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.
Notebooks, Physio, and even a spot of Wrestling!
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Hi! The Form covers a huge amount of material when you start to unpack it- enough that it comprises most of the content of my Advanced Longsword book (the Farfalla di Ferro and the Cutting Drill take up most of the rest). I don’t believe in teaching choreography and calling it martial arts, so we established what every move was actually for (pair technique, attribute training, or change of direction to make the form fit in a smaller space), before adding it to the form itself. And of course we connected every step to The Book! I also saw Erick Ellison, my physiotherapist in Helsinki. The man who fixed my 3-year knee problem with one goddamn exercise. He took a crack at the 15+ year problem of my left shoulder (the one that stopped me getting to 50 push-ups before my 50th birthday, but I got under enough control to get to 51 in time for my 51st). Seems like there was a tendon out of place. I can now get it back in place when it pops out, and have an exercise to keep it there. Proper healing will take time, but that annoying twinge that was stopping me progressing with my rotator cuff strengthening program? Gone. Goddamn it. He also spent some time on my neck, which has given me trouble since I was a teenager. I have four really specific exercises for that now… and I can turn my head properly for the first time in I don’t know how long.Goddamn that too. So, if you’re suffering from anything physical, FFS go to Helsinki and see Eki. Fysio Sakura. I don’t care where on the planet you live, it’ll be worth it. So long as you actually do your exercises, of course. I haven’t skipped a day on any of them for any reason, because health actually matters more than emails. Bye Bye TwitterI’ve deactivated my Twitter account. One red flag too many, and though it was incredibly useful for finding podcast guests, I just couldn’t justify it any more. FB is hanging on by a thread… but SwordPeople.com is going strong! If you want to find me on the socialz, that’s really the only place that works. Medieval German Wrestling: von Baumann lives!As you may have spotted on Wednesday, we are in the midst of the ever-so-exciting launch of the new Medieval German Wrestling: The Twirchringen of Von Baumann course, taught by the awesome Jessica Finley. If you are a Patron, or have bought the Abrazare or Hauptstucke courses, you should already have received an even bigger discount code. If that's not the case, reply to this email and I'll send it to you.The course sales page has the whole first section set as a free preview, so you can check out what all the fuss is about here:
What I’m readingWhile I was in Helsinki I picked up a copy of Roland Allen’s The Notebook (no, not the novel, or the film). It’s subtitle is “a history of thinking on paper”. It is utterly fascinating. The book is about the development of the notebook (i.e. a book you write in yourself) in European history, and it covers everything from the development of paper as a cheaper thing to write on than vellum, to wax tablets, to Italian accounting practices, to Leonardo da Vinci’s famous notebooks, to Darwin, to the modern Moleskine (and where it actually comes from). It’s bloody brilliant. I use notebooks all the time, and am sufficiently fussy about them that I often bind my own. Allen’s The Notebook has inspired me to bring some order to the galaxy: I’m currently going through the last 25 years of my notebooks, and cataloguing them, so I know what notebooks contain what notes. Details of a seminar in Osnabruck, 2012? check. What we covered in a beginners’ course in 2008? check. Outline doodle for what became Swordfighting for Writers, Game Designers, and Martial Artists? check. But it’s a pretty big job… My favourite notebook that I’ve made myself? This early effort of mine: A6 size, hardback, with reindeer leather cover. But the best notebooks I own? No question, it’s these two: One decorated by my younger daughter, and one hand made by my elder, many moons ago. No contest :) cheers, 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.
BOOKS PODCAST COURSES COMMUNITY BLOG Hi! Spring is here, at last. There’s pear blossom in my garden. A reminder for those of us north of the Equator that Summer is on its way, and for those down south, a reminder that Spring will come eventually. As you may recall Swordschool turned 25 last month, and I’ve finally hit ‘publish’ on a blog post about the School’s history, structure, and other things. You may find it interesting: 25 Years of Swordschool I’ve managed to update the Wiki with a lot...
BOOKS PODCAST COURSES COMMUNITY BLOG Hi! The Gathering of Wolves, in Cardiff last weekend, was a delight. It’s my first event in the UK for a decade (which is weird, right? I’ve literally attended more events in New Zealand than in the UK since I moved here). I taught two classes- one on I.33 sword and buckler, the other on Fiore’s zogho largo/zogho stretto distinction, and gave a lecture on solo training. They were all very well attended (about 40 students in each, I think), and each and...
Hi! On March 17th 2001 I ran the first official class of what was then called “The School of European Swordsmanship, Helsinki”, or SESH, in a small room at the Olympic Stadium, in Helsinki, Finland. So today is our 25th birthday: happy birthday to us! Our classes were held in primary school sports halls: Training in Töölön Ala-aste koulu, 2001 And even outside, when the Finnish weather allowed: Training in Sibelius Park, Helsinki, May 2001 It's fair to say we've come a long way since then! To...