Consulting Swordsman
A week after moving house I jetted off to Helsinki for the photo shoot for the German edition of The Duellist’s Companion, which is being published by Wieland (as was The Swordsman’s Companion, and The Medieval Longsword.) Somewhere in the mists of time the original photos for The Duellist’s Companion got lost, and as you … Read more
Back in the saddle again… It might be more accurate to say, ensconced in the new study and actually getting some work done instead of unpacking boxes… Sadly, no horses involved. Let’s continue where we left off, with the next two plays of the master of the zogho largo crossed at the middle of the … Read more
It’s been quite a month. I’ve spent half of it in the USA, and the other half moving house. Both of those projects went splendidly, but left very little room for anything like writing- even writing a blog post like this. I really ought to do a post-seminar-review-post for my first ever Boston seminar (the … Read more
This post is borrowed from The Complete Rapier Workbook and follows on from How to Train Swordsmanship (or anything else) Part One. The “Rule of Cs” The “Rule of Cs” determines how every drill can be practised. 1. In the beginning, you learn set drills by Co-operating in creating correct choreography. 2. Once the choreography … Read more
Catchy post title, huh? Let us continue our examination of the plays of the sword in two hands in zogho largo. The text reads: Anchora me incroso qui per zogho largo a meza spada. E subito che son incrosado io lasso discorrer la mia spada sopra le soi mane, e se voglio passare cum lo … Read more
This post is borrowed from The Complete Rapier Workbook How do you take things you already know, and make them actually work under pressure? How do you become a swordsman/swordswoman/swordsperson, not just a person who knows some sword moves? This is the heart of swordsmanship, and it’s most sophisticated element. The key skill to learn … Read more
Every now and then someone comes up with a brilliant idea, brings it to market, and I see it and immediately buy it. No thought required. This playing card crowdfunding campaign is one such. Historical swordswomen from across the globe, and from the last 800 years or so of history. Yes, they even have Walpurgis … Read more
Despite the fact that we’ve just had the sword in one hand, the grips, the blows, and the guards, this seems like the true beginning of the longsword section, because Fiore begins with these words, which appear over a blank space: Spada son contra ogni arma mortale, ne lanza ne azza ni daga contra mi … Read more
Fiore’s guards of the longsword form a quite complete mechanical overview of the system of movement that Fiore’s art requires. If you can move fluidly through the guards, with every guard transition forming a blow, or one of the voltas (meza, tuta, stabile), then you are probably moving as Fiore would want us to. Regarding … Read more
This Fiore Translation Project is a monster. Transcribing and translating is fun and quite easy (because this manuscript has been in my head for over 20 years now). The commentary is easy too- it just pours out in a kind of free-association torrent. But editing the videos? Uploading them to youtube? Cropping the images? Creating … Read more