The Sword Guy Podcast

theswordguy
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The Sword Guy Podcast

Guy Windsor and friends discuss sword training, historical swordsmanship, research, and other topics. Guests include well-known instructors and experts in the field.

  1. 8 NOV

    Safety Testing Swords, with Jamie MacIver

    For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to: https://swordschool.shop/blogs/podcast/episode-198-safety-testing-hema-with-jamie-maciver To support the show, come join the Patrons at  https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy Jamie MacIver is a historical martial arts instructor who co-founded the London Historical Fencing Club in 2016, which has grown to over 120 members and now has his own permanent training space. We start our conversation with Vadi, and why Jamie prefers Vadi to Fiore. We have a discussion about guards and whether Vadi is more defensive than Fiore. You can find updates on Jamie’s translation of Vadi’s The Art of Swordfighting on his website, here: https://historicalfencingresearch.com/projects/translation-vadi/ Next, Jamie explains about taking the plunge into getting his club its own permanent space. The London Historical Fencing club is one of only around three in the UK that has a permanent home, so we hear how it was possible post-pandemic, and how they manage the classes to make it financially viable. Jamie also explains about the steps they have taken to ensure diversity within the club. Having been involved in running lots of tournaments, Jamie found he was having to make decisions on what HEMA kit is safe enough with nothing much to back up those decisions. So he set up the Historical Research Company Ltd to research historical martial arts safety, starting with research into sword tips. What is the difference between having a tip and no tip on your rapier? And which tips are the safest? Do different tips affect how likely it is for sword to glance off a mask or to stick to a mask, causing concussion and other injuries? You can find out more about the project and its conclusions here: https://historicalfencingresearch.com/projects/safety-tips/ And there’s a video here: https://youtu.be/wAZgMmIak-Y You can support Historical Fencing Research here: https://historicalfencingresearch.com/support-our-work/

    1h 55m

  2. 25 OCT

    Russian Dissidence with Romana Shemayev

    For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to: https://swordschool.shop/blogs/podcast/episode-197-russian-dissidence-with-romana-shemayev  To support the show, come join the Patrons at  https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy Romana Shemayev is an American songwriter and performer, translator of contemporary Russian poetry,  and one of the founders of “Bent Blades, a gathering of Historical Martial Arts enthusiasts, who study German longsword fencing according to the principles of Johannes Liechtenauer. The interview is a bit different to the usual. It starts out normally enough with background chat, and swords. But she is a translator and performer of dissident songs from the USSR, and she performs several of them for us. It’s only fair to say that the recording could be better- the perfectly fine normal podcast setup didn’t capture her guitar as well as it might. This episode was also edited together from two separate recording sessions several weeks apart, so it may be a bit less consistent than usual. The transcription isn’t perfect either! It won’t affect your understanding or enjoyment of the content though. Also, her songs deal with some pretty intense subject matter. Going to the sauna to recover from years freezing in a gulag is not the most extreme example.

    2h 7m

  3. 11 OCT

    Theory and Practice and Pole Dancing

    For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to: https://swordschool.shop/blogs/podcast/episode-196-theory-and-practice-and-pole-dancing  To support the show, come join the Patrons at  https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy In today’s show I’m sharing some excerpts from the audiobook of The Theory and Practice of Historical Martial Arts. You can find the book in both audio, print, and ebook formats at https://swordschool.shop/products/the-theory-and-practice-of-historical-martial-arts-audiobook I’m also revisiting my interview with the audiobook’s narrator, Kelley Costigan. Here are the notes for the episode: Kelley Costigan is an actor, director, pole dancer, fencer, performance combatant, adventurer and pirate, currently living in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK, home of William Shakespeare. Listen to our conversation to discover the Shakespeare connection that inspired me to ask Kelley to narrate my audiobook, The Theory and Practice of Historical Martial Arts. (It’s out now: you can probably find it in your audiobook app of choice, or get it directly from me here: https://swordschool.shop/products/the-theory-and-practice-of-historical-martial-arts-audiobook.) As a child, Kelley was told that fencing was “not something that girls do”, but she has since made up for it after taking up HEMA in her 40s. We also talk about competitive fencing, competitive pole dancing (yes, that’s a thing,) not being a Russian spy, and what Kelley would do with a million pounds. In case you’ve never seen someone pole dancing with a sword before, here’s one of Kelley’s performances: https://vimeo.com/221580829 To find out more about Kelley, her website is www.kelleycostigan.com.

    1h 55m

  4. 27 SEPT

    Pirates! With Dr Jamie Goodall

    For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to: https://swordschool.shop/blogs/podcast/episode-195-pirates-with-dr-jamie-goodall To support the show, come join the Patrons at  https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy Dr. Jamie L.H. Goodall is a historian at the U.S. Army Center of Military History in Washington, D.C. She is the author of Pirates of the Chesapeake Bay: From the Colonial Era to the Oyster Wars, National Geographic’s Pirates: Shipwrecks, Conquests, and their Lasting Legacy, Pirates and Privateers from Long Island Sound to Delaware Bay, and The Daring Exploits of Black Sam Bellamy: From Cape Cod to the Caribbean. She has a BA in Archeology, an MA in Public History and Museum Studies, both from Appalachian State University, and a PhD in history from Ohio State. In our conversation we discuss why pirates are seen as so glamorous – the clothes, the swashbuckling, the adventure, the accent. But you won’t be surprised to hear that the life of a pirate was somewhat different to this. Jamie explains about pirate culture, and the democracies on board ship, the arrangements around compensation, and the famous “Pirate Code.” We hear about the successful pirate, Black Sam Bellamy, AKA the Prince of Pirates, who had a reputation for being a kinder pirate, and how that worked for him. As you’ll expect from The Sword Guy Podcast, we have a chat about weapons and fighting. What weapons did pirates use? Were they as bloodthirsty as we’ve been led to believe? We also find out Jamie’s hopes for a biopic of Black Sam Bellamy, and her upcoming book about the taverns, inns and public houses of Virginia.

    1h 17m

  5. 13 SEPT

    Drawing A Dream of Swords with Chris Schweizer

    For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to: https://swordschool.shop/blogs/podcast/episode-194-drawing-a-dream-of-swords-with-chris-schweizer  To support the show, come join the Patrons at  https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy Chris Schweizer is a three-time Eisner Award nominated cartoonist, a writer, concept artist and illustrator who lives in rural Kentucky with his wife, daughter, two cats and a long legged dog. He also supplied me with a gigantic list of his previous jobs, but now he makes comics. In our conversation we hear about how Chris got into being a comic artist, why he doesn’t get to do much HEMA, how he used to fight in bars for money, and a Monty Python connection. Over the past year, Chris has been going around museums drawing pictures of swords. He has put these together into a book, A Dream of Swords, which has an introduction by friend of the podcast, Sebastian de Castell. You can support Chris’s kickstarter, which runs until 10th October 2024: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/schweizer/a-dream-of-swords. The book is a collection of 100 monotone watercoloured drawings of swords from museums in Paris, London, and New York. There will also be original artworks, prints, and digital versions available. Check it out!

    1h 22m

  6. 30 AUG

    Kinesiology and Concussions with Jane Strange

    For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to: https://swordschool.shop/blogs/podcast/episode-193-kinesiology-and-concussions-with-jane-strange  To support the show, come join the Patrons at  https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy Jane Strange represented Team North America at the 2019 European games in Minsk, and she is a competition medallist at longsword in both open and women's competitions. She is currently teaching and training at Edmonton Historical Martial Arts but is mainly focused on pursuing her degree in kinesiology. We talk about what kinesiology is and her approach to coaching psychology. Find out what way of training works best for improving someone’s ability with a sword, and how Jane’s approach differs from Guy’s. We also talk about Jane’s experience at the Minsk European Games. The experience was a bit of a mixed bag, including food poisoning, gear issues, and even a concussion. Jane has taught a seminar on Concussion Awareness and Prevention, having suffered a serious concussion from a car crash. Click here for her slides. In the episode we discuss preventing and treating concussion – whether there’s any mask that can prevent it, and how we need to change the culture within HEMA to make concussion less likely.

    1h 31m

  7. 16 AUG

    Solo Training and an interview with Guy

    For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to: https://swordschool.shop/blogs/podcast/episode-192-solo-training-and-an-interview-with-guy  To support the show, come join the Patrons at  https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy Hello Sword People, and welcome to episode 192 of the podcast! Training alone is an essential skill. You can train anywhere, any time, and practice things that would be unethical with a partner. Enjoy some sample chapters from my book, The Principles and Practices of Solo Training, followed by a reprise of episode 100, where I’m interviewed by Ariel Anderssen about a whole load of stuff, including how I got into swords in the first place, the vision up a Scottish mountain that told me to open my school in Helsinki, injuries from duelling, my best ever sword fight, feminism, getting through the pandemic, and learning to fly. Find The Principles and Practices of Solo Training at guywindsor.net/solo.

    2h 41m

  8. 2 AUG

    Clubs, Wands and Gladiators: Historical Physical Culture with Ben Miller

    For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to: https://swordschool.shop/blogs/podcast/episode-191-clubs-wands-and-gladiators-historical-physical-culture-with-ben-miller  To support the show, come join the Patrons at  https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy Ben Miller is the man behind Physical Culture Historians, preserving and reviving historical exercise methods for mind, body and spirit using wands, Indian Clubs, calisthenics, and more. He has a successful and fascinating YouTube channel, and has produced several modern editions of 18th and 19th century fencing and self defence sources, as well as being the author of The Gladiatory Art: The Lives, Writings, & Techniques of the Eighteenth Century Stage Gladiators. In our conversation we talk about how Ben got interested in the physical culture of the 19th century, and how his experience doing historical fencing made him realise that the people who designed exercises and physical training in the past had some insights that we are lacking in modern sports culture. Modern fitness is too specialised, whereas in the 19th century there was a much greater focus on holistic health, which would be beneficial to us today. Ben talks about his favourite piece of equipment, the Indian club, and the difference between historical Indian clubs and the modern varieties; they are designed with different ways of swinging in mind. He also explains the origins of the push up, and how you should do the original Swedish version. Another of Ben’s research interests is Colonel Monstery, and this is a link to the book Ben wrote to verify Monstery’s wild claims about how many duels he won and the combats he fought: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Self-Defense-Gentlemen-Ladies-Nineteenth-Century-Quarterstaff/dp/1583948686 https://www.amazon.com/Self-Defense-Gentlemen-Ladies-Nineteenth-Century-Quarterstaff/dp/1583948686 We go on to discuss the largely forgotten stage gladiators of the 18th century, who were men and women who fought with sharp swords (amongst other weapons) on stage, for real. Often resulting in hideous injuries, disembowelling, and even death. More links: One of Ben’s mentors is Harry Allick, and here you can see his YouTube videos of club swinging: https://www.youtube.com/@lakelandviewer See Ben’s fascinating videos on his YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@PhysicalCultureHistorians Early in the interview we mention the Jared Kirby episode. Here’s the link: https://swordschool.shop/blogs/podcast/episode-165-sword-geekery-and-stunts-with-jared-kirby Ben mentions an essay by a Turner who is ranting against the trend toward specialization and production of champions in fitness and sport. We can’t find the essay, but we have included a link to the following video Ben did, in which he shows and reads from the article extensively (begins around time code 7:47): https://youtu.be/oK__aaBLM78?si=0Q7kWhmXEvISTnS9 And finally! Ben’s book on Babe Ruth was just released and here are the links to it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999056794/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0999056794/

    1h 40m
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5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Guy Windsor and friends discuss sword training, historical swordsmanship, research, and other topics. Guests include well-known instructors and experts in the field.

Information

  • Creator
    theswordguy
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2024
  • Episodes
    198
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2020 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Sword Guy Podcast

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