The Swordsman's Quick Guide Series

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.   *This instalment of The Swordsman's Quick Guide has been included as a chapter in the author's book The Theory and Practice of Historical Martial Arts.*

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) Mindfulness 2) Flow 3) Adopt Useful Beliefs   External: 4) No Injuries 5) The Pareto Principle 6) Run a Diagnostic 7) 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 instalment of The Swordsman's Quick Guide has been included as a chapter in the author's book The Theory and Practice of Historical Martial Arts.*

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 embarrasment 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. 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, The Medieval Longsword, and The Duellist's Companion.   *This instalment of The Swordsman's Quick Guide has been included as a chapter in the author's book The Theory and Practice of Historical Martial Arts.*  

*This instalment of The Swordsman's Quick Guide has been included as a chapter in the author's book The Theory and Practice of Historical Martial Arts.*   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.

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 ethics necessary for martial artists? The answers come from the author and his students from around the world; the important thing is to engage with the questions, not to have the "correct" answer.   *An abridged version of this instalment of The Swordsman's Quick Guide has been included as a chapter in the author's book The Theory and Practice of Historical Martial Arts.*  

*This instalment of The Swordsman's Quick Guide has been included as a chapter in the author's book The Theory and Practice of Historical Martial Arts.*   This fifth instalment 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.

This book describes the core breathing training that is the basis of my martial practice, supported with seven video tutorials for the exercises. In the book I describe how breathing works, and how you can train your breathing, for health, fitness, and stress control.   The book has internal links to the videos, and also includes a £10 discount voucher for my 6-week Breathing Course.