Why do people think they need to put history in a box? Why do they think they need to put it in nice little defined categories and say, “These people did things like this, and they never did them like that”? The real world is almost always more complex than the boxes we try to … Continue reading Chariots—a rant
There’s something many wise instructors in the modern day and the past taught as a good rule for thrusting. Some would say only thrust in this situation, while many would say it’s an ideal situation to be thrusting in. Some don’t mention it at all but I think it’s definitely worth addressing. So, without further … Continue reading A good rule for thrusting
I think the reason I enjoyed Penny Dreadful so much is because I have planned to do something similar. I’ve planned to get disparate stories related by some overarching culture or connection and fuse them together into something unique—sometimes faithful, sometimes subversive, something that discusses the issues of the originals and yet raises fresh questions … Continue reading Penny Dreadful: a syncretic masterpiece
You’ve heard of overreaching but have you heard of overswinging? It seems straightforward right, if you swing you can overswing. Anything you can do, you can overdo. The principle is rather straightforward but, as with many things in sword fighting, it’s easier to understand in theory than apply to your own fights. Maybe you need … Continue reading Those who overswing
I’ve ridden horses. Horses are smart. When they said horses wouldn’t charge a line of men who stood firm, I believed them. And then I went on a holiday to New Zealand and got to ride one of the horses that was in Lord of the Rings. And there they told me the horses had … Continue reading Horses vs shieldwalls—what actually happens?
What’s the safest thing you can do in sword fighting? Surely it’s to block all the time. Surely if you do nothing but block, you’re safer than if you do anything else. Yeah, nah. So a thing I find many new swordsmen, or many amateur swordsmen, do is block too much. It doesn’t sound like … Continue reading Panic blockers—a word of advice
For the longest time, I couldn’t put my finger on it. Why do I like both of these adaptations, fairly equally, but for different reasons? I get the hate some people have for the 2004 film, and I get the hate some people have for the more recent BBC series, but I think they set … Continue reading Troy (2004) or Troy: Fall of a City—why I like both
I’ve been meaning to talk about rebattas for a while. Like years. Still, you’ve survived without them. And that’s the thing—rebattas aren’t necessary in swordsmanship, but they’re certainly lots of fun, and they’re something everyone should learn. What is a rebatta? What is it to rebat another’s blade? Essentially, it’s a form of counter cut … Continue reading Why I love rebattas
Once upon a time I cut my teeth reading historians like Scullard, Cary and Gibbon. They were good chaps, in their own way, but their time is beginning to wane. We might well say when Byron falls, Rome falls and when Rome falls—the world, but the stuffy old professor approach to classics is finally making … Continue reading SPQR—a book for the masses
Facing a master swordsman is terrifying, as is facing someone with a spear when you only have a shortsword. But there’s a danger you might come across that you underestimate, someone who trades you blow for blow or, worse, hits you without being hit in return—and it’s the first time they’ve ever picked up a … Continue reading Fighting the stabby newb