The Black Boar School of Swordsmanship starts its “Antagonistics” programme today, and it may be of interest to others as to how to I structure lessons, as well as give me an opportunity to gather my thoughts in one place.

This introduction is intended for me to express the core aims, explain why I am doing what I am doing, as well as let you know ( Read more... )

Some of you may have received emails about various bits of fencing history for your era with mysterious comments made by me about "research" and "hypothesis". So what was I on about? Truncheons, that's what.
( Read on, Best Beloved )

Just dumping these notes somewhere to remind me to follow up on them along with the Pentathlon idea ( Read more... )

Plans are afoot to promote Vic-Wardian Antagonistics and one idea has arisen for promotion at WMAW, an American based fencing event, which sounds rather splendid, and also rather similar to an idea I have always wanted to try out in various formats for different eras.

...an antagonistics pentathlon. The pentathlon has always had a martial theme - ( Read more... )

Registraion is finally open

All the details here-
http://www.historicalfencing.org/smallsword.htm

Contact me directly on smallswordsymposium@googlemail.com for anything I may have missed.

I shall be running a course in Bartitsu in Edinburgh, Scotland from January 21st until 25 March (10 weeks total), from 6.30-8.30 pm on Thursday evenings ( Read more... )

So I've been pondering Bartitsu training again- mainly because the new Sherlock Holmes film will be out soon and I have been watching the old Jeremy Brett series. But how to run it as an effective programme?( Read on, Best Beloved )

( Read more... )

SWASH is here!

The Royal Armouries in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England will once again serve as the suitably magnificent backdrop for the next Symposium on the Western Arts of Swordsmanship through History which will take place on the 21st-22nd February 2009

The BFHS annual events have usually been limited to BFHS members. S.W.A.S.H.-UK, however, is ( Read more... )

Edited to give the official advert rather than what was garbled down the 'phone to me-

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This will be (i think) the biggest gathering of 15th century re-enactors ever by the looks of it, nearly 1500 for a grand cavalcade through the old walls and gates into the central basillica and cathedral then out ( Read more... )