Dr. Guy Windsor is a world-renowned instructor and a pioneering researcher of medieval and renaissance martial arts. He has been teaching the Art of Arms full-time since founding The School of European Swordsmanship in Helsinki, Finland, in 2001. His day job is finding and analysing historical swordsmanship treatises, figuring out the systems they represent, creating a syllabus from the treatises for his students to train with, and teaching the system to his students all over the world. Guy is the author of numerous classic books about the art of swordsmanship and has consulted on swordfighting game design and stage combat. He developed the card game, Audatia, based on Fiore dei Liberi's Art of Arms, his primary field of study. In 2018 Edinburgh University awarded him a PhD by Research Publications for his work recreating historical combat systems. When not studying medieval and renaissance swordsmanship or writing books Guy can be found in his shed woodworking or spending time with his family.
Guns, swords, and Vadi!
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Hi! Guns in HelsinkiWhile I was in Helsinki my friend Jan Kukkamäki took me shooting, with his family. It’s the first time since leaving Finland in 2016 that I got to shoot my own guns again. Here they are: A Ruger Mk II 22/45 semi-automatic target pistol; a Ruger bearcat .22 revolver, and a Ruger GP100 .357 Mag. revolver. That was much fun… but then Jan introduced me to the Remington New Army (1860s, reproduction) percussion-cap revolver… It’s a lovely gun, which you have to load chamber by chamber. You pour the black powder into the chamber, then add a bit of wadding, then the ball goes in, and you use the lever under the barrel to force the ball into the chamber. That’s pretty hard work. When all six chambers are loaded you add a dab of vaseline to prevent stray sparks setting off chambers prematurely. Then the percussion caps go on the nipples, and the gun is ready to fire. I shot about 50 rounds, with not a single misfire. This gun is pretty damn reliable! I had a go at black-powder competition rules, which are 13 shots, 6 in one target, 7 in another, with the top 5 shots in each target counting to a maximum of 100 points. You have 30 minutes, because of course you have to reload, and you’re not allowed more than 5 loaded chambers at a time, so there are a minimum of three loading sessions. I managed (iirc) 72, in 18 ½ minutes. Not bad for a first go! Swords in IpswichWhile I’ve been away the nettles in the garden had a great time. Lots of rain, lots of sun… it’s no wonder they got out of hand. But fortunately, there’s a solution: Yes, my trusty Gus Trim falchion, a gift from my lovely Lonin/Swordsquatch friends. Literally seconds later: Who wants a strimmer when you can get some training in?I should point out that I know my own garden pretty well, so there was no chance of hitting a stray rock, log, or other solid object. And oh my, that sword can slice! Vadi in your earhole
My audiobook project collaboration with Eleonora Rebecchi is now live at the shop! https://swordschool.shop/products/de-arte-gladiatoria-dimicandi-audiobook Step back into the world of the late 1400s with Philippo Vadi's De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi: the Art of Sword Fighting in Earnest. This extraordinary audiobook, read in its original Italian by the captivating Eleonora Rebecchi and translated and narrated in English by renowned historical martial artist Dr. Guy Windsor, brings Vadi’s work to life. Dedicated to Guido da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, Vadi's work includes 16 chapters on longsword fencing theory, followed by 25 longsword plays, and shorter sections on armoured combat with the lance and the sword, and a section on the dagger. Whether you are a historian, martial artist, or simply a lover of medieval lore, De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi offers a unique auditory journey into the world of chivalric combat. Patrons: you should already have a 50% discount code, so remember to use it if you buy the audiobook! This week’s podcast episode includes several sample chapters of the audiobooks, and a repeat of my interview with the lovely Eleonora. Enjoy! You can find the episode here:
yours, Guy |
Guy Windsor's Swordschool
Dr. Guy Windsor is a world-renowned instructor and a pioneering researcher of medieval and renaissance martial arts. He has been teaching the Art of Arms full-time since founding The School of European Swordsmanship in Helsinki, Finland, in 2001. His day job is finding and analysing historical swordsmanship treatises, figuring out the systems they represent, creating a syllabus from the treatises for his students to train with, and teaching the system to his students all over the world. Guy is the author of numerous classic books about the art of swordsmanship and has consulted on swordfighting game design and stage combat. He developed the card game, Audatia, based on Fiore dei Liberi's Art of Arms, his primary field of study. In 2018 Edinburgh University awarded him a PhD by Research Publications for his work recreating historical combat systems. When not studying medieval and renaissance swordsmanship or writing books Guy can be found in his shed woodworking or spending time with his family.
Hi! When I get to the end of a major project I usually clear my desk and have a general tidy up. It’s then very likely that I’ll spend some time making something physical. There’s something about editing video that makes doing woodwork a psychological necessity. Pretty much the moment I hit “Publish” on the new Vadi course I went out to my shed and got to work cleaning and sharpening my most-used chisels. As I was slotting them back into their rack, I thought it was about time I upgraded...
Hi! There’s a knotty question which I’m sure keeps you up at night. Who would win in a longsword duel, Fiore or Vadi? Well, Fiore was a famous soldier, commander of the artillery on the walls of Udine, with streets named after him. And who claims to have fought five grudge matches against other fencing masters. Vadi… we’re not 100% sure. There’s some evidence to suggest he was governor of Reggio from 1452 to 1470, and he probably lived from 1425-1501. But no record of him ever teaching...
Hi! I hope you’re getting some time off for Easter this weekend. And lots of Easter eggs. We all need to keep moving to burn off some of that chocolate, so here’s a short gentle warm-up routine from the new Vadi course: https://vimeo.com/1071693384/0c6d4215e2 Yes it’s very gentle, because I’ve made the course fit for absolute beginners, as well as much more advanced students. So I include everything from how to hold the sword, through basic actions, techniques and counters, up to quite...