'We (do) get the people who have been looking for this for a long time - they are the Game of Thrones fans, the Vikings fans, Lord of the Rings people that look at sword fighting on the screen and say this is really awesome, I'd really like to do that,' Nicole says. It is generally a mixed bag of clients, but history buffs are drawn in. 'Most of these people are looking at fitness, but something different – (they’re) not so much interested in the gym or going out for a jog,' she says. While it sounds potentially dangerous, participants are safely suited, Nicole says. Space is important to the classes because large swords are used for training and sparring.

Classes were held in a church hall, but eventually it was time to have a more legitimate base, and they opened shop on Front Street.Īfter a couple of years, they outgrew those digs and moved up the hill to Carnarvon Street - a space that is three times the size and can accommodate their growing business, which caters to people from all walks of life. In the beginning it was more of a 'study group,' she says. Nicole and Lee started their business about seven years ago. The back-and-forth dance is done in full protective gear, including face covers. Nicole and her husband Lee Smith teach people how to use swords as a part of their fitness regime.ĭuring a visit to the studio, Lee and another instructor engage in a physically challenging sparring match with long, heavy swords that swoosh as they cut through the air and clang when they come together.

So I basically just put on a bunch of muscle and shrunk.' I dropped about three dress sizes, but I didn't lose any weight. 'I wanted to get fit, (but) I'm not a gym girl and running doesn't appeal to me,' she says. It involves learning how they took one another down in Medieval Europe, and it's all in the name of getting in shape.īlood and Iron Martial Arts in New Westminster is a Western martial arts studio that teaches the ancient - and almost lost - art of sword fighting.Īnd the training provides a vigorous workout, which is the reason Blood and Iron co-owner Nicole Smith picked up a blade in the first place.

Finally, there's a killer workout for sword slayers.

Blood and iron new west