Swordplay
Pursue Your Art Your Way
Do you like to put on full protective gear and really feel the rush or high intensity combat? Or, do you simply like the feel of the sword in your hand, weaving through patterns, an extension of your...
Blog
Thoughts on swordplay, mastery, coaching, teaching, and living with intention.
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LearningSwordplay
Growing HEMA in Istanbul
This past weekend, I was teaching in Istanbul, Turkey, a city that was arguably the centre of the western world at one time. It is a city steeped in both European and Asian history. Every site you...
Uncategorized
An Amazing Swordplay Weekend in Italy
A little more than a week ago, I was arriving in Italy to the sala of Roberto Gotti for a special gathering of swordsmen called Giocatore. This was a weekend of martial encounters across disciplines,...
Learning
Reading & Writing Strategies for In-Class Learning of MA
If you feel that you learn best by reading or writing, you are not alone. For many these are the learning skills that they've had the most practice with, since our school system focuses so much on...
Learning
Kinesthetic Learning: Just Do It!
Luis Preto gave a wonderful analogy in the instructor section of his Jogo do Pau level 1 instructor seminar where he compared how we teach martial arts to how we teach someone to catch a ball. The...
Learning
Strategies for Auditory Learning
At the end of a workshop delivered by Guy Windsor recently, Guy asked all of his students "Did you have every opportunity to get what you wanted from today's session?" This was a subtle shift from a...
Learning
Strategies for Visual Learning
Understanding your strongest and weakest learning styles can be a useful and illuminating tool for becoming a more engaged and effective student. This week we examine effective strategies for...
Learning
Being an Empowered Learner: Know Your Learning Style
Your learning is only based partly on the effectiveness of your teacher. It is largely based on your own personal effectiveness as a learner. Good teachers should certainly help you on this journey,...
Swordplay
How Do You Foster Safety In Martial Arts?
Though safety may seem boring, uncool, or like an unnecessary consideration, it is a vital foundation for pursuing excellence in martial arts in both the short- and long-term. Having a solid approach...
Learning
The Pursuit of Learning Should Not Be Partisan
It is easy to fall into the idea that there are right approaches and wrong approaches, true paths and false paths. If your group does things one way, if you've invested your time in one path, it can...