Consulting Swordsman
Guy Windsor I take ethics very seriously, to the point of writing a short book on them. As you may know I have recently begun offering online courses, in addition to the free videos on my wiki, and the books that I write. When I emailed my list about the Medieval Dagger course, I got this reply: I’m sorry … Read more
On Monday last week I was sat in the departures hall at Vancouver airport when I got a message from my friend Samantha Swords. She suggested I attend an event in London that weekend called the Hero Round Table. She had spoken at one, and had suggested to the organiser, Matt Langdon, that he invite … Read more
Every HEMA school has its own particular vibe, a culture and a way of being. I spent my last weekend in the New World at Valkyrie Martial Arts Assembly, teaching a longsword weekend; a day of Fiore and a day of Vadi. So far, so normal. But the Valkyrie vibe is quite unlike any other … Read more
They say travel is all about having new experiences. Well… having a week to fill between my Seattle and Vancouver seminars, I thought I’d take the opportunity to get back in the saddle. My friend Jen Landels (she of Pulp Literature fame, and as yet the only guest blogger on this site) runs the Academie … Read more
It has been a splendid few days in Seattle so far, kicked off by a trapeze lesson with the excellent Milla Marshall at SANCA. The place was pretty empty, so there was no-one to hold the camera (Milla was busy spotting me through the tricky bits), but we did manage to catch this new trick … Read more
A recurring theme in my life is a contact from someone who narrowly missed a seminar with me in some far-flung outpost because they didn’t know it was happening. So let me take a minute of your time to let you know about two events coming up in the Pacific North West: This weekend, April … Read more
Armour of the English Knight, 1400-1450 is the best book on the subject of armour that I have ever read. I bought it last week at the Wallace Collection museum shop, and was simply blown away. I’m not really an armour man; I prefer fighting out of armour, but I bought this book because I … Read more
Audatia is now available on the Steam platform tabletop simulator! Probably the best thing about creating Audatia, the medieval swordfighting card game, is the way it inspires its players. You may have seen this beyond-awesome fan-made trailer which perfectly represents the spirit and intent of the game: You can find the rules in Spanish, French and Russian … Read more
Back in the bad old days I used to have to choose between swinging swords and working. Every time I picked up a sword, my wrists would swell up and my hands would be useless. It was hell. Then I met a kung-fu instructor, Num, who in 20 agonising minutes fixed my wrists. And in the … Read more
Introducing beginners to the Art of Arms is a privilege and a pleasure. Over the years I have developed a gentle approach to getting people started, based on the following principles: Beginners’ courses should be funnels, not filters. They should entice people in, and seduce them to the art, not hold up artificial barriers to … Read more