Consulting Swordsman
Some time after my dad died, I asked my mum what she wanted to do. She could come to Ipswich and live with us? or go to London and live with my sister? or downsize from the large house we moved to in 1992? or stay in the house? Her answer: “You’ll carry me out … Read more
I was in Dumfries in April visiting my mum, and a friend of the family there happened to buy a set of four balloon-back chairs, and mentioned it when they came over for dinner. I immediately asked whether they were coming apart in the usual place (where the balloon top rail meets the uprights). Of … Read more
When I started Swordschool in 2001 I had no business plan, nor any other kind of plan, really. Just a clear idea of what I was supposed to do: show up and teach classes. From that unstructured beginning, the School grew. It’s hard to separate “The School” from “the Guy”, because especially in the early … Read more
On March 17th 2001 I ran the first official class of what was then called “The School of European Swordsmanship, Helsinki”, or SESH, in a small room at the Olympic Stadium, in Helsinki, Finland. So today is our 25th birthday: happy birthday to us! Our classes were held in primary school sports halls: And even … Read more
I’m not known as a tournament fencer these days. Indeed it’s been well over 20 years since I last officially competed. But one of the great benefits of interviewing so many people on The Sword Guy is that they spark ideas in me that then get acted on. My conversation with Martin Hoeppner included a … Read more
My friend and colleague Malcolm Fare, proprietor of the National Fencing Museum, would like to know if anyone reading this is familiar with the Grand Salute, as formalised by the Académie d’Armes de Paris in 1888. As the editor of The Sword magazine, he published an account of the Grand Salute in 1995. You can … Read more
I stopped drinking alcohol on August 19th, aiming for 100 days. In the end, I reached 103 days without booze, and without much effort. This post unpacks my 100 days no booze results, including cholesterol, visceral fat, sleep, heart rate, and the strange mysteries of my DEXA scans. If you want the background and the … Read more
I’ll be turning 52 on Sunday, and we’re celebrating in the usual way with a 25% discount on all digital products, with the code GUYSBIRTHDAY25. This works for all products (courses, subscriptions etc.) at courses.swordschool.com, and also for all digital products (ebooks, audiobooks, print-at-home decks etc.) at swordschool.shop Digital products are great because they have … Read more
I spent the first week of October on a data detox. No emails, no whatsapp, no socialz, no scrolling. It’s been a lovely mental break. My initial reason for trying this was to allow my inner visionary to be heard, as per this post. The single biggest surprise is how little I missed it. I was … Read more
Would you like a complete interpretation and training method for Vadi’s Art of Arms, as found in his De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi? Well now you can have it, with the Philippo Vadi courses bundle, which includes my Philippo Vadi Longsword Course, and my Philippo Vadi Dagger Course. The courses also include all of Vadi’s other … Read more