Recreate Historical Swordsmanship from Historical Sources

How to choose a source, extract the techniques and theory, create training drills, and organise them into a system.

Swords are cool. Knowing how to use them is even cooler. If you agree, then we should probably be friends. And if you want to learn about swordsmanship, you should consider letting me teach you what I know. One of the questions I am asked most often is how to get started doing your own research into the historical swordsmanship sources. They can be very daunting to the beginner, because they are not written like a modern how-to book. Take a look at this, for instance.

If you're thinking "help! too difficult!" then this course is for you. I will take you step by step through the following stages:

  • How to choose a source, and work with translations if necessary
  • How to approach the book, and break it down into manageable chunks
  • How to extract the techniques and theory
  • How to create training drills
  • How to organise those drills into a system for training

The course includes homework at every stage, so you can be sure that you have understood each level before you progress to the next one. You progress at your own pace. The course includes presentation videos, printable worksheets, several of my books in pdf form, and several historical sources in pdf.

Once you have gone through the course you will have a complete basic training system for the historical swordsmanship source of your choice, and be able to apply the skills you have learned to any other treatise. You can check out the homework assignments for each section to see what exactly you will be able to do once you've completed the course.

Every course I will produce comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If it does not meet your expectations, let me know within 30 days, and you get your money back, no questions asked and no hard feelings. You have nothing to lose.


The course met and exceeded my expectations. In addition to learning how to approach and interpret the sources in meaningful manner it also taught me how to actually put together a whole system based on a source and, even more important, how to design drills and a syllabus to teach the system to others.

So far I have used the lessons learned from this course to build a core curriculum for an introduction to sword and buckler fighting and have taught this curriculum to at least five other people. In addition to this the course helped me to approach the sources in systematic and logical manner so my knowledge of the context in which the sources were written and the culture for which they were written has increased dramatically. Whether you are planning to reconstruct a whole system of fighting from sources, building a curriculum and drills to teach an existing system or just want to learn more about how to interpret historical sources and use them to build drills I can recommend the course to you!

Mikko, Suomen Historiallisen Miekkailun Seura Ry.

Your Instructor


Guy Windsor
Guy Windsor

I have been training martial arts for 30 years, and teaching swordsmanship professionally since I founded The School of European Swordsmanship in 2001. The School has branches and study groups all over the world, so I have taught thousands of students, from all sorts of backgrounds and cultures. My books include The Swordsman’s Companion, The Duellist’s Companion, The Medieval Dagger, The Medieval Longsword, The Theory and Practice of Historical Martial Arts, and The Swordsman's Quick Guide series of ebooks along with many others. It's my job to help you achieve your goals. I do this by teaching in person, through my books, and through these online courses.


Course Curriculum


  4. Fencing Theory and How to Use It
Available in days
days after you enroll
  6. Build the Foundations of your system
Available in days
days after you enroll
  7. Construct your Syllabus
Available in days
days after you enroll
  8. Test the Syllabus
Available in days
days after you enroll
  9. Extra Material
Available in days
days after you enroll

Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund.