Shenandoah Valley School of Defence


Providing training based on the "True Fight" of George Silver, an Historical English Martial Art

The Shenandoah Valley School of Defence is a private social organization dedicated to the teachings of George Silver, a swordsman who lived in England in the latter 1500s and early 1600s. Through the study of Silver's books, "Paradoxes of Defence" published in 1599, and the unpublished "Brief Instructions Upon My Paradoxes of Defence", we are able to recreate his expert style of fencing, and offer training based on its use.

The SVSOD was established by Cory Winslow and Betsy Winslow in Luray, Virginia in August of 2020. Prior to their study of the "True Fight" of George Silver, Cory and Betsy taught the "Kunst des Fechtens" of Johannes Liechtenauer and a selection of related disciplines at the Medieval European Martial Arts Guild (MEMAG), founded in March of 2006.Â