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.
The Scoliotic Knight- and a free mechanics course!
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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 with such a spinal condition have worn armour and mastered the art of combat? What did his armour look like? To explore these and other many other fascinating questions, Toby traces the unlikely (but true) story of his involvement in the investigation of Richard III’s remains, the Channel 4 documentaries, the reburial in 2015, and the 2022 feature film The Lost King. Sound like fun? You can buy the 100+ minute lecture here for just £25. And, as if that wasn't enough, you can get my new Mechanics course free from the same platform. Members of the Mastering the Art of Arms subscription have had access to it for a while now, but it's time for everyone else to have a go too. This course is a deep dive into how I examine positions and movements, for research purposes, and to develop martial skill. Enrol in Fundamentals: Body Mechanics free here. Well, that should keep you busy! 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! It’s been a very good couple of weeks. I’ve hit two major milestones: my Angelo transcription is complete, which means I can start work on the actual fun stuff of interpretation, explanation, and training methods. Hurrah! And a top-secret project is on course to launch on the school’s 25th birthday, March 17th. It will be a free, gorgeous thing you can print at home, or get professionally printed. Should I say more? OK, here’s a hint: Yes! the...
BOOKS PODCAST COURSES COMMUNITY BLOG Hi! I have been beavering away, with more or less success, on rebuilding my blog into a more useful resource. The only reason I haven’t pulled all my hair out is because I don’t have any left. But it will be worth it in the end (he tells himself) because it will make the 500+ posts into a manageable, easy-to-navigate, library. I’m creating a “Start Here” page with the highlights, and specific hub pages for the key topics (Fiore, Capoferro, etc.). I’ve also...
BOOKS PODCAST COURSES COMMUNITY BLOG Hi! Tournament Takeaways I’m back from a wonderful trip to Potsdam, where I competed in both sidesword and rapier at the Torneo di Spada. I took no action shots at the event, but used it as an excuse to buy a new sidesword. My friends at Malleus Martialis hooked me up with this beauty (their Marozzo no. 3 sidesword trainer): I’ve written up the tournament experience in a 3000 word post, which went live on Patreon last week, and is now up in the Training...