Consulting Swordsman
Guy Windsor The second class of this course (on March 12th) began with the warm-up, to which I added kicking squats, and basic falling. We then swiftly reviewed the four steps and four guards, which they then practiced on their own. From there we tested where your weight should be on your feet for maximum stability, using … Read more
This morning’s meeting got shifted to Monday so I spent the time in the shed. Much progress was made! First, I finished thicknessing the parts: Which required touching up the plane iron. To polish the flat on my 8000grit waterstone I use a variation on David Charlesworth’s ruler trick. My shed does not abound with … Read more
Planing the sawn side of a thin bit of wood (about 15″ by 6 1/8″ by 1/4″) presents some challenges as the wood will buckle if clamped in the width or length, and there’s not much edge to grip anyway. My snazzy solution is to use double sided sticky tape to make a temporary full … Read more
One of the difficulties of training in any art is the lack of measurable feedback. Every body is different, and there is little we can do to provide objective goals. Enter the tape measure. Readers familiar with my Max Your Lunge approach to developing a good rapier lunge will see where this is going… In … Read more
Another project commissioned by my dad for my mum. Here’s the problem: A 20 year old shoe box with their shoe cleaning kit in. It is falling apart. So will be replaced with a similar sized box in oak. We start with a piece of sawn lumber from the woodyard. I don’t much care for … Read more
My armour is coming along, and hit a milestone yesterday. My arming jacket finally had the necessary pointing holes for attaching the arm pieces, which have been ready since December. So this is the first time they have been tried on properly. And oh my, what happy bliss to be clanking about in STEEL!! … Read more
On Tuesday March 5th we began the 2013 Spring beginners’ course. The goal of the course is always the same: to provide a safe and approachable way for interested people to begin training in the Art of Swordsmanship. As usual, we start them off with Fiore’s Art of Arms, not least as this has the … Read more
I recently posted this video as part of the ongoing Vadi interpretation work I am doing. As should be clear from the context, this is not syllabus-ready material, it is just my first proper take on the subject. In other words, the interpretations in the video are not the gospel according to Guy, but an … Read more
The printer’s proof of the special edition hardback version of Veni Vadi Vici has arrived. A major milestone in the development of any book. Huzzah!
Finding myself at odds with a colleague regarding what it is fair to call “Fiore’s Art” (or indeed any other historical master’s), I have decided to get down on virtual paper my views on the subject. It is obvious that coming from a different time and culture we cannot ever perfectly recreate the Art as … Read more