Swordsman's Quick Guide

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:1) Mindfulness2) Flow3) Adopt Useful Beliefs External:4) No Injuries5) The Pareto Principle6) Run a Diagnostic7) Distinguish between knowledge and skill This essential short guide describes each principle, and gives exercises for developing your ability to apply each of them. Follow these for maximum effectiveness in your art, work, and life.

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, and the author of several top-selling books on the subject, including The Swordsman's Companion and The Medieval Longsword.

Guy Windsor has been training historical fencers for over twenty years. For many swordsmen and swordswomen, expert freeplay (also called sparring or fencing) is the pinnacle of the art; both desirable and hard to attain. In this book he describes the step-by-step process he uses to take students from absolute beginner to expert fencer. This is system can be applied to any style of fencing, because it is not about the specifics of technique. It is about the process of developing skill. It includes instruction on: Overcoming personal challenges, such as fear of injury, or fear of embarrassment Overcoming practical challenges, like developing fencing memory Building the bridge between set drill and competitive freeplay, through gradually increasing the complexity of the drill. Setting up different freeplay contexts to develop key skills.

This fifth installment of The Swordsman's Quick Guide will help anyone who wants to start teaching basic classes, in any martial art. It covers everything from safety, to planning classes, to making corrections in class, to how to get your own training done while you're teaching.

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 way to win a sword fight? What is the best kind of sword fight? Strategy: the end-state that you aim for in a fight. Stab him in the face; disarm him; throw him to the ground, score 5 points before he does. Tactics: the choice of specific techniques that will lead to your strategic goal. Time: the timing of your actions relative to those of your opponent. Many styles define actions in terms of the number of motions they require, and distinguish between acting before, during or after your opponent's motion. Measure: the distance between the two fencers. Any fencing action has a specific measure in which it works best, and most styles distinguish between being able to hit without stepping, or with a single footwork action, or requiring more than one step. Many also include grappling measure. Postures: the static positions that are defined in the art; even in arts where there is no standing still, there is usually at least one "on guard" position defined somewhere. Actions: movements of the sword or body. Cuts, thrusts, parries, lunges, passing steps, turns, steps, even backflips. Combinations: specific actions strung together in sequence, usually for tactical reasons. Common combinations often get given names and are thought of as "a technique", such as the punta falsa, the krumphau, the scannatura, the one-two. Mechanics: very few historical fencing sources discuss mechanics in any detail, but most give at least some indication of how an action should be done. Additional elements: many sources or styles also include other elements, such as virtues and philosophy.