Welcome to

The online academy for students of Medieval and Renaissance Italian martial arts, blending historical accuracy with practical training.

latest news - 16 February '24

Hi!

I’m just back from Helsinki, where I had a marvellous time (as always). On Saturday we had an armoured combat and polearms seminar, which went really well. Some students were coming back to the Art after 20 years away! Which is always delightful to see. This terrible photo is from a moment in the class where we were looking at mixed weapons- how would you defend yourself with a dagger, against a spear?

On the Monday I was in a photography studio shooting preliminary footage for our VR/AR sword handling and solo training project. I don’t have any of the official footage yet, but the organiser took some videos of the process on his phone.

And on Tuesday I went to see a physiotherapist. He was at my longsword seminar last November, and the organiser (Auri) encouraged me to see him about my knee (if you’ve been on this list for a while, you know all about my bloody knee). I’ve been seeing physios of one sort or another for about 35 years, off and on. And this chap, Erick Ellison at Fysio Sakura, is probably the best I’ve come across. Very knowledgable, very thorough, and he emphasised teaching me ways to fix myself, rather than intervening himself. For instance, the talus joint in my left ankle was stuck. It’s easy to pop it open for someone, but he showed me this exercise to do it for myself.

https://vimeo.com/917478501/0a64bb4abe?share=copy

By all means have a go at the exercise if you like, but be careful, and if you’re having joint issues of any kind, go see Erick, or if you live more than 500 miles from Helsinki, find someone like him closer to home! I left with 8 such video clips, and a lot to practice.

Not sure what you want to learn?

Take our quiz and get content recommendations based on which badass swordfighter from history you’re most like!

Online video courses covering everything from beginners’ techniques to advanced practice. Available both in larger bundles and as individual classes.
A selection of paperbacks, hardcovers and eBooks: some packed with detailed historical information and others designed as workbook courses you can take at your own pace.

Listen to podcast episodes or audiobooks on all your favourite platforms – perfect for aural learners, and to supplement our other resources.

Brush up on your theory and terminology as if by magic with Guy’s fun, tactical and secretly educational duelling card game.

Brandish your support of Guy and Swordschool Online with our range of merchandise. After all, you’ll need some new t-shirts to practice in!

Guy frequently keeps his blog updated with thoughts, challenges, interviews and more!

BIO

Find out why teaching swordsmanship and running the Swordschool means so much to Guy.

If you’d like to book into a live training or discussion session and hear from Guy directly, check out his schedule here.