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Hi!

Two quick updates that couldn’t wait until next week…

Last Saturday’s Smallsword webinar went really well, with excellent questions and discussion from everyone who attended. There’s one more live session tomorrow morning (8am UK time), so if you’ve been thinking about upping your smallsword game, there’s still time to join us.​

One of the strongest pieces of feedback was that people wanted another practical webinar—this time on Point Control. So I’ve put one together for August 1st and 2nd.

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Hit What You Aim At Webinar: Point Control for Historical Fencers

In these live online workshops, we’ll explore practical methods for developing point control through a series of solo training exercises that can be practised almost anywhere, with very little equipment. No partner is required.

Although I’ll be demonstrating primarily with the smallsword, the principles apply to anything you thrust with. Whether you fence with a rapier, longsword, sidesword, foil, or smallsword, you’ll leave with practical drills that will improve your precision, coordination, and body mechanics.

To take active part in the seminar you will need a wall target fixed to a sturdy wall, or some other stable target (a “Bob” would work). In a pinch I use a drawing pin stuck in a notice board. If the available wall or target are flimsy, you can still get the basic idea of how to train, you’ll just have to be more careful about the level of force.

Instructions for making your own wall target and hanging target are included in the handout.

Duration: 90 minutes, plus about 30 minutes for the Q&A

To make the workshop accessible across multiple time zones, it will be taught twice:

Saturday August 1st, 8:00 am UK time (Europe and Australasia)

Sunday August 2nd, 7:00 pm UK time (Europe and the Americas)

Register once and attend either session or both, or just watch the recordings.

Hit what you aim at!

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Swordschool Wiki Updates

I’ve spent the last few days feverishly updating the Wiki. There is still a lot to do, but the landing pages for various weapons are up, and the whole thing should be much easier to use and navigate already.

Take a look here and let me know what you think!

(Yes, I am taking some time off the “Lessons from the Sword Guy” magazine idea. It needs to marinate in my subconscious a while longer.)

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New on The Sword Guy: Coaching Coaches, with Nathan Weston

Nathan Weston is a lifelong martial artist and fencer, who discovered HEMA in his thirties and never looked back. He teaches KDF longsword (and assorted other things) at Athena School of Arms in Boston. He’s in charge of instructor training for the HEMA Alliance, where he’s developed a program based on the principles of ecological dynamics. As part of this program, he runs instructor development workshops both online and in person. He also competes regularly in a few different weapons (and occasionally wrestling).

Nathan has ended up running a couple of clubs, so we talk about the personality type required to start and run a club.

We then talk about how the ecological approach to martial arts training gives students a lot more credit for what they’re capable of than traditional approaches. We go on to discuss lots of aspects of fencing training, including whether it’s better to stuff a sock with another sock or a golf ball and hit someone with it.

We also discuss how to teach people to become coaches, and whether online teaching works for this.

To the podcast!

yours,

Guy

P.S.

I don’t have a pen problem. I have a pen storage problem, and a money-for-new-pens problem.

So I am selling some of my less-used fountain pens. Everything in this picture can go:

From left to right:

• Sheaffer ‘no nonsense’ with a Broad calligraphy nib;
• Sheaffer steel pen with fairly broad nib;
• White Not-Blanc;
• Parker 25, some damage to nib;
• Platinum “Preppy” starter pen;
• Black Not-Blanc;
• Lamy;
• Pelikan;
• “Jackdaw Self-Filling Pen” with a Parker 14K nib (so not the original nib).

I’ve got the “no nonsense” and a Star Wars collectible pen up on ebay here, or feel free to make me an offer on the whole lot (everything in the photo). One thing- I ended up accidentally owning a couple of fake Mont Blancs. I do have one real one (a wedding present from my parents in law) which is firmly in the “keep forever” category, but the two here, though they are nice writers, and surprisingly good quality, are very definitely not the real deal.

Shipping in the UK is very cheap; outside the UK, not so much.

G.