Guy Windsor has been training swordsmen and swordswomen for a very long time. This short book distills his principles of training swordsmanship into seven key ideas, divided into three internal principles, and four external principles. They are:Internal:MindfulnessFlowAdopt Useful BeliefsExternal:4) No Injuries5) The Pareto Principle6) Run a Diagnostic7) Distinguish between knowledge and skillThis ...

Ever wonder how good you’d be with a sword?This book is for you.Do love movie sword fights?Learn how real sword fights work.Are you into stage combat?Add depth with historically accurate technique.You’re a bad uncle looking for a present for your niece?Get her this book, though her parents might hate you.Or do you just like swords?If you’ve ever wan...

This book is for beginners who want to practise swordsmanship, and need to know what kind of sword to buy. It covers what to look for in safe training weapons, as well as the ideal range of length, weight and other specifications for each major European sword type, including: Falchion, Arming Sword, Longsword, Sidesword, Rapier, Backsword, and Smallsword. It also covers choosing a supplier.Guy Windsor is a professional researcher and teacher of historical European swordsmanship, an...

"As a long time solo student of Historical Martial Arts, The Theory and Practice of Historical Martial Arts and Guy's other works have encouraged me to take my training to the next level. The advice in this book has helped me start a small club and provided well grounded advice for developing classes and instruction based on the author's experience. Guy's book also has plenty of advice which has helped me better plan out my personal training and to help me make better use of the original s...

This book raises and answers the following questions:When is it ok to stab someone in the face with a sword?What is the one thing you find most useful about swordsmanship training outside the salle?How important is history to you in your practise of swordsmanship?Can a duel settle a matter of honour?Can violence be beautiful?To what extent is the practice of swordsmanship the cultivation of virtue?Is the study of eth...

In From Medieval Manuscript to Modern Practice, renowned historical swordsman Guy Windsor demystifies one of the greatest martial arts books of all time, Fiore dei Liberi's Il Fior di Battaglia (The Flower of Battle).In the late 14th century dei Liberi, an Italian knightly combat master, wrote Il Fior di Battaglia (The Flower of Battle). This magnificent, illustrated manuscript described how to fight on foot and on horseback, in armour and without, with sword, spear, pollax, dagger...

The Duellist's Companion is a must-read exploration of 17th century Italian rapier fencing and a thorough interpretation of the style of legendary swordsman Ridolfo Capoferro, author of the most famous fencing book in history, Il Gran Simulacro, published in 1610.Through detailed illustrations and clear explanations, Guy Windsor, a leading expert in historical martial arts, takes you through preparation exercises before teaching you the guard positions, footwork, blade act...

Fencing theory is the intellectual, abstract structure that fencers use to describe, define, and explain their art. In this book, professional swordsmanship instructor and author Guy Windsor introduces you to the uses of fencing theory, and explains in detail all the major concepts. You can then use this theory to better analyse and understand whatever swordsmanship style you practice.The main areas covered here are:Doctrine: the idea behind the art. What is the best ...

This book builds on the foundation laid in The Medieval Longsword, and teaches you how to train Fiore dei Liberi’s Art of Arms, as shown in his 1410 manuscript ll Fior di Battaglia. Renowned swordsman and author Guy Windsor explains three of the longsword forms that are used every day in The School of European Swordsmanship:The Cutting DrillThe Farfalla di FerroThe Longsword Syllabus FormEach form is explained step by step ...

In the From Medieval Manuscript to Modern Practice series, renowned historical swordsman Guy Windsor demystifies one of the greatest martial arts books of all time, Fiore dei Liberi's Il Fior di Battaglia (The Flower of Battle).In the late 14th century dei Liberi, an Italian knightly combat master, wrote Il Fior di Battaglia (The Flower of Battle). This magnificent illustrated manuscript described how to fight on foot and on horseback, in armour and without, with s...

The term 'medieval martial arts' conjures images of armour-clad knights wielding sword, lance and axe. While the image is correct, at the foundation of knightly combat was a sophisticated form of close quarter combat, instantly recognizable to students of classical Asian arts such as jujutsu or practitioners of modern, military combatives. At the heart of this system was fighting with - and against - the dagger, a vicious weapon of both self-defense and last resort that was dangerous to th...

In From Medieval Manuscript to Modern Practice, renowned historical swordsman Guy Windsor demystifies one of the greatest martial arts books of all time, Fiore dei Liberi's Il Fior di Battaglia (The Flower of Battle).In the late 14th century dei Liberi, an Italian knightly combat master, wrote Il Fior di Battaglia (The Flower of Battle). This magnificent, illustrated manuscript described how to fight on foot and on horse...