Practising tip control with focus pads. Photo by Keith Farrell, 2011.What do plastic straws, fad diets, and training HEMA all have in common? Quite simply, regardless of what we might be discussing, there is always the temptation to go after the …
I like to share my thoughts about life, business, and martial arts. I find writing a blog is one of the best ways to order my thoughts, so that I understand myself better. Sometimes my thoughts may even be of interest to other people.
I have collected a list of my most popular articles, as well as the various articles I have written with advice for shorter fencers. My various reviews of HEMA gear have been collected together for ease of reference.
Finally, I keep a curated page setting out my philosophy for training, teaching, and fencing. This links to the various pages and articles on this website that I believe help to explain my approach to these elements of life and martial arts.
The importance of observing details
Jon and Alex performing an exercise during a lesson at Liverpool HEMA. Photo by Keith Farrell, 2018.Observing details is a valuable skill in everyday life. You can notice things like opening hours for shops, street signs to help find your way, …
What HEMA would I praise?
Daria Izdebska and Keith Farrell fencing with the longsword. Photo by Daria Izdebska, 2017.In Liechtenauer’s Zedel and some of the gloss explaining the verses, we find the statement about certain techniques and behaviours “that I will praise”. It …
The power of a good soundbite
Alex and Marc performing an exercise during a lesson at Liverpool HEMA. Photo by Keith Farrell, 2018.One of the most powerful things in the world today is a strong, enduring soundbite. A “soundbite” is a short phrase that can be repeated again …
Historical clothing in HEMA
Silhouette of a longsword on the banks of Loch Lomond. Photo by Keith Farrell, 2012.One of the enduring questions in the HEMA community is why do so few people wear historical clothing during their HEMA practice? Surely it makes sense to train …
The importance of supporting your small local business (and your club)
Stuart Beattie and Keith Farrell sparring with singlesticks in front of the Academy of Historical Arts shop at FightCamp 2018. Photo by Jonathan Spouge, 2018 (edited by Keith Farrell).Any small and local business can thrive when given the …
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Put the pointy end in the other guy
Marc and James performing an exercise during a lesson at Liverpool HEMA. Photo by Keith Farrell, 2018.A statement that appears again and again in discussions about swords is that you should put the pointy end in the other guy, or variations on …
What makes a good HEMA club?
Keith Farrell teaching dussack at a seminar. Photo by Daria Izdebska, 2018.What makes a good HEMA club? As a potential student, what should you be looking for when you visit for the first time? And as a club leader, what might you be able to do …
Swords as consumable items
A feder in a field, at the AHA Loch Lomond 2013 event. Photo by Elliot Howie, 2013.This is a guest article by Angus Trim, who has been making swords for decades. He recently re-posted to Facebook something he had written back in 2016 about …
An observation about the value of information
Keith Farrell finding time to edit a book between teaching lessons at an event. Photo by Valeria Viola, 2018.It may sound like I am stating the obvious when I say that the value of information is different to different people, and for different …
Is this (item) tournament legal?
Sparring Gloves and an Albion Meyer. Photo by Keith Farrell, 2015.A question that appears regularly in Facebook discussions is exactly this: is this piece of equipment tournament legal?Before we can answer, we have to parse the question. Is …
How to parse, understand, and interpret a difficult sequence in a HEMA treatise
Jodie and Ben performing an exercise during a lesson at Liverpool HEMA. Photo by Keith Farrell, 2018.One of the common questions that people ask me is how to understand and interpret a difficult sequence from our source material. I receive the …
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Who wrote the HEMA book called “The Art of Combat”?
Who wrote The Art of Combat and The Art of Sword Combat? Were these books written by Joachim Meyer? Or were they written by someone else?I feel compelled to pose this question and provide an answer, because it is a mistake that I read and hear …
Who wrote the HEMA book called “The Art of Combat”?Read More
Film Review: I Can, I Will, I Did
Film poster, from imdb.comI was flying to teach at Longpoint recently, and while on the plane, I watched a film called I Can, I Will, I Did. It spoke to me on a rather deep level, sufficiently for me to want to write a quick review of it, to …
Thinking of body structure like a plumbing system
Keith Farrell and Daniel Montoro sparring with dussacks. Photo by Daria Izdebska, 2018.I like to think of and visualise body structure like the plumbing system in my house. This is quite an easy image to have, which makes it easier to understand …
Turning hobbies into paid work
Keith Farrell finding time to edit a book between teaching lessons at an event. Photo by Valeria Viola, 2018.I recently read quite an interesting article about the trap of turning hobbies into hustles. As someone who has turned several hobbies …
What is a healthy definition of control for HEMA?
Keith Farrell and Ben Davies training with montantes. Photo by Daria Izdebska, 2018.People often talk about control in the practice of martial arts, in the sense of “controlling your blows” or “controlling your power”. HEMA is no exception, and …
Hit and miss: historical weapon systems, experimental archaeology, and synthesis
A guest article, kindly contributed by Ross Bailey.It’s not often that I get asked to put together something that covers my actual profession (archaeology) and my main activity outside my profession (HEMA), so I may have gotten a little carried …
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Updating my reviews
A cup of coffee helps the work flow!This weekend, I went through all the reviews I have written on this website, and updated them. This took quite a lot of time, but I thought it was important for me to do so. …
Some thoughts about the position of left Vom Tag
Codex Wallerstein, folio 79r. Image from the Wiktenauer.Left Vom Tag: does it exist? How do we do it? Is it a position worth training?This is a discussion that comes up every so often, with fairly predictable responses to say both yes …