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.
Teaching, Training, and Daggers!
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Hi! I’m back from one family holiday (wife, kids, and mother in Corbelles, near Barcelona) and about to head off for a family reunion weeklong extravaganza in London. One highlight of which will be taking my nieces and nephews around the Wallace Collection. I don’t know if it’ll be a highlight for them or not, but for me, certainly! So in the interim I’ve been beavering away at the new Dagger course, adding over 70 video clips- literally every dagger play in Il Fior di Battaglia is now there in the course, which I’ll be launching in a couple of weeks. I’ve also added 6 new videos of the new interpretation of Fiore’s footwork. If you’re already enrolled you should have got an email already with a stupendous discount. If that hasn’t arrived, hit reply and I’ll send you the discount code. As you may recall from my last email, my new book Get Them Moving: how to teach historical martial arts is now available at the swordschool shop. It will go live on other platforms (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc etc.) in a few months, but you can get it now, here: https://swordschool.shop/collections/get-them-moving Here's the blurb: In Get Them Moving I’ve distilled over twenty years of teaching experience into a comprehensive guide that’s as practical as it is motivational. Whether you’re stepping into the salle as an instructor for the first time or you’ve been teaching students for years, this book offers clear and actionable guidelines to improve outcomes for your students. From constructing effective lesson plans to overcoming the hurdle of imposter syndrome, I’ve laid out strategies and insights to elevate your teaching craft. Learn how to engage beginners with effective drills, run advanced classes, and how to incorporate the historical sources into your teaching.
This isn’t just a manual; it’s a mentorship in book form, designed to accompany you as you forge the next generation of martial artists.
Ready to transform your practice into impactful teaching? Let’s begin.
Go on, you know you want to: https://swordschool.shop/collections/get-them-moving Cool stuff from the internet: Previous podcast guest the excellent and very musical Alix Evans has produced an album with her group Ignota. You can hear the entire album here: https://www.musicaignota.com/general-7 And you can also buy it on the same page, which gets you not only the album, but also the sheet music, lyrics, etc. 100% must buy for medievalists, I think. This week on the podcast: Solo Training and Ariel Anderssen interviewing me https://swordschool.shop/blogs/podcast/episode-192-solo-training-and-an-interview-with-guy Training alone is an essential skill. You can train anywhere, any time, and practice things that would be unethical with a partner. Enjoy some sample chapters from my book, The Principles and Practices of Solo Training, followed by a reprise of episode 100, where I’m interviewed by Ariel Anderssen about a whole load of stuff, including how I got into swords in the first place, the vision up a Scottish mountain that told me to open my school in Helsinki, injuries from duelling, my best ever sword fight, feminism, getting through the pandemic, and learning to fly. Find The Principles and Practices of Solo Training at guywindsor.net/solo. Click here for alternative podcast players, show notes and the transcription: https://swordschool.shop/blogs/podcast/episode-192-solo-training-and-an-interview-with-guy What I’m reading I thought I’d add a section to the newsletter of what I’m currently reading. Just because it’s probably not what you think! I’ve recently finished the superb Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin. I loved it- it’s about these young video game designers and their various misadventures in the games industry. Kinda sorta- it’s really a lot more about the nature of friendship, love, and rivalry. I’ve also recently discovered the Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman and devoured all four. It’s a unique mix of gentle whodunnit mystery, beautiful observation of human nature, and also a lot about friendship in its various forms. Yes, there are no swords in any of those books. Sorry/not sorry! 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.
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...
Hi! Thanks to everyone who bought the new Vadi Longsword Course. It was great fun to make it, but even more satisfying when people actually want it. I’m happy to report that Jo York and I are recording the rest of my interpretation this very week! Which leads to a good day at the office: Followed by an even better day at the office! There will be some bonus material added to the Longsword course in due course, and probably an entire separate course with Vadi's dagger plays. We're also...
Hi! Oh my did my last email ever fall foul of the deliverability gods. It had about a quarter of the expected open rate, and several regular subscribers got in touch to say it had landed in the "this is crap" folder. I had a word with support and I think it's the link formatting that's done it. So, if you're looking for the new Vadi course, it's here. The discount will expire on Monday. The point I was trying to make in my last, totally useless, email was that the course covers the full...