Introduction to The Arts

The core martial system of Academie Duello traces its origins to the violent streets, dangerous battlefields, and duelling grounds of Northern Italy in the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

The system of Academie Duello focuses on the teaching and weapons of a 300 year span of history between 1400 and 1700 and fits within a tradition that begins with the Longsword and Wrestling of Fiore dei Liberi in the 1400s and concludes with the Italian Rapier and its masters such as Salvator Fabris and Ridolfo Capo Ferro in the 1600s.

Though our system spans a large historical period it is integrated so each discipline serves to teach core principles that relate to the system as a whole. The point oriented rapier emphasizes the principles of geometry, timing, and distance; the longsword emphasizes flow, 360-degree movement, and the blend of wrestling and swordwork; the sword and shield fuse together the cut and thrust and hone the deceptive and fluid aspects of the art; unarmed and dagger skills focus on core body mechanics, contact perception, and the skills required to survive a close engagement.

In our Mastery Program students begin with the rapier and unarmed skills; these disciplines emphasize the extremes of distance from the farthest to the closest. Through subsequent levels the proximity of combat decreases as these two extremes come to meet one another. As you work through each discipline you become a more complete and well-rounded martial artist.

In our Warrior Fitness Program students begin with the fundamentals of the longsword, sword and shield, and spear and then practice these disciplines in a pressure-testing environment that supports physical and technical development through concerted repetition and conditioning.

Beyond our core system Academie Duello also hosts Stage Combat, Bartitsu (a Victorian- era mixed martial art), Archery, and Mounted Combat programs.