A Swordsman’s Adventures in London – Day 5 – Sparring with Tempus Fugitives

Going up a day late because of technical difficulties.

The last day in London and I nerd out in the Wallace Collection before heading off and hanging with Tempus Fugitives.

Tempus Fugitive instructors are experts at combining the physical exercise and coordination of fencing with the history of social credit systems in society and how it influenced the development of fencers.

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A Swordsman’s Adventures in London – Day 4 – Shastar Vidya

Today I visit the V&A for a real treat. Handling the sources and knowing that these were penned (or at the very least, they were commissioned to be made by) the old masters is a wonderful and humbling experience.

I then visited Asante Lawla who teaches Shastar Vidya, an Indian weapons based martial art.

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A Swordsman’s Adventures in London – Day 3 – London Historical Fencing Club

Disclaimer: I actually really like Filipo Vadi as a source, but I can’t let anyone else know that.

I travelled to the resting site of William Marshal at Temple Church. Marshal was a knight who won fame in tournaments, fought a war against Henry II before serving him, travelled to Jerusalem, oversaw the signing of the Magna Carta and defended England against a French invasion in his seventies, by riding into battle at Lincoln.

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A Swordsman’s Adventures in London – Day 2 – Scholar Gladatoria

I continue my week in the footsteps of the old masters by travelling to train with other instructors. Checking out the British Museum and all the cool stuff we nicked from other cultures. I then visit Schola Gladatoria run by Matt Easton who are one of the most well known HEMA groups in Britain, if not the world.

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A Swordsman’s Adventures in London – Day 1 – London Longsword Academy

Let’s go and fight London.

Hey everybody, I realize it’s been a long time since I’ve made one of these videos, but I haven’t really been inspired by anything. I’ve been focusing more on teaching and getting involved in other classes and things like that. It’s really helped me as a teacher and as a fencer to investigate the ways in which other teachers teach. And normally, the only opportunities I get to do this are when I go to places like Dijon, like Fight Camp and others, where there are workshops being run by other instructors.

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How to level up by being a good partner…

I’ve recently started a new martial art and I’m really enjoying being the ‘new guy, again. BJJ (Brazilian jiujutsu) is unlike any martial art I’ve done before because it doesn’t involve striking. It can make for some very frustrating situations where I end up thinking, “yeah, nah. I’d just punch him in the junk, I reckon.” As this is something …

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Can women fight with swords?

Esther v Jordan

Well… Yeah. Who’s saying they can’t?

“No woman can fight with a sword. Zero women can fight with a sword. And what I mean by that is: in a situation where you are fighting men who are used to fighting with swords you are going to get killed if you are a woman fighting with a sword, 100% of the time.”
– Andrew Klavan/Klaven

Oh.

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Reverse Grip Sword Fighting

Academy of Steel Reverse Grip 4

Why Kylo Ren and Geralt of Rivia are crap swordsmen!

Well. It finally happened. I’ve become one of those guys.

“In episode 2F09, when Itchy plays Scratchy’s skeleton like a xylophone, he strikes the same rib in succession, yet he produces two clearly different tones. I mean, what are we to believe, that this is a magic xylophone, or something?”
– The Simpsons, S8E14: The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show

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Solo Training

Fiore's Segno Page

A student and friend of mine asked about solo training and what someone could do to up their game as a solo act. When I lived in Kazakhstan, I didn’t have anyone else to with whom to train. The snow was two to three feet deep in the winter and the summer was bitterly hot and dusty. While this would …

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