In about 1877, Colonel Thomas Hoyer Monstery wrote: “I hold that every gentleman should be able to protect himself from insult and violence, with or without weapons.” [1] Words as true now, as they were more than a century ago! [2] But why listen to Col Monstery? In Self Defense for Gentlemen and Ladies, Ben Miller…
Published in 2001, Sword Fighting: A Manual for Actors and Directors is one of the best-selling books on stage combat. With choreographed sequences from several different sword styles, it gives the actor a direct way to jump in to sword fighting. However, it has some critical problems that make it tough to recommend. The pair…
Read More... from Review of Sword Fighting by Ducklin & Waller
About 18 years ago I took over running a rapier practice and class for the Society for Creative Anachronism. I was new to being in a leadership role and I sought out the advice of one of the senior members in the area about how to run a successful group. He gave me one piece…
Riding Level 3: Riding without Reins and Stirrups Our curriculum is liberally dosed with tests of your independent seat, as you can see from these previous blog posts on dropping the reins and stirrups (which in turn link to other blog posts on related topics). This is because a secure independent seat from which you…
This November, join Maestro Roberto Laura for a week-long training intensive, studying the traditional knife arts of rural Italy. Over the course of 30 hours, students will cover all the material required to achieve the rank of trainer (allenatore), which is recognized by the ASAMIR (Associazioni Sportive Arti Marziali Italiane Riunite) in Italy, as well as on…
Read More... from Week-Long Traditional Italian Knife Fighting Intensive
Today, a poll: I want your opinion for a new logo for Fight Like a Gentleman and the Bartitsu classes at Academie Duello. Without further ado, here are the candidates: Please vote and comment in the comments section below!
There is a fallacy that is often presented in martial arts (and physical culture as a whole) that for people on the outside looking in there is no point to practicing. Why learn to fight with a sword, choke a person out, or lift a heavy weight if those things do not translate to a…
Read More... from Why you should wrestle, and everyone throughout history thought so as well!
Research has shown that we humans use a tremendous amount of our brains in spaces beyond our conscious awareness. Learning is a process that is far broader than simply the conscious practice of new skills. I have found many situations in my personal experience where, after having worked on a problem extensively one day, I…
I can’t believe it's the last week of our Taste of the Renaissance series. The four weeks have gone by like the lightning slash of a sidesword. I have to determine which class to sign up for next. The noon time slots work best, but the biggest question is what to try next…? Today in…
Riding Level 3: Cantering Single-handed For Riding Levels 1 and 2 you have already been asked to demonstrate single-handed reining at walk and trot respectively, so the next logical step at Level 3 is 11. Single hand reining: walk, trot and canter. The mechanics are the same, so first go and review these posts on…
In the article linked below, Paul Dennhardt, a theatre professor at the College of Fine Arts of Illinois State University, explains important aspects of stage combat that should be understood by everyone in theatre by now. Sadly, most productions still don’t know where to begin with a sword fight, or what the process involves, but…
Within Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA), our serious scholars often suspect that our community suffers to an unknown degree from ‘lost treasures’. Precious books, scrolls, weapons and armour are frequently believed to have fallen to the decaying effects of time. Poor storage, war, long winters (think fireplace fuel), flood, fire, and hoarding in private collections are just some examples of the natural…
“Alright, the next drill is even more difficult!” I said to a chorus of groans. It’s accuracy night in line drills and I have been progressively making each drill more challenging. Each target is increasingly smaller, requiring that much more precision. The drills have essentially moved into a realm where even the most experienced students are…