books | swords | teaching
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.
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 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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Hit and miss: historical weapon systems, experimental archaeology, and synthesisRead More
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. …
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 …
A question that arises on a fairly regular basis is about what “counts as” historical fencing: how old does something have to be to consider it HEMA?Sometimes people give answers such as “before WW2”, or “at least a hundred years ago”, or even …
How old does something have to be to consider it HEMA?Read More
Keith Farrell demonstrating some concepts during private tuition at an event. Photo by Valeria Viola, 2018.I believe that honesty is incredibly important in the pursuit of martial arts. Of course, honesty is an important characteristic in real …
Maksim and Ben fencing with foils in the cloisters at the University of Glasgow. Photo by Keith Farrell, 2013.The terms modern fencing, classical fencing, and historical fencing can all be used to refer to different types of fencing or different …
Modern fencing, classical fencing, and historical fencingRead More
I have bought a couple of antique swords from Richard Wales at Bygone Blades, an antique dealer in Scotland, and have only the best things to say about his knowledge, helpfulness, and the ease of doing business with him. …
The discussion about tricks and systems in HEMA seems to be recurring quite regularly at the moment. I recently saw something while reading an article about business productivity that gave me a new avenue of ideas to pursue, so I’d like to share …
More thoughts about tricks and systems (in real life too!)Read More
Warming up before training is something we should all do, to prepare for the lesson and to avoid injuries. Although this is usually common knowledge, information about HOW to warm up before martial arts practice is perhaps less common, and there is …
Many HEMA clubs have a very tight budget when starting out. This can make it quite difficult to get a club off the ground if you don’t have the spare money to invest in equipment, or if you aren’t sure that enough people will join for it to make …
Since the new year is upon us, I’d like to set myself some goals for 2019. I could do that quietly and privately, but I want to try and give myself a little public accountability, to make sure I actually get these things done! …
Test cutting with sharp swords is a valuable exercise for HEMA practitioners. However, as with any exercise or skill, there must be development and progression in the skill, so that it becomes better and more relevant to the activity in …
Although I’m currently based in Liverpool, I am responsible for all the paperwork and business admin for a full-time training centre that teaches HEMA in Glasgow, as well as offering archery and blacksmithing activities. The Vanguard Centre is …
The experience of running a full-time HEMA school in GlasgowRead More
From time to time, clubs may have the opportunity to do some community outreach and give some HEMA demonstrations for the public. This is a great opportunity to raise the profile of your club in your local area while helping to entertain and educate …
Sometimes there is a question about technique and its importance, compared with other elements of fighting, martial arts, and/or sports. Often some people will suggest that historically accurate technique is what verifies our practice of HEMA; other …
