Consulting Swordsman
Guy Windsor 
I’ve been a tad busy of late (not that that is anything unusual). But the last couple of weeks have been especially interesting. First up, PC Gamer magazine have published an article based on an interview I gave to the journalist Rick Lane; it’s all about trying to make games that involve sword fights more … Read more
This is a progress report for the “get over boarding school” project. If you’re here looking for some technical sword stuff, I suggest going here or here. I usually edit my posts quite carefully. Not this one, because if I do, I will end up deleting the whole thing. So please bear with me. Shortly … Read more
There is a rather stupid convention common in the upbringing of boys and men: because we are supposed to be strong, we ought not to acknowledge our weaknesses. As any weight-lifter could tell you, that is totally counter-productive. If you realise that your biceps are not as strong as they should be, you can adjust … Read more
We are in the middle of our annual monster seminar, the Fiore Extravaganza. We began with a day of pollax training from the medieval French manuscript Jeu de la Hache, taught by Lois Forster. Lois flew over from France with his armour and a squire (hi Vincent!). He is conducting an emprise, a feat of arms … Read more
Oh my, what a week it has been. I was scared of hitting “publish” on my last post, for obvious reasons. I am a big bad scary martial arty swordsman, or at least that’s how a lot of people seem to see me. And now anyone who reads my blog can see me as … Read more
I spent much of yesterday evening crying my eyes out. The kind of wracking sobs that leave you weak and shaky for hours afterwards. This is not normal. I was packed off to boarding school at the age of eight. Unlike most other boarders, I did not get to go home every three weeks. Because … Read more
Rapier Length: responding to criticism from the internet As you may know, I am in the process of videoing everything we do in the salle, and putting it up online for free. This project is called the “Syllabus Wiki“. One of the many benefits of this is that informed commentators can see what we are … Read more
“Ethics (also moral philosophy) is the branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct.” – Wikipedia I am writing the fourth instalment of my Swordsman’s Quick Guide series, and the topic is Ethics. I believe that the study of ethics is at least as important to a historical swordsman … Read more
I returned yesterday from a visit to the Osnabrück branch of my School, where every day of training was followed by one or two small beers, and playing Audatia. These guys are good enough (at the game, at least 🙂 ) that I got at least one pommel strike in my face, and ate a … Read more
We often duck and dive to avoid something, when our interests would be better served by meeting it head on. Sometimes it’s better to just take the hit. By the time they are a few weeks old, most babies have mastered the art of the double-dump. Inexperienced parents react to the first load: a stinky … Read more