Our Coaching Team
Paul Roberson
Paul Roberson founded Sword Fighter in 2013 with his son Alex.
He was a black belt martial artist and instructor in a school of Korean swordsmanship before independently researching to works of the European fencing masters Johannes Liechtenauer, Capo Ferro, and Walpurgis Fechtbuch (MS I.33).
Paul is a professional music teacher and has decades of experience teaching music, martial arts and fencing.
He specializes in a multitude of historical fencing weapons and styles, including: Early German longsword, Italian rapier, Bolognese sidesword and is one of the preeminent authorities on early medieval sword and buckler in Australia.
He has trained thousands of students in fencing including:
National level athletes,
The Murwillumbah Theatre Company in their production of Macbeth,
Regular classes of both beginner and advanced fencers,
Student groups for school sports and recreation.
Paul teaches Thursday evening group sessions and is available for private or small group sessions pending appointment.
Alex Roberson
Along with his father, Paul, Alex was a foundational member of Sword Fighter, starting in 2013. After achieving his black belt in a school of Korean swordsmanship, Alex sought a system that would allow sparring so that he could pressure test his learned techniques and skills.
Early on, Alex found competitive success in a range of weapon systems. He quickly reached podium positions in multiple state and national level competitions and has achieved over 300 competitive victories in his career with over 40 podium positions. He is currently ranked top 50 in the world for Longsword, Rapier and Rapier and Dagger.
While Alex specializes in the German longsword traditions of Johannes Liechtenauer, and Joachim Meyer, his wholistic approach to fencing, physiology and tactics has seen considerable success as both a competitor and a coach.
Alex has trained multiple national level champions in many disciplines, taking pride in his competitive team which is widely recognized to be one of the strongest and most consistent in the country. Alex has also taught historical fencing to a number of actors and stunt professionals.
He has trained and travelled widely, throughout Australia and Europe as a competitor, a coach, and a student. He is the Director of The Australian Historical Fencing League and the Secretary of Historical Fencing Australia.
Alex coaches Friday evening group sessions and is available for private or small group sessions pending appointment.