Guy Windsor

How to keep kids safe around weapons and tools… your questions answered.

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Last week I ran a survey to find out what I should be working on next. This generated a very clear ‘get on with the “systems from sources” online course’ response. I am following orders, and hope to have the first couple of modules up for beta-testers next week. I will set it up so … Read more

Training for Boldness

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Boldness is a key virtue in swordsmanship. Perhaps the key virtue. Under the Lion on the famous segno page, Fiore wrote “Piu de mi leone non porta core ardito. Por di bataglia fazo a zaschun invito”. Nobody has a bolder heart than I, the Lion. I call everyone to battle. It is a key virtue, … Read more

Mission Accomplished.

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Sixteen years ago, I was at a crossroads in my life, so I went and sat on top of a hill in the Scottish Highlands, and meditated for a sign. A voice in my head said “go to Helsinki and open a swordsmanship school.” So I did. Now that school has become “The School”, and … Read more

Execute, ruthlessly. Free ideas to make you millions.

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Creating a card game to teach the basic theory and terminology of a medieval combat system was really hard. Audatia is done though: four glorious character decks and two expansion packs; piled up on my desk they really look like we created something. When people hear about it, the most common reaction is “wow, that’s … Read more

Dread

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I am right now in Ipswich looking at potential homes for my family. I travel a lot, and have the practicalities pretty much down to a fine art, but the night before this trip I was consumed by a deep and abiding sense of dread. I feel like this the night before just about every … Read more

Seeing the future: training foresight.

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There are few things that all martial artists agree on, but I think this may be one of them: “it’s easier to fight someone if you know exactly what they are going to do”. To predict their actions. To see the future. This skill is one of the aspects that marks an experienced fighter in … Read more

The Book that began it all: Francesco Novati’s Il Fior di Battaglia

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Yesterday I went to visit my friend Peter Mustonen. He’s an arms dealer; but our kind of arms dealer: gorgeous antique swords, knives, guns, armour, shields; you name it, he has a delicious example. I spent some time playing with swords, you know, as one does. While I was there he mentioned finding a book … Read more

This belongs to you. Fabris’s Sienza d’Arme, the best rapier book ever, yours free.

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I have the enormous privilege of owning an original copy of Salvatore Fabris’s Sienza e Pratica d’Arme, printed in 1606. I bought it from Sr. Roberto Gotti, of Brescia, in 2014. It is in incredibly good condition, and an excellent, clean print. It is still in its original binding. The value of the book comes … Read more

Women’s Class

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I have always made sure that there are at least some women in the photos in all of my training manuals. This photo from The Swordsman’s Companion is one of my favourite pictures ever: Last weekend, teaching at Lonin in Seattle, one of the women students told me that the only reason she had started … Read more

Errors of Judgement

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Training happens in the brain, and in my experience, the biggest barriers to training exist between a student’s ears. One of the most common problems I have seen (and experienced myself), is the tendency to stop and make judgements when things aren’t going well. For example, I’m practising my still-imperfect mandritto fendente, as part of … Read more