BOOKS PODCAST COURSES COMMUNITY BLOG Hi! It was only last Friday when you got an email from me saying I was still completely stuck on From Medieval Manuscript to Modern Practice: the Dagger Techniques of Fiore dei Liberi. When that email arrived in my inbox (yes I'm subscribed to my own newsletter: it's quality control not narcissism, I promise), I thought I'd just open the book file and see how far along it was. Somehow that triggered a rash of productivity, and at about 7.30am this morning...
22 days ago • 1 min read
BOOKS PODCAST COURSES COMMUNITY BLOG Hi! I’m back from my holidays, featuring ten days in Spain with the whole family then a six-day post-exams road trip with Daughter 2. This included visiting Manchester, York, and Edinburgh. And we popped in to Rosslyn Chapel on the way down south. You can see why conspiracy theorists go nuts for this place; it’s an astonishing bit of late medieval stonework, complete with weird and wonderful carvings such as this fallen angel: And a Green Man: You’re not...
28 days ago • 2 min read
BOOKS PODCAST COURSES COMMUNITY BLOG Hi! Safety in HMA There has been an especially egregious rash of HMA injuries lately: one friend losing a chunk of her bicep through blunt force trauma; an internet-famous stabbing in a rapier tournament; a(nother) re-enactor getting a sword in their skull through an ocular (the eye-hole in a historical closed-face helmet). What do these all have in common? The idea that it’s the equipment that keeps you safe. I have two main takeaways: 1. Do not trust...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
BOOKS PODCAST COURSES COMMUNITY BLOG Hi! I do weights with my wife on Tuesdays and Saturdays. We normally do classic weight training, but last week she thought it might be fun to do a follow-along “posterior chain” workout from Roxanne Russell (an Australian fitness person on the tubes of you). It was so much “fun” she immediately wanted to do a dumbbell shoulder workout from Caroline Girvan. Caroline was using 8kg weights, I used 5, my wife was on 3. I quite like workouts where you just...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Hi! Historical Martial Arts have come a long way. When I started out, there were no maps, no guides—just manuscripts and guesswork. Now? There’s so much material out there, beginners often don’t know where to start. That’s why I’ve created something new: Introduction to the Art of Arms: Get Started in Historical Martial Arts This set of online courses gives you a clear, structured introduction to the Art of Arms. Minimal gear and no prior experience required—just curiosity. We start with: ✅...
2 months ago • 1 min read
BOOKS PODCAST COURSES COMMUNITY BLOG Hi! I’m just back from the Sword and Balkan event in Belgrade last weekend. It was a great trip, with some of my absolutely favourite rapier bouts (my classes went pretty well too). I’ve written up a review of the event here. I had a day to look around Belgrade while I was there, and can 100% recommend the National Museum. I’ll be writing that up properly in due course, but in the meantime, two highlights: Bronze Smith, ca 700BC "The Traitor" by Pavle...
2 months ago • 3 min read
BOOKS PODCAST COURSES COMMUNITY BLOG Hi! Online Course progress As you know I’m working on the Introduction to Historical Martial Arts course, designed to introduce beginners to the historical, martial, and artistic elements of this pursuit. It’s a worthy challenge- in other words, it’s very difficult to get right, but I can’t delegate it to anyone. I’ve cracked the overall structure and the technical side of how it’ll be delivered, so I’m now working on the actual individual components of...
3 months ago • 3 min read
Hi! I have to confess my mojo has been at a pretty low ebb for the last couple of months. There’s no obvious reason why, but I haven’t written a word in any of my current book projects, and while I did manage to edit and publish the new Vadi course, that was about it for creative juices flowing. I’m inclined to associate this with the very annoying cholesterol results I got back from a routine health check at the end of March, which lead me to drop alcohol altogether for a month. Clearly my...
3 months ago • 5 min read
Hi! Exciting times at Swordschool this week... first up, renowned historian, curator, arms and armour expert, and jouster Dr. Toby Capwell has released his famous lecture "The Scoliotic Knight: Encounters with Richard III" on video for the first time. The discovery in Leicester of the grave of King Richard III (1452-85) raised many new questions. The skeleton’s severe scoliosis revealed that the twisted physique of William Shakespeare’s ‘Black Legend’ was based on fact. But how could someone...
3 months ago • 1 min read