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 →

"Never was so much owed by so many to so few" Winston Churchill-August 20, 1940 This story doesn’t really have much to do with fencing, but I want to share it with you anyway. It was in 2006, I’d flown to London for work. I was staying with Barry Paul and his wife Joan, who live near the Brent Reservoir in Wembley. Barry is Leon Paul’s grandson and now owns the Leon Paul Fencing Equipment Company. In his day, Barry was a 5 time National Foil Champion of England and he knows the sport of fencing like no one else I have ever met. He is a naturally funny man with great sense of humor and a heart of gold. Continue reading →

Varying motivations bring people to HEMA. Understanding these can help you attract and retain training partners by by ensuring that everyone’s needs are met. 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 →

Back in August, we sent out our 2016 market research survey to over 30,000 English speaking people around the world to enable us to better understand who our customers are and what they expect from Leon Paul. Continue reading →

I have to say that I had a bit of a moment in Rio. Fencing has always been rather impenetrable for the general public and particularly TV audiences. It may just be wishful thinking but I think things are going to change for the better and in the following series of blog posts I will explain why. Continue reading →

The Leon Paul Reel, or Spool, as they say in England will last for years. Every single part of this reel/spool is available on our website and can be easily replaced. The only item that you need to repair a Leon Paul reel is a pair of safety glasses and maybe a small screwdriver. You might need wire-strippers for a more complicated repair. Continue reading →

HEMA, in it's modern revival, is a new and blooming hobby. This article talks a bit about the strengths and weaknesses this creates, and then gives some guidance for the...

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 →