On Teaching

 Greetings,

I have discussed teaching from different perspectives, mostly the student-teacher relationship, and the differences between an instructor and a teacher, however it is a big step to go from student to teacher and there are many who stop at this precipice and look out and wonder if they have the wings to fly. I am going to tell you that you do. 

There are some simple things you will need to learn that will make you a better teacher. Just because you are a great combatant, and know your actions, doesn't mean that you will make a great teacher. The more interesting thing is that, if you've been fencing for a while, it's likely that you've actually taught before, maybe without knowing it. Newer students will learn from older students, this is how the culture of a school or organisation is built, implicitly. There are rules and regulations, but people learn more from the things that you do and don't do, more than from what you say. More directly, from the explicit aspect; if you've corrected, you've taught; if you've shown someone a trick, you've taught. 

Here are some simple instructions to follow to help with your teaching as you progress. Oh, one last thing, the best way to get more, and better, opponents is to teach them. This is how I started.

1. Everyone is Different

• We have different bodies; this counts double when the student is of a different gender, and triple when they have a disability
• We have different learning methods, because we have different brains

2. Preach what you practice

• You know this method the best; teach how you fence, the only exception is when you are teaching a particular method, and don't do this your first outing

3. Say it, Demonstrate it, Get them to do it

• This covers 3 out of 4 methods of learning
• Encourage people to take notes to cover the 4th method

4. Don’t be Afraid to say “I Don’t Know."

• Be honest about your knowledge; better to be honest than a found a fool
• Go find the answer yourself – it makes you a better teacher; don't expect the student to find the answer alone

5. Enjoy it.

• People want to learn; people who come to the classes come voluntarily
• Critics are minimal annoyances; use them, take their criticism on board where it is applicable
• You can have fun, and teach properly; there is no need to "act the drill sergeant"

6. Plan it.

• Write a lesson plan; objectives, methods, and drills
• Writing a plan is the best way to ensure you don’t miss anything
• Take the plan with you; it's not much use if it sits on your desk

7. Update it.

• Review your knowledge, keep learning; knowledge improves, the stagnant fencing mind is doomed to failure

8. Things will go wrong.

• Sometimes this will lead to new avenues of research
• Sometimes this will be something you missed
• Sometimes you will get back to the plan, or not; depends on the way it goes

9. Practice it.

• It takes practice to become a good teacher, always learn to become better

10. Encourage, and challenge, them to be better

• Part of it is holding their hand, part of it is pointing the way and expecting to meet them there

These are my 10 points for teaching. They are a set of summarised aspects for the beginning teacher to get you started. The more experienced teacher will likely find some familiarity in the statements which have been made, and hopefully will find some use in what has been presented as well. Most important in all of this, always keep learning and improving your knowledge.

Cheers,

Henry.

Update:

Some additions to the list from a good friend James Wran:

• Keep learning.
• Learn how to teach. Constantly seek out teaching and learning methodologies.
• Teaching isn't the finish line.

The best teachers are also students, because they keep learning. They learn their art, but they also learn more about teaching and better ways to teach students. There should not be an end to your learning, your teaching should only be an able assistant to your learning process, now you can better understand what you do, and why you do it. One of the greatest advances to my learning and becoming a better fencer was becoming a teacher. Just keep learning.

Cheers,

Henry.

Define: Martial Art

Greetings,

The definition of what a martial art is has been debated somewhat and I have made mention of the concept in previous articles in this blog. The following article is designed to examine this concept a little more closely using a definition taken from one source and then examining various elements from what is considered a martial art. It is hoped that the main points of examination presented will give places where practitioners can examine their own practice to see how their own practice compares to these points.

Previous Articles

The previous articles which I will refer to which I have written are: "Martial Art vs Martial Sport" (https://afencersramblings.blogspot.com/2014/02/martial-art-versus-martial-sport.html) in which comparisons are made between martial arts and those which have been directed toward more sport applications, thus moving away from their martial backgrounds; and "Are You Teaching a System?" (https://afencersramblings.blogspot.com/2016/05/are-you-using-or-teaching-system.html) in which it is asked whether the teacher is teaching their students a system of techniques, or merely a series of "tips and tricks" which have less foundation in fencing principles found in martial arts systems. Each of these articles addresses the concept of martial arts from a different perspective but add to the following discussion, and will be referred to in the discussion.

A Definition

The Wikipedia gives the following definition of martial arts:

Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental and spiritual development; and entertainment or the preservation of a nation's intangible cultural heritage.

Although the term martial art has become associated with the fighting arts of East Asia, it originally referred to the combat systems of Europe as early as the 1550s. The term is derived from Latin and means "arts of Mars", the Roman god of war.^[1] Some authors have argued that fighting arts or fighting systems would be more appropriate on the basis that many martial arts were never "martial" in the sense of being used or created by professional warriors. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martial_arts)

From the simplest point of view, martial arts can be defined by the first paragraph, as supplied by the Wikipedia, above. However, the following paragraph adds an increased completeness to the definition of the term allowing for a broader perspective of the subject. There are some important elements which arise from this definition: codified systems and traditions; combat practiced for a number of reasons; association with fighting arts of East Asia; and from Latin "arts of Mars". Each of these need to be discussed to see how they apply to various arts.

East Asian Focus

When the term "martial arts" is used most lay-people think of those arts practiced by those of the Orient. This is often due to the martial arts movies of the 1970s and 1980s which popularised martial arts and presented them in such a fashion that they were found to be interesting. The result if this was that there was a boom period of various Oriental martial arts schools, which continues today. The media has focused the attention of the public toward the Orient with regard to the term "martial arts". The long lineages of many of these Oriental martial arts only furthers to cement these ideas.

In comparison, Western Martial Arts (WMA) or Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) is relatively new and relatively unknown in comparison. Interest in these forms only is created through the media when popularise films and series come out. Schools and clubs supplying this form of fighting style are relatively new and few in number in comparison to Oriental martial arts.

The Arts of Mars

That the term "martial arts" is an Occidental (Western) one based on the Latin and is applied to  Oriental and Occidental arts simultaneously is most interesting and demonstrates common ground between these two physical forms. Here, it is commonality which can be found rather than difference. Even more interesting is that it originally referred more to the Occidental arts of the Renaissance rather than those of the Orient is most interesting.

The same theories which apply to Occidental fighting forms can also be applied, and should, to Oriental fighting forms. The discussion which is presented here to discuss martial arts is not only to discuss Occidental fighting forms, though it tends to be my focus, but to discuss all forms and can apply the same criteria to them. This is only possible due to the commonality and the same levels of expectation of them.

The evaluation of a fighting art can, as such, be evaluated using the same criteria regardless of whether it is Oriental or Occidental as they should both carry the same characteristics to qualify as a martial art. To evaluate one by one set of criteria and the other by another has no justification as there is a commonality between them which has been presented previously in their common label. What will be found is that some of the assumptions made of both Occidental and Oriental fighting arts are not necessarily true.

Codified Systems

To be a martial art the fighting art must have a codified system. This is most likely based on a long tradition of the fighting art, but in the case of many Occidental arts, they are being rediscovered so the tradition is not present. The tradition is preferable as it establishes the system, but this can also be abused. Some of this was discussed in the article "Are You Teaching a System?" The essential part is a codified system.

The fighting art's system needs defined theory which can be explained by its instructors to the students to demonstrate how this theory applies to the physical practice. There must be this link between the theory and practice; the goal for any martial artist should be to make the theory and practice to become one, thus the science and the art of fencing, for example to become one. While theory may not be explained to beginner students it must underlie each technique and technical sequence which is taught.

Further, to be a martial art, it needs to be a complete system. A complete system means that an experienced practitioner of that particular art can deal with any attack at any distance, and thus, not be limited by type of attack or distance at which the attack is made, also the practitioner should respond in kind to such attacks. Those fighting arts which limit themselves to a particular distance, and do not take into account other distances are not complete systems. Further, an art which is limited by the attack which it delivers can defend against is not a complete system. Clearly, there is some limitation when it comes to projectile weapons.

A martial art has combat application. This means that the practitioner could use the art that they are being taught to defend their life. If they were put into an antagonistic scenario, they could defend themselves and do sufficient damage to an opponent to end an encounter successfully. Here is where the question of its "martial" application is applied. There will be further discussion of this aspect further along. While this may not be the primary purpose of the art, this must be present.

Transmission of the fighting art is from teacher to student. The teacher teaches the lessons and the student learns the lessons. The person who teaches the student may not be the head teacher of the organisation, but they have been selected because they have the knowledge to teach the student the lesson they are being taught.

Reasons for Practice

The Wikipedia definition lists various reasons for the practice of martial arts: "self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental and spiritual development; and entertainment or the preservation of a nation's intangible cultural heritage". Each of these will have a different impact on how the fighting art is practiced, and this needs to be noted.

The different reason for practicing the fighting art will affect how the martial art is practiced and also affect its final outcome. A martial art which is practiced for the purpose of self-defense, will have a different outcome to a martial art which is practiced for the purpose of competition. This was discussed in the article "Martial Art vs Martial Sport". The focus and the application of the skills will be different. This will change again if it is for personal development or for the preservation of cultural heritage. Each choice of direction affects how the end result will turn out.

Each choice of direction can also have an effect and change the nature of the fighting art. While the sportification of some martial arts has allowed them to become more mainstream it has also lead to the degradation in many of their principles, and even in their codified systems. They have become focused on the sport rather than the martial art, focused on what rules conventions determine competitions or tournaments rather than the origins of the martial arts. This has led them away from their original content.

Further, some arts, due to their nature, cannot be practiced as they once were, due to modern society's safety requirements, so the systems have been truncated. Often these techniques are not even examined to see how they work, they are simply not allowed. This denies avenues of understanding of the fighting art and can lead to reduction in understanding of the overall art. The complete system still needs to be examined, even if it is not used, so it can be understood and appreciated for the art it is.

Martial Art or Not?

In the examination of any claim by a fighting art to be a martial art, a close examination is required. The system that is presented needs to be examined for various points of validity as a martial art. A complete codified system is the most important element that is required. This needs to be presented with established theory which can be presented by instructors and demonstrated as relevant during the training. There needs some sort of application of this system to a "real world" situation where the art would be effective, based upon the system and theories which are presented. Further, it needs to be demonstrated that the transmission of the information is from teacher to student as this connection is essential for correction of technique and to ensure that the information is passed on correctly.

The list is quite long, and quite impressive and there are many fighting arts, which call themselves martial arts, which really do not stack up. There are many fighting arts which are present which are simply fighting arts and they should be appreciated for what they are. They should be noted both for their achievements and also their failings. We should also note that the sportification of a martial art can force it away from its origins too far and result in it no longer being a martial art. Then only suitable for sporting purposes. It is not meant to denigrate any fighting art or practice which any participant partakes in, more to ensure that the relevant questions are asked, so the relevant information is sought and found.

Cheers,

Henry.

Those Who Can't, Teach?

Greetings,

There is this idea going around that if a person is an instructor or trainer or master of a particular school then they should also be some sort of high-level competitor, able to dish out the hard stuff to others in competitions.  On the other hand there is this idea that those who cannot dish it out in competitions allow others to do so, and thus teach instead, hence "those who can't, teach". Both of these notions are fallacious in their own ways. Both need to be addressed so that we do not get the wrong idea and wrong expectations of our teachers.

Trainers cannot, in general, maintain the position as high-level competitors for a simple reason. A competitor's focus is on themselves: making sure that their skills are honed, making sure that their timing is in focus; and making sure that they are fit enough to compete in competitions. A person who truly takes on the position of the trainer does not have this focus. Their focus is on the individuals that they are training; focusing to make sure that the skills that they are teaching are up to date with the latest research; making sure that the method of delivery is understood by the students; making sure that the students can excel; the trainer's focus is outward rather than inward. Usually on more than one student.

Trainers spend much more time on others than they do on themselves. This is the reason why their skills may not be as sharp as the high-level competitors, because they have someone to think about other than themselves. Their students are their focus, not the next tournament win, not making themselves better through improving their fighting skills, but making themselves better through their teaching skills. This is another place where this idea of "those who can't, teach" is a misnomer.

A person who competes demonstrates their skill by performing it against an opponent. They can even sometimes give you all the technical information about the skills that they were using. Often, they cannot teach those skills. The trainer can. Not only does the trainer need to know how to perform the actions that the competitor does, but the trainer also needs to know how to teach those skills to others.

There are some great competitors who have striven to the height of their particular chosen pursuit, but they cannot teach. Just because you know the skills does not mean that you automatically know how to teach the skills. This is an additional level of learning which is involved. It is a process which the trainer goes through to learn how to teach, often the students learn through this process.

To teach a skill. The teacher has to know how the skill works. The teacher also needs to know why the skill works. For fencing, the teacher also needs to know when and where to apply the skill to a situation for it to work. These must be real understandings of how the skill works not just surface/physical understanding, but intellectual understanding of how the skill works. It is only through this level of knowledge that the teacher can explain to the student how to perform the skill properly.

If you see a trainer or teacher, and you see them fencing, examine what they are doing. You will notice that their fencing is more technical than athletic, because they are focused on getting things right. They may not keep up with the high-level competitors but fencing them will always be worth your while. They have a different focus, a focus which is toward the education of others in swordsmanship rather than seeking the heights of fame. It is an extremely important role as if there were no person willing to teach, there would be a lot less people to compete with.

"Those who cant, teach" is a misnomer.

Those who are teaching are doing, all of the time.

They may not be representative on the tournament honour's list. They may not be present on the world rankings. They are present in the school every week teaching people from beginners all the way up, spending their time on others. Without their technical knowledge and technical skill swordplay would not be what it is today. It is these people who do most of the study to ensure that what is being taught and thus what is being learnt makes sense, and works. Thank your teachers and trainers, they are a great asset.

Cheers,

Henry.

Check Your Height

Greetings,

Much has been said in various manuals and treatises about the combat of the short fencer against the tall fencer and also vice versa. These are considerations of note and need to be taken into account. What does not seem to appear all that often are considerations of teaching a shorter or taller student and how this may change the approach that the teacher might take. This is something which needs to be considered as this will affect how the individual will be effective with their weapon.

Being a taller person, actions are performed in a particular way, and tactics are appropriate to a particular method. These are not so much for a shorter person. Thus as a taller person who is teaching people who are shorter, these things need to be taken into account. This is vital otherwise we are teaching the shorter person simply that they will be less effective because they are shorter and cannot do what the taller people can do, and this does everyone concerned a disservice.

What is ironic is that most people assume that because taller people have the length that they have the advantage, this is not necessarily the case. If a person who is shorter than their opponent extends their weapon from their shoulder, they will be directing their point toward the target area of the opponent.  If a taller person extends their weapon from their shoulder, they may be directing their point over the head of their opponent. By having to drop the point down, length is lost due to the change in angle from the right angle at origin to an acute angle. The same reason a person may safely stop-hit at the face while keeping their leg free from attack. This is also something that should be taken into account.

In teaching the height of the individual must be taken into account, especially if there is a marked difference in height between the trainer and student. There is little point in teaching a short person to fight like a tall person as they do not have the reach, and there is not much greater advantage of the reverse because then the taller person will not learn to use the advantage of their reach. Actions which rely on an individual being a particular height as compared to their opponent should be examined, as many of them will not be as effective, and in some cases effective at all when the fencer is shorter. It is at this point in time that the trainer needs to change tact to suit the student.

A cut delivered vertically designed to clear or at least block the opponent's weapon while striking them is an excellent attack and works beautifully when executed properly, when the fencer is the same height or taller than the opponent. When the fencer is shorter, the angles are changed. The sword will connect further up on the weapon and so will not have the strength to do the job designed and the striking part of the weapon is less likely to strike the opponent due to length. The result is that this technique is not as effective, if at all. The trainer thus needs to find an alternative, such as stepping off-line and striking the arm, or stepping off-line and coming upward and underneath to strike the flank. This is only one example, there are many more.

Both teachers and students need to take height differences into account, not only from the point of view of combat situations, but also from a teaching point of view. A shorter or taller student is going to result in different angles as a result of their height. These are going to have to be taken into account in their training, and some actions will have to be modified. A good teacher will look at this as just another challenge to be surmounted in the adventure of teaching.

Cheers,

Henry.

Are You Using or Teaching a System?

Greetings,
Every now and then we must look back at what we are teaching and what it is based upon. In some cases this may not be as pretty a picture as what we may like it to be but it still must be done. The question remains especially for us looking into the fields of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) are we really practicing what we set out to? Are we really teaching what we are studying? Are we teaching a system or merely tips and tricks?

A system is has a foundation based on the principles of fence. This means that the actions make sense according to the rules of Time and Distance. It means that what we are teaching, when performed purely according to these rules will work. This system does not have to be based in any one "School" or based on the works of any one "Master". Indeed, what I teach is based upon the works of several theorists from at least two different "Schools". What needs to be present are the principles upon which the actions are based upon and these need to be based on the principles of fence.

A system has essential mechanics. These are foundation mechanics which every student knows and every student must learn to progress through to the next stage. The progression of the students must be based upon the training method which is set in place. Each one of the lessons should build upon some part of the lessons which came before it. Every student should progress through these lessons in some form or another. At the end of these lessons, indeed part way through some of these lessons there should be a system of evaluation of progression. You should be able to evaluate the students and see where they are in their progression to see what they have learnt and what they need to re-learn. This does not ...

The rest of this article can be found in Un-Blogged: A Fencer's Ramblings by Henry Walker, which is available in paperback from:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Blogged-Ramblings-Henry-Leigh-Walker/dp/098764470X
Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/un-blogged-henry-leigh-walker/book/9780987644701.html
Among other places...

It is also available in electronic format (pdf) from: https://buy.stripe.com/fZecP419c7CB9VKeUV

... or direct from the author.

Females and Fencing (Part 2)

Greetings,

Welcome to Part 2, this is the second part of my discussion on females and fencing based upon a lesson which I delivered at Swordplay '15 this year. It is designed to highlight the differences between the male and female combatant and bring these into the light so that both the trainer and student may realise that they are differences not problems. The previous part dealt with physical differences this one will start with the psychological ones. I would advise you, dear reader, that if you have not read the first part, that you should as it will give and explanation of my approach to the subjects which follow.

Psychological

After dealing with the physical differences we need to look deeper and have a look at some more mental differences. This means having a look at the psychological differences between males and females and seeing how this will affect them in training and also in a combative situation. These need to be taken into account as they are deeply embedded in our minds and are not easily dealt with.

To begin the so -called "feminine characteristics" portray the female as passive and shy. I know this not the case for everyone but it is the general outlook and for some it is true. Added on top of this is that from the beginning, for the most part, females are given nurturing roles. This means that they are not supposed to hit people, this idea is, in many cases driven from their make-up.

What is the result of this? It means that the female trainee and combatant will often have difficulty starting and often continuing with training as the idea of striking someone else with an object is foreign to their internal make-up. For the trainer this will take time to encourage them that it is fine for them to do this and it is actually what is expected of them. No trainee should be discouraged, male or female, because this is part of their make-up. More so, it should be emphasised not just by trainers but by other members of the class that it is okay to strike their opponent and partner at the right time and place.

Now we need to discuss the "jitters". That horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach that comes up during training, and especially at tournaments or examinations when the pressure is on. This is the feeling that you do not belong here, that all the training you have done has been a waste of time, that all the other combatants hit harder and are better than you, and that there is nothing you can do about it. First thing that I am going to say is that everyone has had this feeling, and that anyone who denies ever having had this feeling before a tournament or training session is either lying to other people, or lying to themselves which is worse. The question is how to deal with them.

Each person has their own way of dealing with this feeling, and you need to find a way for dealing with your own. I will give some suggestions that may help you, but it is a personal process that you must think through. First we will start with Pre-Tournament, then Tournament, and then Post-Tournament. Each one is slightly different to suit the different situation. In this I will be using the word "tournament" to signify what ever event is being discussed, be it a training session, examination or tournament.

Pre-Tournament

On the way to the location of the tournament I like to listen to music that either puts me in a good mood or music which is appropriate to the tournament. I am a bit of a metal-head but I have found that Iron Maiden's "Flash of the Blade" or "The Duellists" works for me. If you are looking for something a little slower Dire Straits "Brothers in Arms" also works. I have also found that anything classical with some "drive" behind it works, Beethoven, Bach, Tchaikovsky for examples. 

Once I have arrived, I make a point of finding someone I know and saying "Hello." This is to realise that I am not there alone. If you are at an event for the first time, be sure that you are not the only one. Go and find someone to say "Hello" to. This is a great way to release some tension. Following this, go and do all the mundane things, signing in and all that business. Go find the Officials of the event and introduce yourself and thank them for being there, they will be happy about it, trust me on this one.

Unpack. Find a comfortable spot. This may be with others, it may not be. It needs to be comfortable for you. Have a good look at each piece of gear as you take it out. Get it all out and have a good look. Then walk away for a little while. Come back and in a relaxed fashion put your armour (safety gear on). Start internal and work external, start from the ground work up. Start from the body and work out to the arms. Gauntlets last, trust me on this one. Once you are in your armour, move about and get used to being in the armour, without your weapon. Next pick up your weapon and go through some simple solo drills, finally go find someone you know to warm-up with. By this time you should be suitably warm and much more comfortable.

Tournament

Regardless of the result of a round, examine how you fought and what you did in response to the opponent's actions. Have a look at you did well and be happy with this. Breathe. Next examine where you did not do so well, remember this because you can ask your trainer about it at your next training. Breathe. You should always look at crossing blades with an opponent as a chance to learn something about yourself and your opponent. Do not miss this chance. Breathe. Victories fade the lessons live on.

In between rounds, if you have time, make sure that you take off your gauntlets, mask/helm and gorget. This will let a lot of the heat out. Breathe. Drink liquid. People say drink water, I say liquid as you should also be concerned about your sugar levels dropping too low. Go for a little walk if you need to, but not too far. Breathe Watch the other opponents for what they are doing and learn from what they are and are not doing. This is a prime time to learn. Listen to what other combatants are saying. Breathe. Do not think about the next round until it is announced, and even then do not focus on it unless you have seen the opponent and learnt something useful about the way they fight. Did I mention Breathe? You need to stay analytical about the process, this will help you calm yourself. Remember all the things you did right and celebrate them.

Post-Tournament

Why? The tournament is over, why would this be the case that you get jitters? This would be the case that you still have a lot of adrenaline running through your system and also probably endorphins as well. Once again it is a matter of settling yourself. Breathe. Take your time. Have a drink. Get rid of the mask/helm, gorget and gauntlets as before. Put the weapons down with your gear. Go for a little walk. Breathe. Have a chat to some of the other combatants. Breathe. The most important thing here is to relax. If there is a presentation made after the tournament and you have placed high enough to be a part of this enjoy the experience, you deserve it.

Well, this has turned out to be a lot longer than I expected it to be. I only planned for this to be two posts at most, but I think that keeping them relatively short is important for better absorbing of the information which I have presented. Once again, if the information presented has continued to interest and inform you, be prepared as there is a third, and final, installment of this subject.

Cheers,

Henry.

Females and Fencing (Part 1)

Greetings,

The following post is based on a lesson I delivered this year at a "local" event and I use the word "local" very loosely as it is becoming recognised as a national one. That event was Swordplay '15. Essentially it was designed to get all of the female combatants together and have a chat about Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA), tournaments and the whole gambit of things and the simple thing that they are not alone and that they needed to talk more to one another to share their experiences, more on this later.

While at the event in the position of Safety Marshal I was in a great position to see a lot of fighting at the event and see how everybody was doing. One of the things that I noticed was that the female combatants were attempting to fight like the male ones, with some achievement it has to be said. The obvious problems associated related directly and indirectly to the method and approach to the fighting is what sparked the idea for the lesson.

Before I go into much detail there are a couple of things that I have to say. Firstly, I apologise to those people who have been waiting since the event for this post to come out, part of this has been slackness and part of this is other factors. Secondly, I know that this post is possibly going to cause some issues that I am talking about females in fencing and I am a male, but this is all from my point of view and based upon my training and my experiences training females. I hope that this post will help rather than hinder women in HEMA. Thirdly, I know it is a little arrogant to be speaking on the subject, but please bear with me. Finally, this is probably going to be a pretty hefty sort of post so get ready for a solid sort of a read.

So we have the situation that women most often taught by men and men most often do not know how women work physically and mentally. This is simply because most of the more experienced members of the community are male. This presents problems in training for the women who are participating in the training and, for the most part, these problems are kept to themselves. I would like to highlight these "problems" and demonstrate them not as "problems" but as "differences" and differences which trainers need to take into account. The following will be divided up into various sections so that areas can be highlighted for discussion.

Physical

So men and women are different physically. Well done, Captain Obvious! Tell us something we don't know. This simple fact is something we need to take into account when training. It is something which I have indicated before in a previous post (http://afencersramblings.blogspot.com.au/2009/10/bio-mechanics-and-effect-of-body-shape.html). This post was mostly indicated at different body shapes as in short versus tall, broad versus thin and so forth, for this discussion we need to go more deeply into the discussion and examine how the male and female form differ and how they move differently.

To start with we need to examine hip shape, the hips control the centre of mass and also control the legs which makes them essential for movement. If you do not have free movement through this you are bound to have problems. Well, males and females are markedly different here, especially the way that the legs join up with the hips. The way that the leg joints are positioned in men and women are different and this can be seen in the on guard position. Let us take the generic terza (third) guard.

The right foot is forward the left is to the rear, many guards in HEMA will begin like this. Many will actually be a little more broad with the rear foot a little further outward and a little more forward. This will immediately put the hips in a diagonal position if this position is adopted, which for a male suits them perfectly, due to the way their leg joints are shaped. For the female she will have all sorts of trouble keeping her front foot pointing at the opponent, this is because her hips do not want to do this. So what we need to do here is make a change in position to make it more comfortable and more moveable for the female. It is not radical it is a change in position from diagonal to horizontal, from the male position to the female position.

In the case of the image above it is from the lower image to the upper image. In the first instance you do this you may need to physically move your hip into this position. In the case of a trainer you may need to move the student's hip into the correct position, make sure you ask permission to do so first. The change in position may require a broadening of the stance, and a slight withdrawal of the foot, that is fine. The ease of movement will have its own reward.

While we are on movement, we might as well stay there for a while. The female combatant will also move differently from the male combatant. This you will see in their actions with the weapon, but also in their movement across the ground. The woman can also access a lot more mobility in their hips and waist than the male can for the movement of their body for voiding and other actions than most men will be able to and this is a great advantage, and one that should be used.

As a female, in general, you will simply not be able to compete with the raw power of the male, so you should not try to. However there are different ways to approach the combat through movement and being lighter on your feet. Against the stronger opponent use their strength against them, slip off their attacks, redirect their power to other directions. Use the lightness that you have to simply avoid the power that your opponent possesses, and with the extra movement indicated already, this will be even easier.

Now we come to one final attribute of the female form which most trainers often forget to take into account in their training, the female breast. The Parry of Fourth, the Parry to the High Inside Line, any time your arms have to cross your body close they get in the road, and the trainer often will not take it into account because he doesn't have them.

Parry of 4th

Breast protection just doesn't help the situation, in fact it even often makes it worse. How do I know? First, I listen. Second, I wear a chest plate myself. How do we get around this particular problem? We look at the assets again and see what we can use to our advantage. Once again it comes down to the hips and waist. In the case of the Parry of Fourth, or High Inside Line, turn your body at the same time you make the parry. This will give you some more clearance for the parry and also some more room. In fact, as far as this "problem" goes this is the primary way around it, use the other attributes of mobility to get around it.

So, this is the end of Part 1, if I have not insulted or bored you too much, Part 2 will start with a look at some of the psychological aspects which have to be dealt with and go from there, depending on how things go and how deep it gets will see how long it goes for.

Cheers,

Henry.

What is a Master?

Greetings,

There have been questions with regard to the idea of the "master" and "mastery" floating around the internet in various forms for months. Being that I post quite a bit here about fencing and I am known by some, I thought it was time that I set the record straight as to what I think of the concept. Hopefully I will also be able to address some of the mysteries of this word and some of the ideas surrounding it, at least from my point of view. Please remember as you read that this is my own point of view.

Myself as a "Master"

In some circles I am referred to as a "master" of what I do. I thought that it would be most useful to address my own position before discussing a more general pattern and thought process. In my particular case there are two times where I might be referred to by the title master. It will be noted that in each circumstance these are with regard to a specific field of expertise and are specific to the setting in which they are found. Neither has any claims of anything more grand or over-reaching.

The first title of "master" is within the Lochac Royal Guild of Defense, and this is as a Guildmaster, or Guild Master as the case may be. This is a teaching organisation formed within Australia as part of the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) in which each rank is tested. This rank is an accepted level of competence in western martial arts, and more so as an established teacher and researcher of western martial arts. The important part here is that it points these individuals out as teachers, not necessarily as great fencers, even though each is in their own particular way in their own particular right. This title is for the most part only recognised within the SCA, and in many ways only in Australia.

In the second instance of the use of the title of "master" it is Master of the School of Historical Defense Arts (SHDA). This is a title adopted for the school to denote the highest rank in the school, and as an administrative title which could be easily replaced with President or Chairman or similar things. For the most part, however this is to indicate the head trainer of the school and in many ways I get tempted to replace it with a more Elizabethan title in "Schole Maister" in order to be specific as to what the title means. It means that I am the highest rank teacher in the school. Once again no claims of anything but being a teacher and researcher.

You will notice that in both instances the words "teacher" and "researcher" are present with regard to the title of "master" in both instances. I think that this is vital. I know I have much to learn, and I am extremely happy about this. Every practitioner should and must keep learning for many reasons, the main answer for all of them is that it is better for the practitioner and also better for others who the practitioner comes into contact with. I make no claims with regards to my titles other than those which have been presented here, and I am quite happy to discuss this if anyone is interested.

"The Master"

Hopefully in this part of the discussion I may be able to shed some light on what it means to be a "master" of western martial arts. As far as I am concerned the following statement is accurate: A Master ...

The rest of this article can be found in Un-Blogged: A Fencer's Ramblings by Henry Walker, which is available in paperback from:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Blogged-Ramblings-Henry-Leigh-Walker/dp/098764470X
Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/un-blogged-henry-leigh-walker/book/9780987644701.html
Among other places...

It is also available in electronic format (pdf) from: https://buy.stripe.com/fZecP419c7CB9VKeUV

... or direct from the author.

Beginning to Teach

Greetings, Benginning to teach can be one of the scariest endeavours a fencer can put themselves through. Just like all other aspects of fencing it is a skill which needs to be learnt. The decision to teach really needs to be a voluntary one and not something which is forced on the fencer. There has been a great deal said about teaching and the process of teaching, some of this will be of use to the beginner teacher, but there are some things which have not been said. Preach What You Practice The expression "practice what you preach" is most useful for correcting your own techniques, but there is also a situation where the reverse of the process is actually more useful for the fencer who is beginning to teach. The skills which the fencer uses in bouting are the ones which they will know the best. They understand these particular techniques and subconsciously understand why they work. This is where the teaching process should start from, hence "preach what you practice". The skills which you have honed over your time fencing are those which you will know the best. It is of little use attempting to teach things that you do not know so the best thing is to start with those things that you do know. For example, a fencer who does not use a great deal of blade engagement techniques should not be attempting to teach these, more he should be looking at how he manages and teaching this, possibly teaching absence of the blade or something similar. This is the sort of thing that you should be looking at when you begin to teach. The Basics Each fencer will have been taught the basics at some point in time. This may have come from a more qualified teacher, or it may have actually come from another fencer. The basics are those lessons which we have drilled the most in our fencing careers. Footwork and the simple elements of defence and attack are perfect examples of the basics. This is a great place for the beginning teacher to start teaching. The basics should keep your prospective students occupied for some period of time. These particular formative lessons are some of the most important lessons a ....

The rest of this article can be found in Un-Blogged: A Fencer's Ramblings by Henry Walker, which is available in paperback from:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Blogged-Ramblings-Henry-Leigh-Walker/dp/098764470X
Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/un-blogged-henry-leigh-walker/book/9780987644701.html
Among other places...

It is also available in electronic format (pdf) from: https://buy.stripe.com/fZecP419c7CB9VKeUV

... or direct from the author.

Building Self-Confidence

Greetings, Going by the title of this particular blog one could assume that this is going to be some sort of "make people happy" discussion. Actually, that is not the point of view that will be the focus of this one. In this particular case the subject of self-confidence will be addressed from two points of view. Firstly it will be examined from the student's point of view and then from the teacher's point of view. The purpose of this blog is to address the idea of how both the teacher and the student can build self-confidence in the student. This is an important process that both the student and the teacher need to be aware of in order for the student to excell. From the student's point of view, there are three main points that will be raised. Firstly that training is a learning process and mistakes will be made. Secondly, the importance of practice and how it builds skill and thus confidence, and finally being comfortable in what you are doing. Each one of these particular points is important and needs to be addressed in order for the student to build confidence in themselves. Fencing and training is a learning process, in this there will be mistakes made by the student in what they are doing. What is important about this is that the student needs to learn from these mistakes, in this way the mistake made is not a failure but a chance for the student to learn and improve what they are doing. The learning process takes time. This is important as the student must realise that it will take time for them to learn skill-sets and be able to use them effectively in fencing. Fencing is a long road if it is approached from the correct point of view and they will never stop learning. When something is done well it should be celebrated. The student should take pride in all of their achievements, no matter how small they might be, but this must be in proportion to the level of the achievement, and also through this not become over-confident. This achievement should spur them on to want to do more. It is practice that builds skill, and skill that builds confidence. Needless to say, practice is required for all of the skills in fencing so that they can be called upon and used at anytime that the student requires them. In this practice the student needs to be practicing the correct action in order that the correct action is learnt. In this the teacher should be correcting them in order tha this is possible, and to a point the student should also be correcting themselves. The action performed must be completed. Where the drill involves a parry and riposte, both actions need to be completed in order for the student to learn the correct thing. Where the parry is missed, the student should correct the parry, and then make the appropriate riposte. This is the same for all actions. It is this sort of repetition that builds muscle memory and allows a student to perform an action without thinking about it. Much in these blogs has already been said about practice, but it is something which is vital for the student to keep progressing. Being comfortable in what a person is doing is about several things. Firstly it is necessary for them to understand what they are doing and what it is suppose to achieve. Next it is important to understand the effect of the action and the parts that are involved in the action. This understanding will enable the student to have a better grasp of what they are doing and thus be more comfortable with it. Once the mind is prepared it is important for the body to be able to feel what is happening. Performing an action slowly will allow the student to feel the activation of muscles and other parts of their body. This will enable them to perform the action properly at faster speeds once they can feel what their body is doing during the performance of the action. Each student will find things that feel more comfortable for them. In some cases there may be some modification in the action required for the action to work for them, and this is fine. It is important for the student to discover what works for them and thus enable them to develop a level of comfort for themselves in their actions. Of course, the development of this level of comfort in an action will take time, especially for a new action. It is important that the teacher allows the student to take the time that they need in order for them to become comfortable with an action. An action which is comfortable for the student will more readily be used by them. From the teacher's point of view, there are also three main points that will be raised. The teacher's purpose in training is an important factor in building self-confidence in the student. Next is encouragement and how it can be effective in building self-confidence through building the student. Lastly is the idea of relaxation on the part of the student in order that they can more freely learn what needs to be learnt. Rather than specific points of reference for the teacher, it will be a general discussion focussed on the particular sub-topics presented.

....

The rest of this article can be found in Un-Blogged: A Fencer's Ramblings by Henry Walker, which is available in paperback from:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Blogged-Ramblings-Henry-Leigh-Walker/dp/098764470X
Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/un-blogged-henry-leigh-walker/book/9780987644701.html
Among other places...

It is also available in electronic format (pdf) from: https://buy.stripe.com/fZecP419c7CB9VKeUV

... or direct from the author.

Conduct of Training

Greetings, Training is an aspect of all sports and martial arts. It is something that we all need to do. It is important that the teacher in the lesson is able to construct a training session that has all the elements necessary for the students to learn what they need to learn in their lesson. This blog will focus on the conduct of training, from the planning to the execution and dealing with some of the problems that will arise in training. Hopefully this will be of interest to students and teachers alike so that you can examine your own training sessions and see how they compare to what is written here. For the teacher the training session needs to start before they turn up for training. Planning needs to be the first stage of any training session. This is a necessary process especially in order to remain in control of the training session and to ensure that you are able to teach all of what the students need to learn. The first thing you need to look at in the planning stage is the overall plan for training. You need to look at how the students will progress from the beginning stages to the end where they are able to fence with a level of competence and then further to include more advanced techniques. You don't need to plan out the entirety of the student's career at this point in time, more you need to give them the skills in order to progress in that direction. This is the first stage of the planning process. Once you have an overall plan for the training sessions on the whole you need to have a look at the individual lessons. The lessons should build upon one another like building blocks. This means that the first lessons establish the foundation for the student's fencing and then the others build on top of this. What this means is that the first lessons are some of the most important as if the basic skills are not established to begin with it will be difficult to build upon these in order to get to more advanced techniques. Each one of the lessons should be connected to the others in some way. Obviously they are all connected due to what is being learnt, but the connections need to be on a more specific level as well. Basic techniques should lead to more advanced ones as the basics are the foundation of the more advanced techniques. This needs to be established in the planning process for the training program. The next part of the process is to look at the individual lesson or lessons that will be taught on a particular night. The decision of how much to teach in a single training session is an important one and needs to be considered. There is a sliding scale from teaching not enough in the session all the way up to teaching too much. In general it is best to focus on one particular area in a lesson, though in some instances this can be branched out into more. This is highly dependent on the lessons being taught. For example, lessons on footwork all link together and may be taught as a single block as they are all related to how the feet move, but trying to link a lesson on footwork to some aspect of the use of the hands is probably not a good idea to start with. In general you should teach a maximum of three lessons per training session otherwise you will give the students problems in remembering all of the information that you have presented. This is, of course, highly dependent on the lessons themselves and also the students being taught. It is important to look at how the lesson relates to others as has been noted before. This will allow you to decide whether the lesson is best taught alone or in conjunction with another lesson. Some lessons will tend to lead to other ones and this should be noted as it will give some directions as to how the lessons should be taught. Remember though, that each lesson should have a particular area of focus and this should be what is being aimed at for the lesson. If this is not clear then the students will get confused as to what they are supposed to be learning and this is not good. The next part of the process is examining the content of the lesson and what will be taught in the training session. This can be approached in one of two ways really. You can have a lesson planned out as to what will be taught or you can see what the students want to learn and then focus on that for the session. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages. The second gives the students what they want, but if the entire program is based in this method then the program tends to be very disjointed and aspects can be missed in the process. This is a very spontaneous form of lessons and should really only be used for more advanced students and the more experienced teachers as it does not allow much time for planning. The first is good as there is a structure which is followed lesson by lesson, this method does, however lack spontaneity. This means if a particular problem comes up it is somewhat difficult to deal with that problem instantly without deviating from the program. It does, however have the advantage of being able to plan what will be taught in a particular training session. The most important part is regardless of what method you use, you should focus on one aspect of the training per lesson and ensure the students understand which aspect is the focus of the lesson in order that some structure is maintained. The lessons need to have content which is interesting to the students. This means that in most cases the lessons will be dominantly practical in nature. Lessons with a great deal of theory and very little practical aspect to them tend to be seen to be rather boring by students. You should try to include some aspect of a practical nature in the lesson in order to keep the students interested in what is going on. The only way to keep the students' attention is to make the lesson interesting to them. The lesson may be very important to their progress, but if it is not interesting to them their attention will waver and they may miss important parts of the lesson. The theory lessons should be directly related to practical aspects. In this way the theory is demonstrated to be something that has great benefit in what is going on in actual fencing. Keeping the students interested in what is going on is important and should be considered carefully when planning a lesson and also teaching it. ....

The rest of this article can be found in Un-Blogged: A Fencer's Ramblings by Henry Walker, which is available in paperback from:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Blogged-Ramblings-Henry-Leigh-Walker/dp/098764470X
Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/un-blogged-henry-leigh-walker/book/9780987644701.html
Among other places...

It is also available in electronic format (pdf) from: https://buy.stripe.com/fZecP419c7CB9VKeUV

... or direct from the author.

Drill Design and Construction

Greetings, Drills are an important part of the learning process for students and it is important that teachers know what they are for, how they are constructed and their inner workings in order to get the greatest potential from them. This blog is about drills, sometimes called conventionals in sport fencing. It will address some of the issues associated with the construction and use of drills in a training situation. Whether you are a teacher or student of fencing, the information provided will hopefully provide you with some thinking points with regard to this most useful tool in fencing. Before we can look at drills in any sort of detailed way it is important to examine the purpose of drills as a training tool. Drills are most useful for the practicing of skills which have been learnt in a lesson. By using this method the theory present and the isolated form of the skill or skills that have been taught can be seen together working both with and against other skills. This is essentially seeing the skill in a practical situation or in another way of thinking, seeing the technique in action against the movements of an opponent. Through the use of drills and their repetitive fashion muscle memory is also built designed to instill the skills in the muscles and subconscious of the student. In this way the student will know how to respond to the stimulus presented by the opponent by use of the skill learnt in the drill. This is important as it then frees the fencer's mind up in order to be thinking about what he will do against his opponent once the action has been completed. Next it is important to look at drills specifically. In order to do this without detailing all examples of skills and their drills, more general terms will be used in the address of their purpose. In all cases a drill should highlight the importance of the skill being drilled, and it should also highlight the importance of the correct performance of that skill against an opponent. There needs to be a reason for the drill being performed, it needs to be more than just a mere repetition of a particular skill for no seen purpose. Purpose must be injected into the drill so that the student will understand what both the skill and the drill are designed to achieve. This purpose must be specific to the skill and also the drill rather than the general terms which have already been discussed in the previous paragraph. The next part of this is the actual design of the drill itself. This must relate directly to the skill being taught and must place the skill in a situation where it is the best option available. This design phase of the drill is important and must be thought about carefully in order for the drill to achieve its purpose. In designing a drill the focus of the drill must be upon the specific drill being trained or learnt by the student. Without this focus the student will become confused about the purpose of both the drill and also the purpose of the skill. While in many cases the drill will involve the use of other skills, the focus must be on a specific skill. For a drill to be effective the other skills being used in the drill must be skills that the student already has in order that the drill is not sidetracked on to the attached skills rather than the particular focus skill of the drill. This is an element which is of great importance in the design and development of a drill. For example, if the drill involves the use of a particular footwork step along with a blade action, which is the focus of the drill, the footwork needs to be already known to the student in order for the drill to work. In many ways the drills will stack upon one another in a similar way that the skills will. With this in mind design the drill so that the focus is upon the new skill being learnt, and in a way that this is possible. The drill should actually end with the skill being learnt so that it is the last thing that the student does in the drill and thus it will become the most significant action in the drill. Use simple steps in the construction of the drill in order that there is little confusion with regard to the drill. Speed is always a factor with regard to fencing and choosing the speed at which a drill should be performed is of great importance. The drill should always start by being performed slowly so that the skill is developed and examined in a very specific way. This will enable the student to focus on the technique of the skill rather than the result of the skill. The student should understand that the goal of the drill is the correct performance of the skill rather than whether or not they are able to hit their opponent. If the student is able to perform the skill and the drill correctly striking the opponent should come about as a result of the correct performance, if that is appropriate to the skill being learnt. Drills, in most cases, should result with a full speed version of the drill being performed. This will enable the student to see the action in practice. This should only be done once they are able to perform the technique properly at slower speeds. Full speed drills are necessary for those drills where the skill will be use in a full combat situation. Without these drills the student will be able to perform the action slowly but will not be able to do the same at full speed, thus it can be seen that drills at full speed are necessary. There are times where the slow drill actually achieves its goal, this is most evidently seen in the physical demonstration of time. It is much easier to see tempos at slow speed than it is to see them at full speed. This form of drill is more aimed at the student understanding the concept behind what is happening more than the skills being used. For drills to work properly and achieve their goals various things are required. First of all the students must have been taught the skills involved in the drill, and most importantly the skill being drilled. Next is that the participants in the drills must participate completely in the drill. This means following the drill according to what has been directed by the teacher. This means that the participants need to stick with the drill as it has been directed and sticking with the purpose of the drill. There should be very little deviation in the action of the drill, save those points where the participant is having trouble and needs help. ....

The rest of this article can be found in Un-Blogged: A Fencer's Ramblings by Henry Walker, which is available in paperback from:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Blogged-Ramblings-Henry-Leigh-Walker/dp/098764470X
Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/un-blogged-henry-leigh-walker/book/9780987644701.html
Among other places...

It is also available in electronic format (pdf) from: https://buy.stripe.com/fZecP419c7CB9VKeUV

... or direct from the author.

What is the role of the teacher and the student in fencing?

Greetings,

What will be discussed in this blog is the roles of the student and teacher and the relationship between them. It is important to realise that both of these groups of individuals have a role to play in fencing, and especially fencing training. They are actually both important to one another and it is this relationship and how sound this relationship is that will determine how effective the training is and also the ability to excel on both parts.

The first thing to realise is that both the teacher and the student have important roles to play in the training process and this cannot be ignored. In many ways the roles are two sides of the same coin. One does not happen without the other in an effective environment. A person cannot be a student without there being a teacher of some sort, and a teacher cannot be a teacher really without there being a student to teach. Now, in some instances, the student and the teacher will be the same person, but still the same applies.

One is reliant on the other. The student is reliant on the teacher in order to be taught what is required, but the teacher is also relying on the student to learn what is being taught in order that the relationship between the two is fruitful. In this it is important both fulfil the roles that they have in their best capacity in order for the best outcome for the situation and the training process. If one slacks off there is the highly likely chance that the other will slack off. This will result in a reduction in the level of learning. This is where it is best seen that they have a reciprocal relationship. If the teacher is lacking in enthusiasm for what is being taught, then the student will also slack off as they will see what is being taught as not important and also will reduce their efforts in order to learn what is being taught. If the student is lacking in enthusiasm for what is being taught, the teacher will recognise this and will not put in as much effort in the teaching process which will lead to a reduction in the learning. In this way it is important that both put in the maximum amount of effort in their roles in order to achieve the best outcome from the training situation. This also leads on to questions of what it means to be a student or teacher in fencing.

The role of the teacher is to teach. The role of the student is to learn. It is as simple as that, or is it? Does this mean that the teacher may only teach and is precluded from learning, even from the student? Does this mean that the student may only learn and is precluded from teaching? The simple answer to this is "No." This is best seen in the situation where fencing or particular parts of fencing are being learnt alone. In this situation the individual is both student and teacher rolled into one. The individual must not only teach but also learn. Where there are two, or more individuals the same applies. The teacher should also be learning, even if it is only learning how to teach better. The student must also be willing to teach, even if it is to teach the teacher a different perspective. We should all be seeking to learn at all times, and from everyone who has information to part with. The learning experience should never stop and we should never become only teachers as there is so much to learn and in order to do this you must be a student.

....

The rest of this article can be found in Un-Blogged: A Fencer's Ramblings by Henry Walker, which is available in paperback from:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Blogged-Ramblings-Henry-Leigh-Walker/dp/098764470X
Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/un-blogged-henry-leigh-walker/book/9780987644701.html
Among other places...

It is also available in electronic format (pdf) from: https://buy.stripe.com/fZecP419c7CB9VKeUV

... or direct from the author.

Teacher vs Instructor

Greetings,

I would like to discuss and issue. Now this may be an issue for some and a matter of semantics for others, but I think that it is something that needs to be looked at both from the teacher/instructor point of view and also the student's point of view. What I am talking about is the difference between a teacher and an instructor, and consequently teaching versus instruction.

Now first we have a look at the words, a teacher teaches, and an instructor instructs. Pretty simple really. The question is which one has the most benefit for both the student and the teacher/instructor. In essence I would like to look at it this way, instruction involves the giving of a set of techniques which the student follows, the instructor says and the student does, this is the essence of instruction. Teaching differs from this, a teacher teaches the student the technique and explains what it is based upon and how it fits into fencing overall. This involves a two way form of communication something that instruction is missing.

So the big question here is do we want to be instructors or teachers? Or another way to look at it are you a teacher or an instructor? Teaching involves explanation of what is happening in the technique. Instruction just deals with the technique and perfecting it. Now, there has to be some element of instruction in the teaching in order to pass the information along, but there has to be more than that in order for it to be teaching. How is only one question that can be asked of a technique, there is also why and when which are relevant to understanding a technique properly. The teacher should be able to answer these questions. The instructor will not worry about them as all he is interested in is the how of the technique.

....

The rest of this article can be found in Un-Blogged: A Fencer's Ramblings by Henry Walker, which is available in paperback from:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Blogged-Ramblings-Henry-Leigh-Walker/dp/098764470X
Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/un-blogged-henry-leigh-walker/book/9780987644701.html
Among other places...

It is also available in electronic format (pdf) from: https://buy.stripe.com/fZecP419c7CB9VKeUV

... or direct from the author.