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Is There a Link Between Ballet and Fencing?
I have long heard that ballet has its origins in historical fencing. It’s a romantic idea and as someone who both teaches martial arts and dance (though not ballet) I certainly find tons of parallels...
View ArticleRight or Left Hand Lead?
Which hand should go on top with a two-handed weapon? Across martial arts there are actually a lot of arguments for placing your dominant hand on both the top and the bottom of the grip. I want to...
View ArticleSetting Successful Swordy Resolutions
The main failure I see in most people’s resolution setting is that the resolutions themselves tend to live in a vacuum without any clear systems around them for support. If you are relying solely on...
View ArticleThe Role of Martial Forms
Solo forms are a part of many different martial arts from around the world, and European martial arts are no exception. Solo and partnered martial forms appear in many different Italian fighting...
View ArticleSKIL: A model for learning martial forms
Many martial traditions, including ours, use martial forms (series of attacks and defences for solo or partnered practice) to help train martial precision, flow, and fitness. Having a form that you...
View ArticleBe Intentional About Your Open Sparring Times
Whether you call it randori, kumite, sparring, or touching hands, many martial arts provide space and time for students to explore the art in a less constrained environment. In my school we call this...
View ArticleThe Art of Gathering
Every martial arts meetup, whether it’s a class, a study group, or a tournament, is a type of gathering. It is so easy to approach these in the way we have inherited from others, rather than thinking...
View ArticleWhat Have You Failed At Today?
"What have you failed at today?" This question is one that a friend's father used to ask her and her brother every day at dinner. After getting over the awkward wording, I found the story inspiring....
View ArticleHow to Get Better Sparring Feedback
On our Friday night open sparring sessions I like to get in and do a few fencing passes like everyone else. It’s not uncommon for one of my students, after we’ve fenced for a bit, to ask me for some...
View ArticleDrilling as Scientific Experiment
When I set out to write this article I was reminded of this old Jim Carey sketch from In Living Color (be warned it involves some stab wounds and bad 90s humour). In the sketch, Jim Carey as the...
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