Will It Zwerch? Landmarking in Video Analysis
Lots of people look at fencing. Lots of people watch videos. What are you actually “looking” at when breaking down someone’s motion?
Articles by Sean Franklin
Combat Con 2021 – The Nerd Review
Combat Con 2021 just wrapped up recently*, the first large-scale North American event to start back up since the Covid shutdowns. It is also a […]
Killer Whales Can Beat Sharks In A Swordfight
You see the title.
An Alternative Method for MoI Determination
I’ve harped about Moment of Inertia in multiple articles. Now I try a new experimental method for figuring it out.
4 Rules to the Meyer Square
I don’t like remembering arbitrary sequences. And on the surface the 16-cut pattern that forms the Meyer’s Square is the exact type of arbitrary sequence that I hate. But is it really?
Swords in Space: The First (?) Frontier
There have been a number of very good physics descriptions of sword motion. However they neglect the most important part: a sword isn’t free floating in space!
“Safe Sword” is made up words
We frequently talk about how to make swords “safe”. Unfortunately unless you can come up with a definition which satisfies a few specific criteria, the word “safe” doesn’t have a lot of meaning.
Two Phases Of a Cut – Surface vs Steady State
From a blade resistance point of view, cutting actually has two distinct phases: the internal and external.
Difficulties with SCA Flex Test and Buckling Test for Measuring Blade Stiffness
Two of the most popular ways to quantify blade stiffness are the SCA Flex Test and the Buckling Test. Unfortunately they both have issues, but we’re suffering for lack of better solutions.
Finding the World’s Highest Level HEMA
“In your opinion, which country has the highest level of practitioners?” Let’s see if I can answer this in the most unhelpful way possible.