You can do the forms. But could you actually use them?

Go From Solo Forms to Confident Swordplay That Works

The only complete Jianfa path that takes you from your first cut to advanced swordplay. No piecing it together. No local teacher. No guessing what comes next.

Unlike traditional sword courses that leave you stuck in forms with no fighting, the Jianfa Study Path is one continuous three-phase system, from foundations to advanced application, taught by a lineage that has tested every cut in real sparring. The whole road, from your first cut to swordplay that works.

Start the Complete Path — Free 7-Day TrialJust $39/month after trial • Cancel anytime

Endless Clips. Conflicting Experts.
No Real Path. Sound Familiar?

You're serious about the sword. But every source pulls a different way, and none of them is a path. So you're left guessing. Where do you even start? What comes after that? How good could you actually get if someone just showed you the whole road?

So you stall. Not because you lack the will or the ability, but because nobody has ever handed you the complete path, foundations to advanced, taught as one system. You've had pieces. You've never had the map.

That's what the Study Path is. The whole road, in order, from your first cut to swordplay that genuinely works.

Show Me the Complete Path - Free 7-day trialJust $39/month after trial • Cancel anytime

Where You Are Now, and Where the Study Path Takes You

NOW: Reacting to whatever comes at you. Throwing cuts and hoping. Training in pieces with no clear next step. Stuck at the same level for months.

AFTER: Dictating the exchange before it starts. Setting cuts up so they can't miss. Following one continuous path with a clear next step every session. Climbing, not plateauing.

What the Jianfa Study Path Changes for You

From your first session, you stop guessing. Every drill has a place in a sequence that runs all the way to advanced swordplay, so you always know what you're building and why.

You move from holding your own to dictating the exchange. From hoping a cut lands to setting it up so it can't miss. From reacting to whatever comes at you to controlling the fight before it starts. You get personal correction on your real swordsmanship from instructors who spar, inside a community walking the same path.

By the time you're deep in the path, you won't just understand swordplay.
You'll command it.

Start the Complete Path – Free 7-Day TrialJust $39/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Your Complete Three-Phase Journey

Phase 1 — Foundations
The bedrock everything stands on. Grip, stance, structure, body mechanics, and the core cuts done properly, not approximately. The strategy that underpins all Chinese swordsmanship, built in from the start so nothing has to be unlearned later. You begin here whether you've never held a sword or you've practised forms for years.

Phase 2 — Integrating Tactics
Where the parts become a whole. You learn to link technique to timing, distance, and intention, turning isolated cuts into real responses against a thinking opponent. Footwork, combinations, deflection and counter, the bridge between knowing a movement and using it under pressure.

Phase 3 — Swordplay Proficiency
Where it all becomes effective. Live, controlled swordplay against a resisting opponent, applying the full system with the control to dictate the exchange rather than survive it. The advanced end of the road, not just sparring, but commanding the fight.

One Path, All the Way Through
Most training leaves you to find the next stage yourself. This doesn't. The three phases are one continuous climb, from foundations to advanced, so you're never left guessing where you are or what comes next. Your membership keeps you sharp the whole way with a weekly live webinar, replays for 30 days, and the Jianfa Lab to train alongside.

Begin Phase 1 Today – Free 7-Day TrialJust $39/month after trial • Cancel anytime

You're Not Alone.
Join the Worldwide
Jianfa Revival

The Academy of Chinese Swordsmanship exists to put the fighting back into Chinese swordsmanship.

It's led by Scott M. Rodell, a direct student of the late Wang Yen-nien and one of the few teachers in the world treating the jian as a live weapon rather than a museum piece. Every cut, deflection, and tactic on the Study Path comes from decades of facing swordsmen across traditions in real sparring and test cutting, not from theories about how a form might work. This is tradition pressure-tested and proven, then laid out as a complete path you can actually follow.

Through structured weapon paths, live coaching, in-person seminars, and a global community, the Academy is building something bigger than a course. It's a living martial art being put back together, and the Study Path is the complete journey through its heart.

You don't need a local teacher. You don't need to figure it out alone. You just need to start.

Join the Revival – Free 7-Day TrialJust $39/month after trial • Cancel anytime

TESTIMONIALS

Why Hundreds of Students Trust the Jianfa Study Path

"Laoshi’s focus on practical application and willingness to spar at full speed pushed my skills to a new level. Having the lessons on hand is a huge bonus."

- KYLE F

"After years of learning forms, I finally understand how to use these weapons for their intended purpose."

- NICOLA B

"Studying at the Academy changed how I think about weapons — from flow to countering, it’s completely reshaped my approach."

- LAURA M.

"Joining the Academy helped me re-contextualize everything I thought I knew about the sword, and even inspired me to start my own study group."

- JOHN P

Everything You Get for $39/Month

This isn’t just a course — it’s your complete support system for learning real Chinese swordsmanship.

The complete three-phase path — foundations to advanced swordplay, one continuous climb
A weekly live webinar — real-time correction and Q&A on your actual swordsmanship
30-day webinar replays — miss one or want to review it, watch back any time within 30 days
Pressure-tested technique — historically grounded application, proven in real sparring
Courses built for application — formations taught for fighting, with historically accurate tactics
Community & accountability — the Jianfa Lab, your community for feedback, training partners, and the accountability to keep going.
A clear next step, always — you're never left guessing what to work on or where you're going

Instant access from day one, your first lessons, this week's live webinar, and the Jianfa Lab.

Get Instant Access – Free 7-Day TrialJust $39/month after trial • Cancel anytime

Frequently Asked Questions

I don't have a sword. How do I start?

Begin with an inexpensive wooden or synthetic practice sword, or even a dowel while you learn grip, stance, and footwork. Inside you'll find a simple starter gear list and safety standards for partner work.

I’m a total beginner. Is the Academy suitable for me?

Yes. You start in Phase 1, Foundations, with a clear path that tells you exactly what to practise next. Every lesson builds on the last, and the path takes you all the way through to advanced swordplay, so you're never left wondering where to go.

Can I genuinely learn swordsmanship online?

Yes. You get a clear path, a weekly live webinar for real-time correction, and replays for 30 days. Progression standards guide you from solo to partner to freeplay, and seminars and retreats follow the same roadmap so skills transfer cleanly.

I've practised forms for years. What's in it for me?

The application you've never been taught. Phase 1 makes sure your foundations are sound, then the path connects your form work to live entries, timing, and tactics that hold up against a resisting opponent.

How is this different from the Jianfa Blueprint?

Blueprint is the low-risk way in, a focused 90-day on-ramp to your first bout. The Study Path is the complete journey, beginning to advanced, for people who want the whole road in one place.

I don't have anyone to spar with locally. Is that a problem?

No. You can start solo and still progress, with solo and partner drills that adapt to what you've got, plus the Jianfa Lab to find partners and get feedback until you can spar in person.

How do the live webinars work?

There's one live webinar each week for real-time correction and Q&A. Can't make it live, or want to review? Every webinar is available to replay for 30 days. You can also post questions in the forum and get answers even if you couldn’t attend live.

Do I need to be fit or flexible to start?

No. Phase 1 meets you where you are and builds strength, mobility, and conditioning gradually.

What if I change my mind?

Cancel anytime, no hassle.

How does the 7-day free trial work?

Sign up today and get full access immediately. Explore the whole path for 7 days without paying a penny. If it's for you, carry on for $39/month.

The Whole Journey
Starts Now

You can keep training in fragments, or you can pick up the complete path and walk it from the first cut to advanced, controlled swordplay, with a lineage that has tested every step and a community that has your back.

And the path doesn't stop at your screen. When you're ready to train in person, Academy seminars and retreats follow the same roadmap, so your skills transfer cleanly from solo practice to the floor.

Don't let another month pass without progress you can feel in every bout. Start your free trial, pick up your sword, and begin the journey properly.