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.
