Now that I have your attention I wanted to talk to you about testing mask mesh quality for fencing and for the sport of HEMA. My name is Jacek Bujko. I have been helping Leon Paul develop a HEMA range of fencing equipment. I started fencing at a local sports club when I was twenty and then studied Historical European Martial Arts in Poland for a couple of years before eventually settling down with my own recreational fencing club. I am a huge fencing and HEMA fan I even got married in my fencing suit as it just felt right! One of my first projects with Leon Paul was to develop a HEMA mask. I feel we have made some great updates and improvements to the HEMA mask. One of the things I have experienced and wanted to talk about was the D word…. DENTS! [caption id="attachment_576" align="alignleft" width="212"] This mask was run over by a car but......[/caption] "My mask just got dented!" Then the inevitable: "Was that blow really that strong?" "I didn't even feel that!" are very common in our heads when we come to realize, that the precious new mask that we've just recently got is not so pristine anymore.   Continue reading →

The other day I had a hot thought…… Can we see if there is a measurable difference between how much heat different uniforms retain? My conclusion was that yes, we can. Recently the FIE and Leon Paul did experiments on various uniforms using an amazing mannequin from EMPA in Switzerland, a specialist in testing clothing. Continue reading →

I have spent the last few months listening to my brother, Alex Paul, talk about wireless technology. In that time I have learnt many new words like Farad (F). A Farad is a unit of capacitance. Capacitance is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together…. [caption id="attachment_486" align="aligncenter" width="480"] The Future of wireless sword fencing[/caption] Ok, so now I am just quoting Star Wars and to be honest when my brother starts talking about technology and science I normally zone out. So in short, it is magic and I may have misled you with the title of this blog post. Here is what I have found out about wireless technology in fencing: People are so used to wired systems. They take ages to get used to the changes. People generally don’t like change and as a result are inherently mistrusting of wireless fencing as there are so many half-baked systems out there. Continue reading →

In the new hit TV series “Victoria” the future Prince is seen fencing. If you live in the UK you can watch the series here: http://www.itv.com/hub/victoria/ Here is an extract

[caption id="attachment_395" align="aligncenter" width="840"] Heat press, Spray or Patch?[/caption] For international fencing the FIE requires fencers to have a country identification logo on both of the fencers legs and sometimes arms. Each fencing federation designs their own logo and then submits this to the FIE for approval. Some federations have complex designs that are on the legs and arms and some have simple designs only on the leg. Continue reading →

There are few people in the fencing world who do not know who Richard Kruse is, representing Great Britain in the men’s foil Olympics. One of the most notable qualities of this man is his dedication to training. I have met few people who work as hard and as consistently as Richard, and the work seems to pay off. When I get into work at 8AM (not 10), we often see the more dedicated fencers already beginning their warmups and practice drills. Among them is always Richard. “Surprised to see you here so early.” – I would always say. We always joke about his training effects his luck, and his response is always “The more I train the luckier I seem to get”. Kruse Continue reading →

London 2012 helped create a new vision for a fencing arena. The FIE wanted to create something completely new for the London 2012 games and Leon Paul were the team trusted to create that vision. London 2012 olympic fencing venue Continue reading →

By Ben Paul. 14 years ago I got a call from Darth Vader asking me to work on a James Bond film… Well actually it was the fencer and sword master Bob Anderson who learned to fence from my great grandfather Leon Paul. Bob was the fencer in the Darth Vader suits in the Star Wars film and taught the actors to fence. Continue reading →

I am dyslexic and at school my English teacher, in my last report wrote: “I wish Ben well….. as long as it is in another subject.” I once wrote in an essay that “Macbeth was very impotent in the play.” While we may never know if Macbeth had this problem I had simply meant to say he was quite a key figure in the book. So this may be the worst written blog you ever read. Let's see... Continue reading →