Forging Swords in the Steel City, with Katie McCats
In this episode of The Sword Guy Podcast, Guy is with Katie McCats, who is a Sword Maker, historical cutler and co-founder of Crucible Armoury in Sheffield, England, possibly England’s youngest armoury company. Katie got into making swords through a traineeship at Lancaster Armoury, after leaving a career in the NHS, and along with fellow […]
Physics, Rainbows and 3D Printing, with Dr Stephan Eickelmann
Dr Stephan Eickelmann is the founder, president and head instructor of Schildwache Potsdam and a key organiser behind events such as Swords of the Renaissance (where you’ll find Guy every year) and the International Torneo di Spada League. Alongside Stephan’s work in historical martial arts, he is a physicist with a PhD in experimental soft […]
Making seated longsword work, with Ella Rose
Ella Rose has been practicing historical martial arts since 2017. In 2023 she founded Black Cat Historical Fencing with co-founder Shane Scallin, where she teaches dagger, rapier and beginner longsword classes. She has competed across the US and internationally, and she has won medals in multiple weapon categories. Ella is the lead tournament organizer of […]
HEMA and heresy, with Xian Niles
Xian Niles is a fencing instructor, martial artist and the founder of Spada, a recreational Bolognese fencing study group in maritime Canada. He’s also the founder of The Niles Fencing Academy in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In our conversation we talk about his move from representing Barbados in sport fencing to getting into HEMA in Canada. […]
Swords for all humanity, with Janna Datahan
Janna Datahan was born and raised in the Philippines and is currently living in the United States. She’s a mother, a published poet, a fibre artist and an aesthetician. Janna discovered Historical European Martial Arts in late 2019 and found her way into the supportive arms of the sword community during the pandemic. She is […]
What is a volta? A very detailed examination of Fiore, with Dario Magnani
My guest today is Dario Alberto Magnani, better known as Mr. Thokk, who was a longtime scholar of the Italian single combat tradition from the late medieval/early Renaissance period, and a world renowned historical martial arts instructor and gear designer. As a swordsman, he specialises in northern Italian fencing from the early 15th to the […]
Community and the Club with Samantha West
Sam West is an instructor at the Dueling Weapons Academy of Renaissance Fencing aka DWARF, a historical martial arts club in Barrie, Ontario, where she teaches Italian longsword, 1.33 sword and buckler, and rapier. We chat about running a non-profit club and creating an open and inclusive space for everyone to take part in HEMA. […]
The Yeti of Chest Protection, with Veronica Young
Veronica Young is an industrial designer, historical martial artist and founder of Cryptid Combat Wear, and she is also currently running a campaign for making a chest protector for women, which will actually fit and allow for movement. Veronica explains how she developed the prototypes, and how she has worked on the sizing to fit […]
What is a Round Table? with Elizabeth Champion
Elizabeth Champion is an arms and armour historian specialising in high medieval Round Table tournaments and the Merlin legends. She’s also a historical fencer, co-founder of Stratford Swords and an ex-cage fighter. In our conversation we discuss what was a Round Table Tournament. Is it to do with King Arthur, or the arrangement of the […]
Synthetic Armour and Smithing in France, with Anthony Rischard
Anthony Rischard is a blacksmith, historical martial arts practitioner and proprietor of Black Armoury, one of the largest suppliers of historical martial arts gear in Europe. In our conversation we talk about how Anthony gave up his office job to become a full time blacksmith in France, and his move into starting Black Armoury. Have […]