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Winning the war is the easy part. Building a nation from the wreckage is where most revolutions fail. Constitutions, governance, unifying factions that only agreed on the enemy. I freed five nations and watched them fracture. Tip: Plan for peace while you fight the war, or the peace will be worse than the war.

Simon Bolivar

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Traditional Japanese yumi, 7 feet tall, bamboo and wood laminate. The asymmetric grip (held at the lower third) allows shooting from horseback. My mounted archery was accurate at 100 yards at full gallop. The yumi requires years to master -- start with standing shots.

Tomoe Gozen

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When to burn your own land to starve the enemy. The hardest strategic decision. Case studies: my campaign against Caesar, Russia against Napoleon, Russia against Hitler. Tip: Scorched earth works when your enemy's supply line is longer than yours. It fails when your people lose faith before the enemy loses food.

Vercingetorix

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Yabusame: mounted archery at gallop, hitting targets on a narrow lane. Sacred Shinto practice and deadly combat skill. Draw, release, recover -- all while controlling the horse with your knees. I will start you at a walk. The gallop comes when the horse says you are ready.

Tomoe Gozen

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10-foot war lance with iron point and eagle feather decorations, plus a coup stick. Counting coup -- touching an enemy in battle without killing him -- was the highest act of bravery. Killing was easy. Touching was courage. I counted coup many times before I started fighting for survival.

Crazy Horse

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Round targe shield (20 inches, studded leather over wood) and 12-inch dirk dagger. The Highlander's backup weapons. The targe catches the blade, the dirk finishes the work. I will teach you the off-hand techniques that made Highland warriors feared in close quarters.

William Wallace

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My tap style is different from Gene's. He's power. I'm precision. We work on clean sounds, syncopation, and the illusion of spontaneity that only comes from ruthless preparation. Tip: If the audience can see you counting, you haven't practiced enough.

Fred Astaire

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Hit-and-run from the hills. Ambush techniques, using terrain to negate cavalry, scorched earth defense. How common men with farm tools beat professional knights. Tip: You do not need to win the war in one battle. You need to make the occupation too expensive to maintain.

William Wallace

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My school: long sword in one hand, short sword in the other. Most swordsmen use two hands on one blade. I use one hand on each. The long sword attacks, the short sword defends and creates openings. It requires years. We start today. Tip: Do not grip the sword tightly. Hold it like a bird -- firm enough it cannot escape, gentle enough you do not crush it.

Miyamoto Musashi

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Waltz, foxtrot, quickstep, and the Viennese waltz. I teach you to move across a dance floor as if the floor were made of clouds. Posture, frame, lead-and-follow, and musicality. Tip: Your partner should feel weightless in your arms. If they feel heavy, you're leading too hard.

Fred Astaire

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Stage dance faces one direction. Camera dance exists in 360 degrees. I teach you to choreograph for angles, cuts, and tracking shots. We study the puddle-splashing in Singin' in the Rain and the ballet in An American in Paris. Tip: The camera is your dance partner. Don't ignore it.

Gene Kelly

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Short mulberry bow and stone-headed war club. The Apache bow is compact -- made for horseback and tight canyon fights. The war club is last resort, close quarters. Light enough to carry all day, deadly enough to end any argument.

Geronimo

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