In September 2018, the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games qualifying period for wheelchair fencing started and will run through until May 2020. For me, my qualifying period could not have got off to a better start, winning both the World Cup Epee events in Tbilisi, Georgia & Kyoto, Japan and so I was delighted to be able to carry my form through into the new season and secure my third Epee Gold of the qualifiers by taking the win in Sharjah, U.A.E!
"When you fence at a world class level, you need to be sure that your epee will not fail you when you're at a decisive moment of the match". These are the words of Radosław Zawrotniak (or Radek, for his friends), the best Polish épée fencer. We got Radek to reveal us his opinion about fencing equipment. What's most important to him when selecting an epee? What makes fencing clothing truly outstanding? What should a fencer pay attention to when choosing their mask? And why did the Leon Paul Fusion Pro blade win his heart?
Are you up for some more fencing history on this blog, fencers? We certainly are! After looking at the history of foil fencing (part 1 and part 2), our expert Malcolm Fare today breaks down the history of epee fencing for you. Read the full article after the jump.
Who would be mad enough to run a marathon in fencing kit? Max Titmuss (a fencer we spotted quite often in the Leon Paul Fencing Centre), apparently. On 1 May 2019, he will be running a full 42km marathon on the Great Wall of China in his Leon Paul Apex fencing kit for charity. Raising money for Ataxia UK, he hopes that something good will come out of this somewhat daft idea.
Want to know more (and maybe even support his charity run?)
Here's the backstory.
Our GT3 tips, whether for foil or epee, are the most carefully engineered on the planet. We have gone to extraordinary lengths to try to make sure that they are reliable, robust and above all else buttery smooth.
Ahead a few tips by our director Alex Paul (with the input from top-ranked foil fencer Richard Kruse!) to help you get the best from them.
The second episode about our LED sabre series with Faisal Mian, instructor at London's Silver Sabre Academy, where you can learn all about the recently born art of fighting with a light sword, is here! Did you know that the discipline of LED sword-fighting as a true discipline of combat sports is already as advanced as to have its own set of rules for tournaments? If not, we recommend you read on!
You might have heard about the so-called travelling salesman problem, which is one of the most studied conundrums amongst computer scientists, but here at Leon Paul we believe there is another problem out there that merits at least the same level attention, and that’s the problems you face when you’re on the go with your fencing kit. (If you've ever gotten into a fight before your actual fencing class with an opponent named “revolving doors”, you know what we’re talking about). So, based on the experience of our Instagram girl Johanna, we’ve collected 10 Do’s and Dont's for the travelling fencer. Warning – they might need to be taken with a pinch of salt ;)
You may have heard of our revolutionary wireless fencing system (and enjoyed our video), but have you ever tried it? Luckily, there's the fencing community if you haven't. Our collegues from Leon Paul France tracked down a coach who, after more than two years of use, is able to provide a long-term insight into the practical benefits of our wireless system, so we've decided to share the interview they did with French coach Thierry Tomine with you.
At their annual congress held in Paris in December 2018 (right before the gala hosted to celebrate their 105th birthday, which we've blogged about extensively), updated their sponsorship rules, allowing for more advertising. These new rules are a fantastic opportunity for fencers to help finance their athletic dreams. You have 10 spaces for representing brands and if you are a top fencer or even an aspiring young fencer, new funding possibilities might now open up for you.
Our director Ben Paul gives you an overview over the new rules and shares his tips for athletes.
It’s that time of year again. January. The moment to set out goals for the 365 days ahead… and as every year, fail miserably? For our start into 2019 we’ve decided to look at the popular sport of making new year resolutions (and almost immediately breaking them) from a fencer’s point of view. We won’t convert this into a self-help blog (promise!), but here are some thoughts about good intentions (and how they may or may not pave the way to hell).
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