the bats pour out from under the bridge at dusk. Or for a closer experience check out the various boat tours on the river as bats blanket the sky above you.

If you just want to relax, see a movie, and maybe grab a bite to eat at the same time, then check out the Alamo Drafthouse. The Alamo Drafthouse has several locations throughout the Austin area. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Lakeline is located just a few minutes from the Greater Austin Comic Con, and offers viewers a unique movie and dining experience. The Drafthouse was created by film lovers for film lovers and celebrates the culture and influence of films from all over the world. Their code of conduct is one of the strictest in the theater business to ensure that your film going experience is not sullied by loud talkers, bright cell phones, and annoying distractions. The theater has an extensive menu for any taste and they often create delectable combinations to pair with the movie you are watching. The Alamo Drafthouse offers a unique film going experience that any cinephile will appreciate. From current showings of blockbuster movies, to screenings of cult classic films, the Alamo Drafthouse is a must visit for any film fan.

We here at the Sword Experience are just as excited as you are to visit Cedar Park for the Greater Austin Comic Con. We cannot wait to be part of your adventure this June, so come join Adrian Paul as he trains you in the art of sword handling, sword fighting, and physical fitness. Learn the sword fight choreography from the hit film Batman Begins and train just like Bruce Wayne did with his mentor, Henry Ducard. Become the star of your own action movie as a photographer and videographer captures every moment of your training that will be edited and stylized into a video for you to show off to your friends and add to your memorabilia. There is so much to experience in Austin on your visit, from delicious food to natural wonders, but we know that your day with us at the Sword Experience will rival any adventure you’ve had before. Just as The Friendly State welcomed us warmly to the Greater Austin Comic Con, we welcome you to join Adrian Paul this June for your next great adventure.

 

Spotlight on Stephen Fisher and Bowling Green

Spotlight on Stephen Fisher and Bowling Green

Summer is coming in hot this year at the Sword Experience. Adrian Paul has traveled the globe with his fitness and sword fight program, cultivating a large following of people that share a common love of swords, fitness, and fandom of action films. This June, we’re excited to bring the Sword Experience to Bowling Green, Kentucky thanks to Musketeer and Sword Partner Stephen Fisher. We had a chance to speak with Stephen a little about Bowling Green, his past with the Sword Experience, and got to know more about one of Adrian Paul’s most trusted Sword Partner’s and Musketeers.

Sword Experience (SXP): First, tell us a little about yourself. What is the Bowling Green Fencing Academy? What does the Bowling Green Fencing Academy offer? How long have you been in operation?

Stephen Fisher (SF): I am a fencing coach from Bowling Green, KY. Home of the Corvette. I started fencing at the age of 12 (1996) at our local University’s fencing club. After returning from my tour in Baghdad, Iraq, (2006-07) I began my fencing teaching career in 2008. Throughout the years I’ve been a rated fencer in foil, épée, and sabre, a 3-weapon referee and coach. I trained members of our national Paralympic team, and served as a secretary for the US Fencing Coaches Association and tournament chairmen for the KY Division of USA Fencing. I’m also an amateur fencing historian, and collector and trader of antique and vintage fencing weapons and texts.

The Bowling Green Fencing Academy was founded by myself in June of 2012. The University’s intramural sport club was closed to everyone except students, faculty and staff. So, my goal was to start my own business, offering the sport for the first time to the public in Bowling Green. Bowling Green Fencing Academy will turn 7 this year! We offer beginners classes for ages 6 to adult, as well as intermediate and advanced group classes and individual lessons. I teach the modern Italian Olympic school of fencing and we are a 3-weapon club. I also teach theatrical fencing courses where we look at the works of prominent fight masters Fred Cavens, William Hobbs, and Bob Anderson. If you’d like to learn more about BGFA, you can visit the website at www.bgfencingacademy.com.

SXP: What initially brought you to the Sword Experience?

SF: A fellow fencer and collector, Roy Tyler, brought it to my attention a few years ago. As I was a fan of the Highlander series, I had to check it out. I thought it was a great idea that Mr. Paul was teaching fight choreography classes, and the fact he was taught by the late Sword Master Bob Anderson during the first two seasons of Highlander. My friend ended up traveling to the 1st Chicago Elite Experience. Then, as a Father’s Day gift to myself, I attended the Knoxville, TN Sword Experience in 2017. It was a blast! The event was a Con experience and ended up running from 7pm to close to midnight!

SXP: It looks like you’ve worked with Adrian in the past in Lexington. How was it working with Adrian as a Sword Partner?

SF: Correct, I was his Sword Partner, and worked as a Musketeer to help promote the event. I grew up watching Highlander and the chance to work with Adrian Paul is something I’d never thought would happen. I feel the Lexington event went very well. He is a courteous, down to earth professional who knows exactly what he wants to do. He pays attention to every detail to ensure the safety of the participants, and has excellent control of large groups and the structure of the Sword Experience itself. I’m forward to working with him again on June 1st.

SXP: Why do you think Bowling Green will be a good fit for the Sword Experience?

SF: I feel we are in a great location geographically. Bowling Green is a great city with a lot to do, for example, we have Lost River Cave, which is one of the few places in the United States where you can take an underground boat tour, or you can visit the Corvette Museum and plant.

SXP: As a Musketeer, you helped us find the Historic Railpark and Train museum. What were some of the challenges finding this place, and why do you think it’s a good place to hold the final fight?

SF: I scouted out several other locations around town, one including a river walk bridge, and of course the Railpark. We had decided to do the warm up and training portion at my club, and the train museum is conveniently located across the street. the Historic Railpark has a great atmosphere and several episodes throughout the Highlander series had scenes near a railyard. We have access to film inside the Historic lobby and around the railcars on site. It will make a great backdrop for the final video as the participants will be learning a fight choreographed by F. Braun McAsh from the Highlander episode “Methuselah’s Gift” that was directed by Adrian Paul himself. Exciting! Sword Experience aside, the Historic L&N Depot was the hub to reach Louisville, KY and south to Nashville, TN.

We here at the Sword Experience are just as excited as Stephen Fisher is to bring one of the best fitness and sword training events to Bowling Green, Kentucky. We’re even more proud of the wonderful work Stephen has done with us throughout the years. He is a cherished and valued member of the Sword Experience team. If you’d like to learn more about how to become a Musketeer, click here. Or if you believe you have the qualifications to be one of Adrian’s Sword Partners, email us a description of your expertise as well as a video of you work, so we can see you in action, to contact@swordxp.com

Whether you’re passionate about swords, Highlander, historic trains, or classic cars, we’re sure that Bowling Green is going to be your next great adventure that you will talk about for ages.

The Sword Experience is Coming Back to Germany!

The Sword Experience is Coming Back to Germany!

We here at the Sword Experience are excited for our upcoming retreat in Ahrensburg, Germany. This will be the second Sword Experience retreat following the successful Belize retreat in November of 2018. If you’re looking for where to find one of the best fitness events in Germany then join Adrian Paul July 26th through the 28th in Ahrensburg. Or, for travelers looking for something outside of a normal sightseeing adventure, then join one of the best travel events in Germany and book your ticket for the Sword Experience online. We’ve previously held one-day events in Stuttgart and Leverkusen and we knew they would be hard to top, but this year travel with us on a Renaissance getaway. During your two-day, three-night retreat at the Park Hotel, you will enjoy a welcome dinner with Adrian Paul as he breaks down the weekend events. Tour the historic Schloss Ahrensburg castle and get to know its inner secrets.

Train with Adrian as he teaches you the fight choreographyfrom the film Highlander: Endgame. Come out for movie night, where you will be treated to a showing of the film Highlander: Endgame featuring the very scene you’ll be learning, and afterwards join us for a special Q&A with Adrian Paul. Take home a swag bag of goodies as well as autographed pictures, photos with Adrian, and your very own bokken to take home as a special keepsake.

The historic Ahrensburg castle was built in the late 16th Century and features stunning architecture that any traveler will be in awe of. Its four corner copper turrets offer a spectacular contrast to its white washed walls. The castle’s design was built more for artistic purposes than for warfare, and this gorgeous exterior will be the backdrop of your training with Adrian Paul. A photographer will capture every moment as Adrian teaches you the art of sword handling, mobility training, meditation, fight choreography and sword fighting on the grounds of this gorgeous Renaissance castle.

Prepare for the Quickening, as all this will culminate in a grand finale of the choreographed showdown from the movie Highlander: Endgame, filmed on the castle grounds. Become the star of your own movie and show off to friends with a Hollywood styled edited video of your fight. Check out some of the amazing footage and photographs from our first retreat in Belize to get a taste of what The Sword Experience has in store for you this year in Ahrensburg.

This retreat isn’t just about travel; this retreat is about finding and establishing lifelong connections with like-minded individuals. Since 2015, the Sword Experience has travelled the globe, connecting people with their love of swords, fitness, friendship, and fandom. You will meet people from all over the globe that share your pursuit in a vacation that is outside the norm of a regular sightseeing trip. Together with your newfound friends, you’ll receive an immense amount of sword training as you sharpen your sword skills in a condensed amount of time. You’ll explore the castle grounds together, as you absorb the culture and history of the Renaissance castle. And when this incredible adventure finally ends, you will undeniably have made friends, connections, and memories that will last a lifetime.

 

If you are staying with us at the Park Hotel Ahrensburg, you ill be treated to complimentary water, soda, and some beer and wine during your stay. Feeling stressed out after a day of intense sword training and physical fitness? Get a nice steam going in the sauna or simply relax in the warmth of the tepidarium, free to all hotel guests and just €10 for any external guests. Or you can catch some rays in the hotel’s solarium. And after slaying another immortal, you deserve to pop into the hotel bar “Rondeel.” Perfect for a nightcap after the Highlander: Endgame Q&A.

Almost a decade before the MCU, the Highlander series kicked off its own brand of cinematic universes with the Highlander film and television series. The culmination of these two universes occurred at the turn of the century with Highlander: Endgame. The film stars Christopher Lambert reprising his role as
Connor MacLeod from the Highlander film series and Adrian Paul as Duncan MacLeod from the Highlander TV series, in a continuation and connection of both franchises. Your retreat includes a free screening of Highlander: Endgame where you get to ask Adrian all your burning questions. What was it like filming this crossover? What kind of issues did they experience on set? Are the rumors that the director of John Wick is attached to the Highlander franchise true? All your questions will be answered in Ahrensburg.

Travel to Ahrensburg should be a breeze, as it is only thirty minutes from the Hamburg Airport. Any European or American Highlander fan would be remised if they pass over the opportunity to learn the choreography from one of their favorite film and TV franchises from one of the stars of the film themselves! Tickets from Paris to Hamburg are starting at $113 and from London to Hamburg just $61. However, as all well-versed travelers know these prices only continue to increase as your travel date nears, so book your flight now. If you don’t feel like flying, there’s always the train! The Intercity Express train from Berlin to Hamburg with tickets as low as $75. You can watch the countryside and kickback as you prepare for a weekend full of adventure. For those of you wishing to extend your stay in Germany, check out the Hamburg Card. With the Hamburg Card, you have unlimited travel on all U-Bahn, S-Bahn, bus and ferry routes. You’ll also receive more than 150 discounts at many of the city’s museums, restaurants and stores. A three-day card costs €25.50 and you can find them at HVV buses, vending machines, service centers, tourist offices, many hotels and hostels, and of course online. The amount that you will save on traveling around the city is incalculable. If you’re in Hamburg for a few days, it would be worthwhile to check out the Cap San Diego. This 159meters-long vessel is the largest seaworthy museum ship in the world. If you’re having too much fun perusing the exhibitions or watching a musical or comedy show, you can actually book a room for the night.

The Sword Experience retreat in Ahrensburg, Germany offers you a unique travel adventure that you won’t soon forget. Your weekend will be filled with great food, beautiful architecture, and physical fitness. Hang out with the star of the Highlander series and pick his brain as he teaches you the choreography behind some of your favorite scenes and learn inside knowledge into the making of your favorite film and television franchise. Show off your newfound sword handling skills with your friends with your very own bokken, as well as a stylized video of your training and experience. We look forward to traveling with you to Ahrensburg, Germany, and remember Highlander heads, “There can be only one!”