A Quick Guide to MJD
I may have modified the Society for the Study of Swordsmanship uniform a little....
My career has been quite varied, though there are themes running through all of it... if you look hard enough!
I am first and foremost a writer, working in a variety of fields ranging from mainstream publishing through televsion to magazines, and other media.
As a writer I am notable mainly for my non-fiction work which is primarily concerned with military history and conflict in general. I won my first award in 2015, a mere 31 years after my first piece was published!
My other mainstream publishing work includes magazine articles, web copy, technical writing and a number of academic papers presented at major international conferences. I served as a freelance editor and publishing consultant to the SMi Group during the wind-down of their publishing arm.
In the games industry my first job out of university was computer games design. I am notable mostly for my work on the Traveller RPG but have also contributed extensively to Cubicle Seven's World War Cthulhu series and a variety of other games over more than 25 years.
As an instructor I have experience of teaching ranging from mainstream schools and colleges to lecturing in the defence industry, and of coaching martial arts and fencing for over 25 years. I hold a B.Ed and currently serve as Chief Assessor - basically, head coach - to the BFHS.
As a defence analyst and military historian I have published numerous books and magazine articles on historical and current conflicts, and have worked as a consultant to TV documentaries. I spent some time on the lecture circuit in the defence industry, largely as a result of a report in which I predicted the USS Cole incident of 2000.
My television work includes research and consulting for shows including Triggers: Weapons that Changed the World and Ultimate Soldier Challenge. I have appeared as an on-camera expert, and somewhere out there is a promotional reel for what would have been my show. It might still happen; these things seem to take a long time and then everything goes berserk all at once.
As a swordsman I took up Olympic-style fencing in 1987 and qualified as a coach in 1989. After two decades in which I competed to national (and occasionally international) level, and trained many competitors, I moved to historical fencing. I now teach military sabre and smallsword and have returned to competition, winning medals for military sabre, smallsword and rapier. I am Chief Assessor to the British Federation for Historical Swordplay.
As a martial artist I have trained in various systems since the mid 1980s. I hold Dan grades in four different martial arts and was formerly a Master Level Instructor/Senior Assessor in the Self Defence Federation's Modern Street Combat syllabus. I served as Head of Coaching to the All-Styles Martial Arts Association. My current field of interest is Western Combatives and other European fighting systems.
My other experience and achievements include being the youngest ever mature student at my university, having one of my students invited to compete at the Commonwealth Games and leading the university delegation when city status was conferred on my home town.
I am first and foremost a writer, working in a variety of fields ranging from mainstream publishing through televsion to magazines, and other media.
As a writer I am notable mainly for my non-fiction work which is primarily concerned with military history and conflict in general. I won my first award in 2015, a mere 31 years after my first piece was published!
My other mainstream publishing work includes magazine articles, web copy, technical writing and a number of academic papers presented at major international conferences. I served as a freelance editor and publishing consultant to the SMi Group during the wind-down of their publishing arm.
In the games industry my first job out of university was computer games design. I am notable mostly for my work on the Traveller RPG but have also contributed extensively to Cubicle Seven's World War Cthulhu series and a variety of other games over more than 25 years.
As an instructor I have experience of teaching ranging from mainstream schools and colleges to lecturing in the defence industry, and of coaching martial arts and fencing for over 25 years. I hold a B.Ed and currently serve as Chief Assessor - basically, head coach - to the BFHS.
As a defence analyst and military historian I have published numerous books and magazine articles on historical and current conflicts, and have worked as a consultant to TV documentaries. I spent some time on the lecture circuit in the defence industry, largely as a result of a report in which I predicted the USS Cole incident of 2000.
My television work includes research and consulting for shows including Triggers: Weapons that Changed the World and Ultimate Soldier Challenge. I have appeared as an on-camera expert, and somewhere out there is a promotional reel for what would have been my show. It might still happen; these things seem to take a long time and then everything goes berserk all at once.
As a swordsman I took up Olympic-style fencing in 1987 and qualified as a coach in 1989. After two decades in which I competed to national (and occasionally international) level, and trained many competitors, I moved to historical fencing. I now teach military sabre and smallsword and have returned to competition, winning medals for military sabre, smallsword and rapier. I am Chief Assessor to the British Federation for Historical Swordplay.
As a martial artist I have trained in various systems since the mid 1980s. I hold Dan grades in four different martial arts and was formerly a Master Level Instructor/Senior Assessor in the Self Defence Federation's Modern Street Combat syllabus. I served as Head of Coaching to the All-Styles Martial Arts Association. My current field of interest is Western Combatives and other European fighting systems.
My other experience and achievements include being the youngest ever mature student at my university, having one of my students invited to compete at the Commonwealth Games and leading the university delegation when city status was conferred on my home town.
