Shows
The Sword Guy PodcastSalute before you cross swords with Damon Young
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to: https://swordschool.shop/blogs/podcast/salute-before-you-cross-swords-with-damon-young
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My guest today, Damon Young, is an Australian philosopher, author and martial artist. He has written 14 books or so, including Philosophy in the Garden, Distraction, and On Getting Off: Sex and Philosophy. He has also edited a couple of books on philosophy and martial arts, such as Engagement: Philosophy and the Martial Arts, and Martial Arts and Philosophy: Beating and Nothingness, perhaps my favourite t...
2025-10-311h 49The Sword Guy PodcastEpisode 200 with Michael Chidester: sharing hidden treasures
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to: https://swordschool.shop/blogs/podcast/episode-200-with-michael-chidester-sharing-hidden-treasures
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For our two hundredth episode it’s the welcome return of Michael Chidester. Michael is the architect of Wiktenauer, the online archive of historical martial arts sources. He's also the founder of HEMA Bookshelf, which produces stunningly good facsimiles of historical sources, such as the Getty manuscript of Fiore dei Liberi’s Il Fior di Battaglia. He also produces a whole bunch of acade...
2024-12-061h 30The Sword Guy PodcastWhat Makes a Warrior? With Cain Maxwell
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/what-makes-a-warrior-with-cain-maxwell/
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Cain Maxwell is an instructor of physical culture, who's been teaching physical skills his entire life, from swimming to military firearms to ballroom dancing, even. And now he is teaching mounted martial arts and runs a school called Martial Equestrian, a mounted combat school in Hinckley, Ohio.
Cain learned to fight by fighting for real in a rough neighbourhood. In his own words, he...
2022-12-091h 23The Sword Guy PodcastLiving the Nobler Dream, with Christian Tobler
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/living-the-nobler-dream-with-christian-tobler/
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Christian Tobler is a chivalric combat instructor and author of many books, including Secrets of German Medieval Swordsmanship, which launched the study of Liechtenauer in the Anglosphere. He also wrote Fighting with German Longsword, In St. George's Name: an Anthology of Medieval German Fighting Arts, In Service of the Duke, and many more. Not to mention his latest, which is Lance, Spear, Sword and Messer, a...
2022-04-151h 19The Sword Guy PodcastEpisode 100: Duelling and a Day in the Life of Guy Windsor
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/duelling-and-a-day-in-the-life-of-guy/
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Welcome to episode 100 of The Sword Guy Podcast! In this special episode, Ariel Anderssen (episode 93) interviews Guy about a whole load of stuff, including how Guy got into swords in the first place, the vision up a Scottish mountain that told him to open his school in Helsinki, injuries from duelling, Guy’s best ever sword fight, feminism, getting through the pandemic, and learning to fly...
2022-04-082h 05The Sword Guy PodcastA Two-Handed Sword to Fight a Griffin, with Marie PowellFor transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/a-two-handed-sword-to-fight-a-griffin-with-marie-powell/
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It’s episode 99 of The Sword Guy Podcast! Next week we have a special 100th edition, so look out for that. While you’re waiting, you can enjoy this week’s episode with writer, journalist, editor and author, Marie Powell.
Marie lives in Canada, but a search for her Welsh heritage inspired her to write her latest sword and sorcery epic, The Last of the G...
2022-04-011h 10The Sword Guy PodcastMastering Movement with Dan Edwardes
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/mastering-movement-with-dan-edwardes/
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Dan Edwardes is a parkour coach and teacher of teachers. He's a founding member and executive director of Parkour Generations, an international organisation of Parkour Instructors with schools all over the world. He's also the author of The Parkour and Free Running Handbook.
Dan also has a background as a swordsman. He lived in Japan for five years, and was one of very fe...
2022-03-251h 52The Sword Guy PodcastThe Last Duel, or was it? With Ariella Elema
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/the-last-duel-or-was-it-with-ariella-elema/
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Dr Ariella Elema is a finder of the forgotten, the hidden and the obscure. She's an academic and archivist and an armizare practitioner in Toronto. Her Ph.D. thesis, Trial by Battle in France and England, should give you some clue as to why I invited her on the show. But it also won the Canadian Society of Medievalists’ Leonard Boyle dissertation prize, which is very...
2022-03-181h 34The Sword Guy PodcastFrog DNA and Indonesia with Pradana
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/frog-dna-and-indonesia-with-pradana/
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Pradana Pandu Mahardhika lives in Bandung, Indonesia. He describes himself as a freelance translator/interpreter, amateur tailor, and professional procrastinator. In this episode we talk about how Pradana set up a historical martial arts club, Gwaith-i-Megyr, which was founded in 2016. He had been fencing as part of an informal group for a while, but when he decided to get some wooden swords made up, he fou...
2022-03-111h 31The Sword Guy PodcastLaser Focus, Thought Control, and Jousting with Sarah HayThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 95
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/laser-focus-thought-control-and-jousting-episode95/
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Sarah Hay has been jousting since 2008. Just ten years later she won the Queen's Jubilee Horn at the Royal Armouries’ Easter jousting tournament in Leeds. In this episode we find out how Sarah’s passion for jousting came about, her background with horses, getting your own armour, and the vital role that mindset plays in her success.
Sara...
2022-03-041h 09The Sword Guy PodcastHarps and Sharps with Andrew Lawrence-KingThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 94
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/harps-and-sharps-episode94/
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Dr. Andrew Lawrence-King is a historical musician, harpist, continuo player, baroque opera director, winner of a Grammy in the category of best small ensemble performance. He is also a rapier fencer and Tai Chi practitioner. And I should mention his crowning professional achievement is, of course, providing the harp music for my George Silver Paradoxes of Defence audiobook....
2022-02-251h 52The Sword Guy PodcastStartling Burglars with Ariel AnderssenThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 93
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/startling-burglars-with-ariel-anderssen/
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Ariel Anderssen is a model, actor, author, property investor and is perhaps best known for her career as a BDSM model and performer. She is also mad about swords, both for using in stage fight and for collecting.
We cover a lot in this conversation, including talking about whether stage combat or martial arts training would be...
2022-02-181h 22The Sword Guy PodcastMonte with MikeThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 92
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/monte-with-mike-episode92/
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Mike Prendergast is the founder and head instructor of the Historical Combat Academy in Dublin and translator of Pietro Monte’s Exercitiorum Atque Artis Militaris Collectanea, which is otherwise known as the Collection of Renaissance, Military Arts and Exercises. He also teaches in an SCA group called Dun in Mara.
In our conversation we talk about how...
2022-02-111h 45The Sword Guy PodcastForged in fire, quenched in oil. With Stephanie AiutoThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 91
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/forged-in-fire-quenched-in-oil-episode91/
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Stephanie Aiuto lives in New York and began her career with blades as a sport fencer, competing at a national level in sabre, until she had to stop because she wore away all the cartilage in her toes. To fill the void the lack of sabre left in her life she took up knife making, and now works at...
2022-02-041h 24The Sword Guy PodcastSwords in the Movies with Peter LyonThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 90
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/swords_in_the_movies_episode90/
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Peter Lyon is a swordsmith and weapons maker from New Zealand. He originally started out making swords to use in medieval re-enactment in the 1980s, and was asked to make the swords for the Lord of the Rings movies. Since then Peter has worked on many other film productions with Wētā Workshop including Indi...
2022-01-281h 24The Sword Guy PodcastWooden Weapons and Wing Chun with Carina CirrincioneThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 89
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/wooden-weapons-and-wing-chun-episode89/
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This week’s episode is with Carina Cirrincione of Raven Studios, based in Oracle, Arizona. Carina makes wooden training weapons such as longsword wasters, rondel daggers, and implements for Eastern martial arts. She's also a Tai Chi and Wing Chun practitioner and instructor.
We talk about woodwork, Eastern martial arts, turning a hobby into a business and...
2022-01-211h 05The Sword Guy PodcastA Whole Lot of Tasty Bolognese with Joshua WiestThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 88
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/bolognese-episode88/
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Joshua Wiest is an instructor at the Triangle Sword Guild, North Carolina, USA. He focuses on the fighting systems of masters Achilles Marozzo, Giovanni dall’Agocchie, Antonio Manciolino, and Camillo Palladini. He's also a successful tournament fencer and host of the historical martial arts podcast l’Arte dell Armi.
In this bumper episode we take a deep d...
2022-01-141h 58The Sword Guy PodcastBallet for Swordfighters with Anna BeardThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 87
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/ballet-for-swordfighters-episode87/
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Anna Beard is a historical dancing and ballet and historical fencing instructor at Austin Historical Weapons Guild. She has been dancing since she was four and went on to get her Bachelor of Fine Arts and Dance from the University of Michigan, followed by teaching in studios, and running her own projects, performances and small dance companies. A mo...
2022-01-071h 31The Sword Guy PodcastThe Two-Handed Sword with Neil Melville, and a Review of the YearThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 86
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/two-handed-swords-episode86/
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Hello Sword People! Welcome to the Sword Guy podcast. This is your host, Dr Guy Windsor, consulting swordsman, teacher, and writer. Join me for interviews with historical fencing instructors and experts from a wide range of related disciplines, as we discuss swords, history, training, and bringing the joy of historical martial arts into our modern lives.
As...
2021-12-311h 04The Sword Guy PodcastThe Mathematics of Fencing with Pamela MuirThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 85
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/the-mathematics-of-fencing-episode85/
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Pamela Muir is the founder of the Academy of Chivalric Martial Arts in Arlington, Virginia. She's been doing historical martial arts since about 2003, and I've met her at several events. In this episode we talk about theoretical maths, Liechtenauer, chivalry, and representation for women in HEMA. Pamela also talks about the adult education class she teaches on historical fe...
2021-12-241h 15The Sword Guy PodcastKatanas and Koryu with Jaredd WilsonThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 84
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/katanas-and-koryu-episode84/
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This week’s episode is with Jaredd Wilson. Jaredd is the host of the Martial Thoughts podcast, which I appeared on back in January. You can find a link to our “The Pen is Mightier than the Podcast” episode here, or on Stitcher or iTunes. In today’s conversation we talk about what prompted Jaredd to start up the podcas...
2021-12-171h 11The Sword Guy PodcastSwordsmanship is Woodwork, with Shanee NishryThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 83
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/swordsmanship-is-woodwork-episode83/
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Shanee Nishry is a historical martial arts instructor and founder of Stratford Swords, which is in Stratford-upon-Avon in the West Midlands of England. She's also a software engineer in the games industry. We first interacted when she posted some photos of a very ambitious woodworking projects she's working on, because I'm a complete woodworking nerd and it turns ou...
2021-12-101h 29The Sword Guy PodcastYour Challenge for DecemberThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 82
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/your-challenge-for-december-episode82/
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Hello Sword People, and welcome to the final monthly challenge of the year. This one is a little different.
Before I introduce it, let me just refresh your memory about what the challenges are. Basically, they are alternatives to New Year's resolutions because I don't like New Year's resolutions very much, and the challenges so far this year ha...
2021-12-0314 minThe Sword Guy PodcastOrcs in Space and Swords in a Suitcase with Edoardo AlbertThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 81
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/orcs_in_space_episode81/
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Content warning: Within this podcast are descriptions of the horrific neglect of very elderly swords.
Edoardo Albert is a London-based writer who writes about Britain in the early medieval period (between the Romans leaving and the Normans arriving), the 40th millennium in the Warhammer universe, and lots of other things besides. Find out mo...
2021-11-261h 18The Sword Guy PodcastAsian and African Arms and Armour with Natasha BennettThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 80
Photo credit: The Royal Armouries
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/asian-and-african-arms-and-armour-episode80/
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Natasha Bennett is the Curator of Oriental Collections at the Royal Armouries in Leeds, working with the Asian and African collections. These include an enormous spread of arms and armour mostly dating from between the 14th and 20th centuries, so her research interests are necessarily wide-ranging. She has presented specialist study sessions and se...
2021-11-191h 23The Sword Guy PodcastMedieval Myths, the Mindsword, and Mounted Combat with Jason KingsleyThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 79
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/medieval-myths-mindsword-mounted-combat-episode79/
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This episode is with Jason Kingsley OBE, co-founder and CEO of the games company Rebellion Developments, which also owns 2000 AD. And he's the man behind the YouTube channel Modern History TV starring his horse Warlord, which goes into depth and detail regarding many aspects of medieval life, most notably combat and horsemanship, but also aspects of daily life....
2021-11-121h 21The Sword Guy PodcastImprove your striking in NovemberThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 78
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/improve-your-striking-in-november/
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Your challenge for November is to improve your striking. Really, what we are looking at more than anything else is your precision and accuracy, which you can apply to any domain. Someone who drives a car might look at the smoothness of their gear changes, or the precision with which they take a corner. There is no domain in...
2021-11-0523 minThe Sword Guy PodcastStrategy and War with Lynette NusbacherThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 77
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/strategy-and-war-episode77/
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Dr. Lynette Nusbacher is a Strategist and Devil’s Advocate. Her work has included being a logistics officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, a writer of books such as Bannockburn 1314, a lecturer at Reading University, the senior intelligence advisor to the UK Government Cabinet Office, as well as a TV presenter of various military history shows, and she now...
2021-10-291h 30The Sword Guy PodcastArmour of the English Knight, with Tobias CapwellThe Sword Guy Podcast, episode 76
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/armour-of-the-english-knight-episode76/
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Dr Tobias Capwell has a lifelong love of arms and armour, since being taken to the Met Museum in New York as a small child. He has made this passion into a career and is now the curator of Arms and Armour at the Wallace Collection in London. We talk about how he got the job as a mu...
2021-10-221h 37The Sword Guy PodcastYouTube by Lauren Danger Adventure RangerThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 75
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/youtube-lauren-danger-episode75/
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Lauren Shaw is from Calgary, Canada and is a founder of the Calgary Fellowship of the Sword, where they practice 14th – 19th century martial arts, including longsword, sword and buckler, and - since Covid social distancing rules came in - quarterstaff.
Lauren is also known for her YouTube videos as Lauren Danger Adventure Ranger, where Lauren post...
2021-10-151h 12The Sword Guy PodcastHope and Black Powder with Dr. Milo ThurstonThe Sword Guy Podcast Episode 74
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/hope-and-black-powder-episode74/
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Milo Thurston is the founder of the Linacre School of Defence in Oxford, UK. He’s an absolute bastard with a single stick and a leading expert in the work of Sir William Hope. In our conversation we talk about the essence of Hope’s New Method of Fencing and what is so good about it.
We als...
2021-10-081h 07The Sword Guy PodcastYour October Challenge: Improve Your Footwork!
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/october-challenge-episode73/
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Today’s episode is your October Challenge. This year I have been setting a different challenge every month, as I really don't like New Year's resolutions, and it struck me that there was an opportunity for self-development and self-improvement that we were missing by making these nebulous resolutions at pretty much the worst point in the year to make any kind of changes. It's right afte...
2021-10-0124 minThe Sword Guy PodcastViruses and Bats with Emilia SkirmunttThe Sword Guy Podcast, episode 72
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/viruses-and-bats-episode72/
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Emilia Skirmuntt runs the Oxford branch of The School of the Sword, and in this episode we talk about running a school with different branches and specialisations, and improving diversity and inclusivity within historical martial arts schools.
Emilia is also a virologist at the University of Oxford, which brings up some topical questions about a certain vi...
2021-09-241h 20The Sword Guy PodcastTalking Tempo with Guy and CorneliusThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 71
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/talking-tempo-episode71/
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Today’s episode is a bit different to the usual format. Dr Cornelius Berthold, who is a well-known historical fencing instructor in Hamburg, Germany, contacted me because he is doing a series of YouTube videos on the topic of tempo and had some questions for me.
We had never met or spoken before, but Cornelius very kind...
2021-09-171h 13The Sword Guy PodcastGuns, blood and swords with RC-AnnieThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 70
Rachel Bown-Williams
Ruth Cooper-Brown
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/guns-blood-and-swords-episode70/
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Ruth Cooper-Brown and Rachel Bown-Williams are the founders of RC-Annie, the UK’s leading dramatic violence company, specialising in training, fight direction and intimacy direction for stage and screen. They hire out guns and swords (not to just anyone!) They are also purveyors of fake blood; thick or thin, “splat or spurt”, depending on your needs.
When creating a fight, Rut...
2021-09-101h 19The Sword Guy PodcastSeptember Challenge: Range of Motion
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/monthly-challenge-get-more-flexible-in-september/
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Your challenge this month is to engage with your ranges of motion. Much of this episode is adapted from my new book The Windsor Method: The Principles of Solo Training.
You can follow along with a pre-recorded flexibility-based training session at:
Guywindsor.net/hamstrings
Guywindsor.net/trainalong
2021-09-0606 minThe Sword Guy PodcastLove poems to Welsh bucklers, with Paul WagnerThe Sword Guy Podcast, episode 69
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/love-poems-to-welsh-bucklers-episode69/
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Paul Wagner has been involved in historical swordsmanship since the 1990s, and was present at the first night of the Stoccata School of Defence in 1998, a HEMA school which now has several branches in Australia. Paul is a Provost at Stoccata, teaching courses in Single Sword according to George Silver, Highland Broadsword according to Thomas Page, Sword and Bu...
2021-09-031h 30The Sword Guy PodcastClassical Fencing and Digital Pedagogy with Dori CoblentzThe Sword Guy Podcast, episode 67
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/classical-fencing-digital-pedagogy-episode67/
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This week’s episode is with Dr Dori Coblenz, lecturer in Communications at Georgia Tech, specialising in early modern English drama, digital pedagogy and the history of fencing. She's the author of many papers and the book Fundamentals of Italian Rapier: a modern manual for teachers and students of historical fencing, with David Coblentz.
In ou...
2021-08-271h 15The Sword Guy PodcastSwashbuckling with Sebastien de CastellThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 66
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/swashbuckling-episode66/
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Sebastien de Castell lives a life of music, adventure and swordplay. He is the author of the Greatcoats series, which is full of sword action, and the Spellslinger series, which features magic finger guns!
For all Sebastien’s books, see here: https://decastell.com/all-books/
In this episode we talk about how to write a gr...
2021-08-201h 40The Sword Guy PodcastThe Armoured Knight, with Dr Amanda TaylorThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 65
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/the-armoured-knight-episode65/
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Dr. Amanda Taylor is a Research Fellow at the Oakeshott Institute and a Research Affiliate at the Center for Early Modern History, University of Minnesota. She is the author of several academic papers such as The Body of Law: Bodies, Combat and Rhetoric in Sir Thomas Mallory's Quest for Justice and the forthcoming Domesticating War: Women, Medicine and Mi...
2021-08-131h 10The Sword Guy PodcastTales from the National Fencing Museum, with Malcolm FareThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 64
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to
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My interview today is with Malcolm Fare, who is a collector of historical fencing books, a fencer himself and proprietor of the National Fencing Museum in the UK. The museum houses a library of over 300 books, 250 paintings and prints, 200 weapons, numerous masks, kit, trophies, posters, programmes, medals, stamps, postcards and other ephemera. You can click through on the museum’s website to see phot...
2021-08-0649 minThe Sword Guy PodcastDrawing swords with Yael NathanThe Sword Guy Podcast, episode 62
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/drawing-swords-episode62/
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Yael Nathan is a comic artist who draws swords as part of her Warriors series. She has also worked with IDW on several Star Wars comics. Find her work at https://elcomics.gumroad.com/# and https://yaeln.com.
Yael is also the author of the Serpent webcomic. https://tapas.io/series/Serpent/info and https://www.fa...
2021-07-301h 00The Sword Guy PodcastYour Challenge for August: Get Stronger!
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/your-challenge-for-august-get-stronger/
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Your challenge for August is to get stronger, following the principles of conditioning as described in Guy Windsor's new book, The Windsor Method. In this episode Guy reads the chapter aloud for you (with minor changes).
2021-07-2822 minThe Sword Guy PodcastSteven Pressfield on Spartans, Romans and HollywoodThe Sword Guy Podcast Episode 61
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/steven-pressfield-episode-61/
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Steven Pressfield is the author of The Legend of Bagger Vance, The Gates of Fire, The War of Art, and many other novels and non-fiction titles about writing. His latest book is A Man at Arms, and he has a YouTube channel in which he investigates the warrior archetype.
In our conversation we discuss what it ta...
2021-07-2355 minThe Sword Guy PodcastPirates and Batons with Julie Olson
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/pirates-and-batons-episode60/
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This week’s guest is Julie Olson, senior instructor at the Athena School of Arms in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a director of the Iron Gate Exhibition, the largest New England historical martial arts event. She's also well-known on the longsword tournament circuit. Julie was placed 7th in the Longsword Triathlon at Longpoint 2019, the highest ranking woman in that event. In our chat we get into the n...
2021-07-161h 03The Sword Guy PodcastWho whacked Talhoffer? With Dierk HagedornThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 59
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/who-whacked-talhoffer-epsiode59/
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This episode is with Dierk Hagedorn, who is something of a legend in our community. He is a translator and author of very many books. Last summer he had seven new books on the go at once. Dierk has translated and produced scholarly editions of Gladiatoria and Lecküchner’s Messer fencing treatise, Peter von Danzig’s manuscript, Albrech...
2021-07-091h 26The Sword Guy PodcastLightsaber Twirling with Jill BearupThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 58
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/lightsaber-twirling-episode58/
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Jill Bearup is a stage combatant, YouTuber and a lightsaber twirler. I first came across her work through her YouTube channel critiquing swordfights in TV and movies, which is here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRrvZqCL1YsqRA8IpXrhYQQ. Jill loves pretending to fight people on stage and screen and her videos cover how a good fight can add to...
2021-07-0253 minThe Sword Guy PodcastMonthly Challenge: breathe better in July
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/monthly-challenge-breathe-better-in-july-the-sword-guy-episode-57/
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Your monthly challenge for July 2021: breathe better.
For more on this subject, please see The Theory and Practice of Historical Martial Arts, also available as an audiobook read by Kelley Costigan. Or the try my online course, Fundamentals: Breathing, which covers much of my breathing practice. It’s included with the monthly subscription package, and with the Solo Training course. The first class is a...
2021-06-3008 minThe Sword Guy PodcastPersian Martial Arts with Manouchehr KhorasaniEpisode 56
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/persian-martial-arts-episode56/
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Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani is a Frankfurt-based museum analyst, university professor, author of many books and over one hundred and eighty articles on the historical martial arts of Iran. He is a highly skilled martial artist and is currently waiting for the pandemic to be over so he can get his third Dan black belt in Kyokushin Karate.
Manouchehr is a hi...
2021-06-251h 19The Sword Guy PodcastShakespeare and Silver with Ben CrystalThe Sword Guy Podcast episode 55
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/shakespeare-and-silver-epsiode55/
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Ben Crystal is an actor, author, producer, and explorer of original practices in Shakespeare rehearsal and production. In this episode we talk about Ben’s work in exploring how actors would have rehearsed, staged, and performed Shakespeare’s plays in the 16th century, and how the original rhymes and pronunciation would have sounded. It makes for a completely differ...
2021-06-1856 minThe Sword Guy PodcastMovement Matters with Katy BowmanThe Sword Guy Podcast, episode 54
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/movement-matters-with-katy-bowman/
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Bestselling author, speaker, and a leader in the Movement movement, biomechanist Katy Bowman has been changing the way we move and think about our need for movement. Her eight books, including the groundbreaking “Move Your DNA” and “Movement Matters” have been translated into more than a dozen languages worldwide. Bowman teaches movement globally and speaks about sedentarism and movement e...
2021-06-111h 44The Sword Guy PodcastTurning the tables, with Guy and JessThe Sword Guy Podcast, episode 53
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/turning-the-tables-episode53/
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To celebrate a whole year of The Sword Guy Podcast, we are going right back to where it all began, with Jess Finley. Except this time the tables are turned and it’s Jess interviewing me! In our wide-ranging conversation we talk about my history of antiques restoration and starting a sword school. We also talk in depth abou...
2021-06-041h 49The Sword Guy PodcastChallenge of the Month: meditate in June
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/challenge-of-the-month-meditate-in-june/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
For a free meditation class, see: https://swordschool.teachable.com/p/free-courses-human-maintenance-longsword-rapier
And check out the Paradoxes of Defence audiobook here: guywindsor.net/silver
2021-06-0110 minThe Sword Guy PodcastThe Sparkle School, with Claire WemyssEpisode 52
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/the-sparkle-school-episode52/
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Claire Wemyss lives in Vancouver and is a coach, educator, and co-founder of Kunst des Funkelns, which focusses on the martial arts of medieval Germany and runs from Valkyrie Western Martial Arts Assembly. In this episode, Claire describes how she and her training partner Jon Mills came up with the name of Kunst des Funkelns, her love for the Messer, and why pl...
2021-05-281h 07The Sword Guy PodcastMines and Mimeographs, with Steven MuhlbergerEpisode 51
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/mines-and-mimeographs-episode51/
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Professor Steven Muhlberger is an absolute legend in the historical martial arts community and is a 50 year veteran of the SCA. In this episode we talk about the very early days of the SCA, and how newsletters were vital in spreading the word.
His books are foundationally important for anyone who is studying medieval martial arts, and they include Deeds of...
2021-05-211h 20The Sword Guy PodcastSilver’s Paradoxes- in glorious audio!
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/paradoxes-of-defence-in-audio/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
guywindsor.net/silver
In 1599 George Silver, gentleman, published his Paradoxes of Defence, which lambastes the outlandish (i.e. foreign) Italian rapier fencing that was becoming popular in England, and offers an extraordinary window into the medieval martial arts that the rapier was superceding.
Whatever you think about Silver, or rapier fencing, his book is simply essential reading for all historical martial ar...
2021-05-1909 minThe Sword Guy PodcastRevolution, Cooking and Knitting with Monica GaudioThe Sword Guy Podcast, episode 50
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/revolution-cooking-knitting-episode50/
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It’s the 50th episode! This week I’m in conversation with Monica Gaudio, known in the SCA as Illadore de Bedegrayne, and she is a cook, fencer, Marshal, Seneschal, knitter, Laurel and Master of Defence. We get into what all those titles mean in the episode.
Monica has been studying medieval cookery for 30 years, with a mos...
2021-05-141h 18The Sword Guy PodcastThe Progression of Teacher Training in SwordschoolFor transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/the-progression-of-teacher-training-in-swordschool/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Teaching well is a skill that can be learned. In this in-between-isode, I give you the key to teaching teachers.
If you have a student who has expressed an interest in teaching, how can you empower them to become a good teacher?
This episode covers essentials such as:
Avoiding burnout
Giving feedback
How to teach and structure a class, take responsibility, and br...
2021-05-1022 minThe Sword Guy PodcastHistory is my playground, with Mike LoadesThe Sword Guy Podcast, episode 48
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/mike-loades-episode48/
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Best known as a television presenter and for his appearances as a historical weapons specialist and military historian in over one hundred tv documentaries, Mike also works as a tv director, a writer and as a consultant and film-maker for the video games industry. If you've been swinging swords, certainly in Britain at least, at any point in th...
2021-05-071h 38The Sword Guy PodcastChallenge of the Month: Learn a new skill in MayFor transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/may-challenge-skill/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Last month’s challenge (Eat Well in April) was difficult for many people, mostly because food is such an emotional subject. Personally, I spent the month avoiding starch and sugar, which has helped with energy levels, weight management, and especially my reflux problem. I’ve also been adhering more closely to a 16:8 intermittent fasting routine, which is also better for my reflux.
The odd thing...
2021-05-0304 minThe Sword Guy PodcastPeople like us: the Middle Ages with Danièle CybulskieEpisode 46
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/people-like-us-daniele-cybulskie-episode46/
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As a writer, professor, TEDx speaker, and podcaster, Danièle has been making the Middle Ages fun, entertaining, and accessible for over a decade. She is the author of Life in Medieval Europe: Fact and Fiction, and The Five-Minute Medievalist, which debuted at the top of Amazon’s Canadian charts, as well as the forthcoming How to Live Like a Monk: Medieval Wisdo...
2021-04-3056 minThe Sword Guy PodcastSwords and Historical Handcrafts, with Bill GrandyEpisode 45
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/swords-and-historical-handcrafts-episode45/
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Bill Grandy is a long time professional historical martial arts instructor at the Virginia Academy of Fencing (VAF) in the United States, and also a historical handcrafter making beautiful scabbards and shields and things. Check out his website at www.historicalhandcrafts.com.
In this episode we talk about lots of different aspects of being a sword person, including teaching professionally an...
2021-04-231h 22The Sword Guy PodcastFire and Cauldrons, with Ruth GoodmanThe Sword Guy Podcast, episode 44
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/fire-and-cauldrons-episode44/
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Ruth Goodman is a social and domestic historian working with museums, theatre, television and educational establishments. She has presented and consulted on several highly successful television series for the BBC. She has also written several excellent books we'll be talking about today, including The Domestic Revolution, How to be a Tudor and How to Behave Badly in Elizabethan En...
2021-04-1659 minThe Sword Guy PodcastWhat is a Sword?Episode 43
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/what-is-a-sword-episode43/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
What is a sword? When does a dagger become a sword? When does a sword become a spear? Can a boomerang even be a sword?
In a follow-up to my conversation with Australian martial artist and philosopher, Damon Young, this special episode picks up where episode 31 finishes, with a discussion where we try to come to an agreement on what a definition of...
2021-04-1251 minThe Sword Guy PodcastTeaching Us to Sit Still with Tim ParksThe Sword Guy Podcast, episode 42
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/sitting-still-episode42/
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Tim Parks is a prolific novelist, non-fiction writer and translator and perhaps most importantly from my perspective, he wrote a fantastic memoir on getting into meditation, called Teach us to Sit Still. Those of you that train with me know that meditation is one of the core parts of my practise and in this episode Tim explains the ci...
2021-04-0859 minThe Sword Guy PodcastWriting and Walking, with Joanna PennEpisode 41
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/writing-and-walking-episode41/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Joanna Penn is a writer (both fiction and non-fiction), podcaster and ultramarathon walker. She doesn’t do swords, or even a lot of history, but she has been a huge influence on my work and this podcast. We don’t talk about martial arts in this episode, but we do discuss physical training, accomplishing goals, and Joanna’s medieval-style pilgrimage from London’s Southwar...
2021-04-0247 minThe Sword Guy PodcastJousting with Callum ForbesEpisode 40
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/jousting-episode40/
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Callum Forbes is an extremely experienced martial artist, having got into sports fencing in the late ‘70s, and Hapkido from 1982. But then HEMA drew him in, both from a love of Dungeons and Dragons, and from a disillusionment with the ruleset of sports fencing.
In this, our 40th episode, Callum tells us all about jousting – how it works, how he trains...
2021-03-2648 minThe Sword Guy PodcastAn unconventional approach to HEMA, with Lauren IngsThe Sword Guy Podcast, episode 39
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/unconventional-approach-to-hema-episode39/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Lauren Juliette Ings is an assistant instructor with the Stoccata School of Defence in Sydney, Australia, and is also a circus performer, a burlesque dancer and an actor.
In this episode we chat about making HEMA more appealing to women, the LGBTQI+ community, and people of different physical abilities. Lauren is hugely passionate about making HEMA mo...
2021-03-1954 minThe Sword Guy PodcastPortuguese Party Weapons with Jessica GomesThe Sword Guy Podcast, episode 38
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/portuguese-party-weapons-episode38/
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Jessica Gomes runs her own club, the Velha Guarda Marcial, in beautiful Sintra, Portugal. She focuses on Fiore’s system, Capoferro rapier, and Portuguese staff fighting, Jogo do Pau. Jessica explains what this Iberian “party weapon” is all about, and how it influences and complements training with other systems.
There are some pictures of the Portuguese staffs h...
2021-03-121h 05The Sword Guy PodcastMedieval swords and research, with James HesterEpisode 37
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/medieval-swords-and-research-episode37/
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James Hester has been involved with HEMA since the age of 15, when he began performing fight shows throughout New England. He then set his course as an academic and educator, working in museums before completing an MA in Medieval Studies in the UK. He then joined the Royal Armouries Museum, rising over five years to become Curator of Tower Collections at the To...
2021-03-051h 08The Sword Guy PodcastHistorical Medieval Battle in New Zealand, with Dayna Berghan-WhymanEpisode 36
Photo by Keane Chan.
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/historical-medieval-battle-nz-episode36/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Dayna Berghan-Whyman is the President of the New Zealand Federation for Historical Medieval Battle and Buhurt. In case you haven’t heard of it, Historical Medieval Battles (HMB) are full contact sports fighting, where defensive and offensive weapons of the Middle Ages are used. It includes historical fencing, buhurts, melee, duels, small-group battles, mass field battles, profe...
2021-02-261h 26The Sword Guy PodcastAnalysing sword science and technology with Myles CuppEpisode 35
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/analysing-sword-science-episode35/
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Myles Cupp is an instructor at South Coast Swords, in California. You might have seen him on the History Channel's Knife or Death show, and he's a contributor to swordstem.com. SwordSTEM is a website dedicated to applying science to sword martial arts, which analyses martial arts with rational, evidence-based methodologies. In our discussion we talk about some of the articles on SwordSTEM, and ho...
2021-02-191h 18The Sword Guy PodcastBattle of Nations with Beth HammerEpisode 34
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/battle-of-nations-episode34/
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In this episode I talk to Beth Hammer. One of Beth’s favourite pastimes is “This is Sparta” kicking people through fences as part of Battle of Nations competitions. Based in Seattle, USA, Beth practises HEMA and Escrima, and is now enjoying the freedom of Battle of Nations fighting. In this episode we explore what this fun activity involves, and also talk about Beth’s other ho...
2021-02-121h 12The Sword Guy PodcastHow to Make Swords, with Craig JohnsonEpisode 33
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/how-to-make-swords-episode33/
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Craig Johnson is Manager of Arms and Armor, a sword lover's dream job, as they make a wide variety of items from the Medieval and Renaissance periods to faithfully recreate the look, feel, and function of historic weapons. In this episode, we talk about recreating medieval swords as faithfully as possible, modern fashions in sword design, and the intricacies of sword manufacture. If...
2021-02-051h 19The Sword Guy PodcastPole Dancing with Swords, with Kelley CostiganEpisode 32
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/pole-dancing-with-swords-episode32/
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In this week’s episode I interview Kelley Costigan. Kelley is an actor, director, pole dancer, fencer, performance combatant, adventurer and pirate, currently living in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK, home of William Shakespeare.
Listen to our conversation to discover the Shakespeare connection that inspired me to ask Kelley to narrate my audiobook, The Theory and Practice of Historical Martial Arts. (It’s out no...
2021-01-291h 04The Sword Guy PodcastWhy Swords are Cool, with Damon YoungEpisode 31
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/why-swords-are-cool-episode31/
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Damon Young is an Australian martial artist and philosopher, author of books like Philosophy in the Garden and the soon to be published in Europe, already out in Australia, On Getting Off: Sex and Philosophy. He has also edited a couple of books on philosophy and martial arts: Engagement, Philosophy and the Martial Arts, and Martial Arts and Philosophy: Beating and Nothingness....
2021-01-221h 34The Sword Guy PodcastFencing in Russia, with Elena MuzurinaEpisode 30
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/fencing-in-russia-episode30/
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Elena Muzurina is a military sabre instructor, longsword champion and owner of a HEMA equipment company. Elena is a Russian champion – one of her proudest moments was winning at Swordfish – but HEMA is relatively new to Russia. In this episode we talk about what it is like learning Italian rapier and longsword in a country where there are very few sources translated into t...
2021-01-1552 minThe Sword Guy PodcastViolence and Self Defence, with Rory MillerEpisode 29
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/violence-and-self-defence-episode29/
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Rory Miller is a martial arts and self-defence expert and author of many books, ebooks and video courses, including “Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training and Real World Violence”, which is widely considered as one of the best books on martial arts ever written and I urge you to read it. Speaking of best books on martial arts, Rory and I...
2021-01-081h 20The Sword Guy PodcastArt and Fencing, with Nora CannadayEpisode 28
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/art-and-fencing-episode28/
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Nora is an artist and a fencer from sunny Southern California. She works primarily in watercolours and in illumination, though we cover a lot in this episode, including calligraphy, translations, making a living from your art and whether simply putting in the hours of practise is enough to get good. You can see an example of her work here with the logo sh...
2021-01-011h 26The Sword Guy PodcastIrish Stick Fighting, with Maxime ChouinardEpisode 27
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/irish-stick-fighting-episode27/
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Maxime doesn’t do longsword. But he does practise Irish Stick Fighting, 19th century sabre, and has a background in karate and kenjutsu.
In this episode Maxime describes Irish Stick Fighting, the challenges of finding someone to learn it from, and how he was able to bring it back to life as a martial art.
Maxi...
2020-12-251h 17The Sword Guy PodcastStraight White Men with Swords, with Claire MeadEpisode 26
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/straight-white-men-with-swords-episode26/
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Claire Mead is an English/French freelance curator with museums and heritage sites specialising in making collections and programming more inclusive, specifically in terms of women's narratives and LGBTQI narratives. Claire also fences with foil and longsword. Since recording the episode she has taken the post of Programme Manager at the National Videogame Museum.
In this episode we have a fa...
2020-12-181h 14The Sword Guy PodcastFire Eating and Fencing, with David ItoEpisode 25
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/fire-eating-and-fencing-episode25/
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David Ito is a sport épée fencer, Kendoka, longsword practitioner, and a fire eater. He also does 100 burpees first thing every morning.
In this episode David tells us how he got into both fencing and fire eating, takes us through his somewhat intensive training regime, and shares good advice for anyone looking to get into teaching fencing as a care...
2020-12-111h 02The Sword Guy PodcastDesigning Knives and Random Flow training, with Maija SoderholmEpisode 24
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/designing-knives-random-flow-episode24/
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Maija Soderholm lives in the United States, but grew up in England with Finnish parents. She trained with the late Filipino master Sonny Umpad, and she has taken this multicultural approach in her designs with her company, SoMiCo Knives.
In this week’s episode we discuss how Maija got into martial arts and designing knives, including the most impo...
2020-12-0459 minThe Sword Guy PodcastAfrican Martial Arts, with Da’Mon StithEpisode 23
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/african-martial-arts-episode23/
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Da’Mon Stith is the Chief Instructor and Founder of the Guild of the Silent Sword, teaching a range of African martial arts. In this conversation we discuss how he began his martial arts journey, and go into the specifics of how he recreates African arts, many of which do not have detailed written sources.
You can find his Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/austi...
2020-11-271h 02The Sword Guy PodcastTournament Mindset, with Brittany ReevesEpisode 22
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/tournament-mindet-episode22/
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Brittany Reeves is the co-founder of Mordhau Historical Combat in Mesa, Arizona, and has taught internationally. She has medalled at tournaments in longsword, cutting, glima, and ringen. She also has a degree in Ancient and Medieval history. In this conversation we discuss tournament mindset, her advice to beginners wanting to go to tournaments for the first time, and of course, equipment.
...
2020-11-201h 09The Sword Guy PodcastWiktenauer, with Michael ChidesterEpisode 21
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/wiktenauer-episode21/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Michael Chidester is the a long-time researcher and practitioner of historical martial arts, and the Director of Wiktenauer. There were some unfortunate technical problems with the recording of this interview, so you may wish to refer to the transcription below.
You can also support the show at Patreon.com/TheSwordGuy Patrons get access to the episode transcriptions as they are prod...
2020-11-131h 03The Sword Guy PodcastTranslating Spanish Rapier Texts, with Lois SpanglerEpisode 20
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/spanish-rapier-episode20/
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Lois Spangler is a Verdadera Destreza ("Spanish Rapier") instructor and researcher with the Brisbane School of Iberian Swordsmanship. We discuss translating Spanish fencing sources, the problems of getting fencing jackets that actually fit, and even the philosophy of narrative. Check out her blog at StoryTrade.Net, and her Patreon account at Patreon.com/LoisSpangler
She has been involved in producing a...
2020-11-061h 15The Sword Guy PodcastFounding Longpoint and Fencing in Armour, with Jake NorwoodEpisode 19
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/founding-longpoint-fencing-in-armour-episode19/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Jake Norwood is a highly experienced and widely respected historical martial arts instructor. He co-founded the HEMA Alliance (one of the largest historical martial arts associations), and Longpoint (one of the best-known US historical martial arts events). He has taught and competed internationally. We talked about the founding of Longpoint, creating tournament structures that give you the outcomes you want, preparing for ar...
2020-10-3048 minThe Sword Guy PodcastWomen in Armour, and Translating Latin Fiore, with Kendra BrownEpisode 18
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/the-sword-guy-episode-18-kendra-brown/
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Kendra Brown is a swordswoman, researcher, and translator of the Latin version of Fiore’s Il Fior di Battaglia (known as the Florius manuscript). She has an awesome blog at https://darthkendraresearch.wordpress.com/
In this wide ranging conversation we discuss the perils and pitfalls of translation, women in combat in medieval times, and even what a very pregnant Caterina Sforza wore to occupy the Castel Sant...
2020-10-231h 12The Sword Guy PodcastMaori Martial Arts, Bartitsu, and can an Uruk bench-press a motorcycle? With Tony WolfEpisode 17
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/maori-martial-arts-bartitsu-episode17/
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Tony Wolf is an author, lecturer, antiquarian, and has trained in a very wide range of martial arts. In this conversation we discuss everything from Maori martial arts to Professional Wrestling, Victorian combatives to the Lord of the Rings (he designed the fighting styles for the different peoples of Middle Earth).
And yes, he answers the question: can an Uruk bench pr...
2020-10-161h 19The Sword Guy PodcastDr Eleanor Janega on medieval history, the Dark Ages, and who gets to have a sword?Episode 16
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/dark-ages-episode16/
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Dr. Eleanor Janega (whom Dan Snow refers to as “The most awesome medieval historian in the world”) is a Guest Lecturer at the London School of Economics in their International History department, and she has published many articles, including: “Suspect Women: Prostitution, Reputation, and Gossip in Fourteenth-Century Prague” and “Lies, Damn Lies, and Bohemians” in History Today. She has a PhD in History from University College London, writes a fasci...
2020-10-091h 05The Sword Guy PodcastAnyone can do HEMA! With Robyn AlmanEpisode 15
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/anyone-can-do-hema-episode15/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Today's guest on the show is Robyn Alman, from the Athena School of Arms, in Boston. She is well known on the US tournament circuit, and believes that "anybody can do this and enjoy it and engage in it in the way that is the most meaningful to them." In this episode we talk about how she got started (hint: there was a...
2020-10-0252 minThe Sword Guy PodcastMaking videogame swordfights real, with Kirk, Knight of GreenEpisode 14
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/videogame-swordfights-episode14/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Kirk Williams, also known as the Knight of Green (to find out why, listen to the interview), is a practising historical martial artist… and also recreates video game sword fights in real life. Let’s be honest- most of us take up the sword because of something we read in a book or saw on a screen. I certainly spent a good chunk...
2020-09-2550 minThe Sword Guy PodcastIndian weapons, aerial combat, and German longsword, with Alina BoydenEpisode 13
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/indian-weapons-episode13/
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Alina Boyden is a pilot, swordswoman, and the author of Stealing Thunder, a fantasy novel that you really should read (no spoilers! but I really enjoyed it, especially the dragons-as-fighter-planes). We talk about birds of prey, fighter pilot training, Indian swords, Kunst des Fechtens, and even pedal powered flight.
2020-09-181h 02The Sword Guy PodcastMindset, military service, and why we train, with Rigel NgEpisode 12
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/mindset-military-service-episode12/
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Rigel Ng is the president of the Pan Historical European Martial Arts Society (PHEMAS) in Singapore. In this conversation we cover a lot of ground, from military service to establishing your training goals. The Society was founded in 2005 by Greg Galistan and Chris Blakey, who spent a month training 24/7 in my salle in Helsinki, and I've taught there many times since, so it...
2020-09-111h 03The Sword Guy PodcastSetting fire to nunneries, Fiore’s wrestling, and more. With Kimberleigh RosebladeEpisode 11
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/setting-fire-to-nunneries-episode11/
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Kimberleigh Roseblade is a historical martial arts instructor, specialising in Fiore's Art of Arms. She teaches at AEMMA in Toronto, and has taught at many international level events including Swordsquatch, VISS, and Longpoint.
2020-09-0445 minThe Sword Guy PodcastArmour, building gauntlets, travelling in Europe, and the perfect sword for Marozzo, with Tomas SuazoEpisode 10
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/armour-episode10/
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My guest this week is Tomas Suazo, a historical fencer and armourer from Chile. I first met Tomas when he came to train with me in Finland in 2014. He did a Grand Tour of European historical fencing clubs, before returning home to run his own. He's a professional maker of protective equipment for HMA, as well as what I think of as "pr...
2020-08-281h 08The Sword Guy PodcastActing, fighting, training, cloaks, shoes, and more! With Siobhan RichardsonEpisode 9
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/acting-fighting-training-episode9/
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Today’s podcast episode is with Siobhan Richardson. You may recognise her from the cover of my latest book, From Medieval Manuscript to Modern Practice. She's an actress, singer, martial artist, stage combat director, among her many skills. We've been friends for quite a while, as you can probably tell from the tone of the interview. She even gets me to talk a bi...
2020-08-211h 00The Sword Guy PodcastGetting started in HMA, sword design, and more. With Roland WarzechaEpisode 8
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/hma-viking-sword-episode8/
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I met Roland Warzecha (also known as Dimicator) at the first Swordfish event, in Malmö in 2006, and we have been friends and colleagues ever since. He has built a first-class reputation in the fields of I.33 sword and buckler research and Viking sword and shield combat. He is a graphic designer by profession (he consulted on the card design for Audatia), and pro...
2020-08-1459 minThe Sword Guy PodcastMounted combat, and writing books, with Jennifer LandelsEpisode 7
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/mounted-combat-episode7/
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Jennifer Landels is the founder and head of Academie Duello’s Mounted Combat Program which operates out of Cornwall Ridge Farm in Langley BC. She has been swordfighting since 2008, and riding since before she could walk. She started the program as an excuse to combine those passions, and has since been invited to Germany, France, and the USA to spread the joy of c...
2020-08-0745 min