Whenever a new historical drama breaks we tend to question its historical authenticity, and that’s a good thing. However even with a critical eye unfortunately we invariably end up internalising something of the narrative and this can have lasting consequences for our understanding of history. Anyone in historical martial arts can relate to this, whether…
Read More... from Vikings: An interview with archaeologist Stephen Fox
This week, I’m jotting down some rumination on the connection between writing and martial arts, so I don’t have a thesis or a lesson to teach, but the reader can follow my musing toward their own meditation on the topic. I’m partially inspired by Major Wes who sent me a copy of the book on…
You might not associate the mouth with fighting, except maybe to “slug them in the kisser”. But there are plenty of actions that a desperate person might do in combat using their oral cavity. Here are a few suggestions for your maw: Spitting is an Option Spitting can be a taunt or a direct insult.…
Read More... from Things To Do With Your Mouth for Valentine’s Day
Horsemanship Level 4: Full Practical Grooming For Level 3 you had to identify and show knowledge of all the items in a complete grooming kit. For Level 4 you will need to put them to use: 4. Full practical grooming, complete kit. The good news is we do not watch you groom. Instead you are expected…
A recently translated book shows a combination of martial arts taught for Japanese police officers in 1888. It was translated by Eric Shahan, who specializes in translating 19th- and 20th-century Japanese martial arts texts. Read the article on LiveScience. Samurai Secrets: 1888 Martial Arts Manual for Cops Revealed I have to mention the caveat that…
HEMA is not a "dead" art. Notwithstanding that most of it is based on fight books from medieval/renaissance times, our community is seeing a modern rebirth of the art with new schools being established, old techniques being rediscovered or reinterpreted (or even created), a revived interest in lost swords and their related history, and, maybe most…
Read More... from Rediscovered Sword Press: News for January 2016
Stage combat and Method acting don't mix. What do we mean by "Method acting"? Here's part of what Wikipedia has to say: Strasberg used the term “Method” to describe his philosophy of acting and his techniques of training actors, which built upon some of Stanislavski's early ideas. Strasberg's method is based upon the idea that…
The health and fitness industry is insane. There’s no denying it, and it’s at its most crazy every January to coincide with the world’s outpourings of New Year’s resolutions on the back of the world's mass influx of calories over the holidays. There’s also no escaping it, from bizarre fad diets to esoteric exercise devices-cum-torture…
Read More... from The Good, the Bad and the Bizarre of Historical Health and Fitness Advice
The single most important factor in learning any new physical skill is general strength, or the ability to press and pull with different parts of your body in all directions. By conditioning, we generally mean the endurance to perform work over an extended period of time. Both general strength and conditioning are essential elements to…
Sometimes -- just sometimes -- on a nice summer day, one likes to sit quietly on their own at a wee Bistro table with a view of the street, sipping at one’s coffee (black, thank you very much), and concentrate on looking at pretty things. This book qualifies as that "pretty thing". Ken Mondschein has edited the…
Read More... from Book Review: The Knightly Art of Battle by Mondschein
Do you get stage fright? Have you ever delivered a performance, and thought that the audience hates you? Today, I want to remind you that it’s not about you. It's about the performance. The audience isn't judging you. Think about a clown. Laughing at a clown is not insulting to the clown. You’re not laughing…
It's both emotionally satisfying and productive to summarize the previous year and take stock. In this blog, it can also have a benefit to the reader to gather the links and events from the previous year in one place. So, I hope this retrospective benefits you as much as compiling it benefits me. Articles In…
"When one has taken for a long time lessons at the salle, it is outside, on the beaten dirt or on the gravel of the road that one has to make the rehearsal for combat. Prepare yourself, train at the salle. However, you will have abandoned success to mere chance if from time to…
Read More... from Fair Weather Sword Press: News from December 2015
There's something a little bit artificial about New Years resolutions. Why pick January 1st to start changing your ways, and not any other random day of the year? Granted, we may have a few extra pounds to shed after two weeks of rich food and reduced exercise, but you're probably going to get back on…
We'll have more whip cracking workshops in the new year, and your instructor, David McCormick, spends hours every week plaiting new whips out of nylon paracord. Hand-made paracord bullwhips are durable and have a great crack. The core is filled with steel balls (shot) to give the perfect heft and momentum. The outer 12-plait overlay…
Okay, so everyone got up in arms about the lightsaber with a crossguard from the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie set to release this week. The lightsaber, wielded in the trailers by villain Kylo Ren, has spurred a number of arguments -- most of which fell directly into either the "love it" or "hate it" category, with…
In many old boxing books, they claim that the first question students ask is "How shall I stand?" but I've never had a student ask such a question. However, it is the first question to ask yourself when you think a fight is about to start -- whether you have just stepped into a competitive…
Blue Spur Mounted Games: Block Cutting The second mounted games skill we ask you to demonstrate for the Blue Spur is cutting to the blocks: Cut and thrust four out of five block targets using a synthetic or wooden sword in good form, three times in a row, while at a trot or canter. The…