The level of organization and integration of key concepts to facilitate comprehension and retention was through the roof. We have attended many workshops where you learn a bunch of cool stuff, but it's just impossible to retain much of it. This program was clearly researched, organized, and presented to limit that problem.— Jenny Snyder (For Learning and Retention · Head Instructor, Michigan Historical Art of Arms Fellowship)
Become a Certified Instructor in Duello Armizare
A 5-day, 50-hour immersion in Italian rapier, longsword, tactical theory, learning methodology, and instructor formation.
50 Hours Training
Certified Instructor Status
6-Month Mentorship
International Recognition
Join a Global Movement
Historical European Martial Arts is growing around the world. New schools, study groups, and training communities need instructors who can teach with structure, safety, depth, and care.
For more than 20 years, Academie Duello has developed one of the world’s most mature systems for teaching European swordplay. Our Duello Armizare system brings together historical Italian martial arts, practical training methods, and a professional curriculum refined through thousands of students.
The Level 1 Instructor Intensive gives you the foundation to enter that system: technical training, tactical understanding, learning methodology, and a supported path toward certification.
A Full Week of Swordplay Immersion
The intensive format is different from a normal workshop. Over five focused days, you build momentum: learning, drilling, receiving correction, applying the material, and then returning to it with deeper understanding.
Each day combines technical instruction, partnered training, tactical application, and methodology. The result is a week designed not only to expose you to material, but to help you retain it, understand it, and continue developing after you leave.
Deep Technical Coaching
Develop posture, mechanics, movement, blade control, attack, defence, recovery, and tactical decision-making with detailed correction from experienced instructors.
A Unified Rapier + Longsword Framework
Rapier and longsword are taught as distinct disciplines, but through shared principles: measure, cover, line, tempo, body mechanics, control, and tactical clarity.
Learning That Sticks
The methodology block teaches you how to build effective practice, retain more of what you learn, diagnose errors, and move from technical drills into applied fencing.
Who This Is For
Aspiring Instructors
You want to teach Historical European Martial Arts with structure, safety, and depth.
Study Group Leaders
You want to lead a local practice group with curriculum, mentorship, and assessment support.
Serious Practitioners
You want to make a major leap in your own fencing, even if you never plan to teach.
Martial Artists from Other Systems
You want a structured entry into European swordsmanship grounded in historical sources and modern training practice.
Out-of-Town Practitioners
You want high-quality training in a condensed format that makes travel worthwhile.
Foundation
Level 1 Instructor Intensive
Your foundation in rapier, longsword, methodology, and instructor formation.
The Level 1 Swordplay Instructor Intensive is a one-week, 50-hour immersive program for practitioners of all levels. Throughout the week you will learn the foundation of our approach to Italian rapier and longsword with a high level of technical detail.
Each day develops you both as a practitioner and as a future instructor through lessons in mechanics, theory, tactical application, pedagogy, and learning methodology.
The program is accessible to experienced HEMA practitioners seeking to refine their approach, martial artists from other systems, and newer practitioners who want to learn these arts in a safe, effective, and systematic way.
Successful completion of the program qualifies you to examine for Level 1 Instructor Certification.
What You’ll Learn
Three integrated tracks across 50 hours.
20 hours
Rapier
Build the foundation of Italian rapier practice: posture, movement, blade control, attack, defence, counter-offence, offhand use, and tactical decision-making.
You will learn how to find and maintain control in the crossing, how to recover when control is lost, and how to apply the Four Pillars of strategy in rapier fencing.
Body & mechanics
- Creating powerful posture
- Standing and moving in ways that are mechanically sound and tactically effective
- Creating power and strong ground connection
- Joint and structure alignment for long-term health
Blade & control
- Blade control in the crossing
- Feeling and responding to blade position
- Constraining the opponent’s weapon
- Creating false opportunities and taking advantage of them
- Proper defence and recovery of control after errors
Tactics & sources
- The Four Pillars: measure, cover, line, and tempo
- The True Fight as a strategy of control and tactical constraint
- Use of the offhand to defend, control, and disarm
- Connections to historical Italian sources, including Ridolfo Capo Ferro, Achille Marozzo, and Nicoletto Giganti
20 hours
Longsword
Develop the foundation of Italian longsword practice: cutting and thrusting mechanics, posture, movement, blade control, wide play, close play, grappling entries, disarms, and throws.
You will learn how to control the crossing, make sound tactical decisions, and connect technical actions to a broader martial framework.
Body & mechanics
- Creating powerful posture and movement
- Cutting and thrusting mechanics
- Strong ground connection and structure
Blade & control
- Blade control in the crossing
- Feeling and responding to pressure
- Attack, defence, and counter-offence from core guards
Close play & sources
- Managing measure, cover, line, and tempo
- Applying the True Fight in longsword
- Longsword grappling entries
- Disarms, throws, and close-play actions
- Unarmed grappling foundations in grips, locks, and strikes
- Connections to historical sources, including Fiore dei Liberi and Johannes Liechtenauer
10 hours
Learning Methodology
The methodology portion teaches you how to learn, retain, practice, coach, and teach physical skills more effectively.
This is not only for instructors. These tools help any serious practitioner build better practice habits, use training partners more effectively, diagnose technical problems, and move skills from drills into applied fencing.
Learning & retention
- Methods for quickly learning new physical skills
- How to build effective training plans
- Bringing skills from the classroom into applied settings
- Strategies for maximizing retention
- How to ensure students remember and apply what they learn
Coaching & repair
- Quickly repairing technical problems
- Integrating skills into context
- Maximizing the effectiveness of training partners
- Building drills from simple to complex
- Training at your edge without overload
Combat integration
- Moving from slow practice to fast and precise application
- Building rapid tactical decision-making
- Using combative games, directed sparring, and dynamic drills
- Using slow sparring, scaling-speed sparring, and full-speed sparring
- Understanding how tournaments, cutting, games, real tools, and simulators contribute to the complete martial picture
What Makes Duello Armizare Different
Duello Armizare is not a collection of isolated techniques. It is a structured martial system that connects body mechanics, tactical theory, historical sources, and modern learning science.
The Four Pillars
You will learn to understand fencing through four tactical pillars:
- Measure: the accurate assessment and control of distance.
- Cover: keeping yourself safe and in control through blade crossing and lateral space.
- Line: controlling the effective paths for striking.
- Tempo: creating moments to strike and control when your opponent is least able to respond.
The True Fight
The True Fight is a strategy based on control, constraint, and effective response. It gives students a framework for understanding what is happening in a martial encounter and diagnosing why an action succeeds or fails.
Mechanical Intelligence
You will learn body mechanics that support health, power, endurance, and tactical effectiveness. The goal is not only to perform techniques, but to understand why they work.
Historical + Modern
Our system is grounded in historical Italian martial sources and taught through modern coaching, retention, and skill-development methods. The art is historical, but the training process is alive, practical, and refined.
A Sample Day Inside the Intensive
Each 10-hour day is divided into focused training blocks, with breaks for recovery, note-taking, and integration.
Rapier Technical Block
Mechanics, blade control, tactical application, drilling, and correction.
Longsword Technical Block
Movement, cutting, thrusting, crossing, grappling, and tactical integration.
Learning Methodology Block
Learning models, retention strategies, drill design, coaching tools, and combat integration.
Partnered Practice and Feedback
Hands-on correction, partner work, tactical exercises, and guided application.
Integration and Review
Connecting the day’s material back to the larger system and preparing for continued study.
Note: The exact daily order may vary by location and cohort, but every intensive is built around this integrated structure.
What the Week Builds Toward
The exact pacing adapts to the cohort, but the week generally moves through the following arc.
Day 1
Structure, Posture, Movement, and Tactical Foundations
Build the mechanical base of the art: stance, movement, grounding, posture, weapon alignment, and the tactical purpose behind structure.
You will begin connecting physical mechanics to the larger questions of control, safety, and effectiveness.
Day 2
Blade Control, Crossing, Attack, Defence, and Recovery
Learn how to find, maintain, lose, and recover control. This day connects technical mechanics to the realities of pressure, response, and decision-making.
You will explore attack, defence, counter-offence, and how to make better choices from the crossing.
Day 3
The Four Pillars and the True Fight
Deepen your understanding of measure, cover, line, and tempo. Use the True Fight as a diagnostic tool for understanding tactical success and failure.
This is where many students begin to see the “connective tissue” between individual techniques and the larger martial system.
Day 4
Close Play, Grappling, Offhand, and Disarms
Explore the body-to-body side of the art: rapier offhand use, longsword grappling entries, disarms, throws, and unarmed foundations.
This day helps connect the sword to the complete martial body.
Day 5
Integration, Coaching, Assessment Preparation, and Next Steps
Pull the week together through application, review, coaching frameworks, study planning, and the certification pathway.
You will leave with a clearer sense of what to practice, how to practice it, and how to continue toward certification.
Not Planning to Teach? This May Still Be the Best Week You Can Do.
Although the intensive can qualify you for Level 1 Instructor Certification, it is equally valuable for anyone who wants to become a stronger practitioner.
The instructor lens helps you understand the art more deeply. You learn what matters, why it matters, how to diagnose errors, how to build better drills, and how to retain what you learn.
Many practitioners hit a plateau: they train regularly, but improvement slows. This week is designed to break that pattern by combining detailed technical coaching with the tools to improve the quality of your practice.
If You Want to Teach
You will gain curriculum, coaching tools, assessment structure, and a pathway to Level 1 Instructor Certification.
If You Want to Improve
You will receive deep technical correction, tactical clarity, and training tools that can change how you practice for years.
The Week Is the Start, Not the End
Workshops can be inspiring, but without follow-through much of the learning can fade. The Level 1 Intensive includes a supported post-course pathway to help you retain, apply, and deepen what you learned.
After the intensive, you will have access to a 6-month follow-up program designed to support your continued development.
What the Follow-Up Includes
- Monthly online meetings
- Video assessments available during the follow-up period
- Post-course exams
- Study guidance for continued practice
- Support for developing a local study group
- A pathway toward Apprentice rank and Level 1 Instructor status
Certification Pathway
Successful completion of the program and post-course requirements can qualify you for:
- 1
Apprentice / Green Cord Rank
Recognition of foundational technical proficiency in the Academie Duello system.
- 2
Level 1 Instructor Status
Qualification as an Assistant Instructor and Student Guide, including the ability to support students and facilitate a local study group through Academie Duello’s training resources.
- 3
Study Group Leadership
Certified Level 1 instructors may lead supported study groups and continue their development through Academie Duello’s distance or Vancouver-based training pathway.
What’s Included
Choose one weapon or train both. Training both is recommended for the fullest understanding of the system because the principles of rapier and longsword reinforce one another.
One Weapon Track
$995 CAD
Vancouver
- Instruction in your choice of rapier or longsword
- Learning methodology and pedagogy
- Small-cohort coaching
- Post-course follow-up support
- Certification pathway
Recommended
Both Weapons Track
$1,195 CAD
Vancouver — the full intensive experience
- 20 hours of rapier
- 20 hours of longsword
- 10 hours of learning methodology
- Small-cohort coaching
- Post-course follow-up support
- Certification pathway
Cohort limited to 12 participants for high-quality coaching feedback.
Upcoming Instructor Intensives
Train at Academie Duello in Vancouver or join one of our partner-hosted programs.
Level 2
Level 2 Rapier & Longsword Instructor Intensive
Oct 5
8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Space is limited $1195
Register Now
Questions? Contact us at info@academieduello.com
What Graduates Say
Voices from past Level 1 cohorts.
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What the Experts Say
Devon Boorman is one of the best swordsmen I ever had the privilege to fence with. Equipped with an analytic mind and the ability to precisely articulate his insights, he is gifted with the talent to impart his knowledge in a calm and highly instructive manner to the benefit of both novices and advanced students.— Roland Warzecha (Author, 'Sword and Shield: Medieval Buckler Combat')
Devon and the Academie Duello are producing top caliber martial artists.— Maestro Puck Curtis (Sacramento Sword School)
Academie Duello's students show a high caliber of performance and excellence in fencing and martial arts which comes from Boorman's methodic, logical and trained approach to teaching.— Bill Grandy (Program Director of Historical Swordsmanship, Virginia Academy of Fencing)
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Although the intensive can qualify you for Level 1 Instructor Certification, many students attend because they want to deepen their own practice. The methodology material is useful for anyone who wants to learn more effectively, retain more, build better drills, and move skills into applied fencing.
The course is designed to scale to a range of experience levels. Experienced practitioners will receive detailed refinement and a systematic framework. Newer practitioners will receive a strong foundation and clear training pathway.
If you have no martial arts or swordplay experience at all, contact us before registering so we can help you determine whether this is the right starting point.
Yes. You may register for one weapon track. However, we recommend taking both if possible because the principles of each weapon reinforce and deepen understanding of the other.
The rapier and longsword are different tools, but they share core principles: posture, movement, control, measure, cover, line, tempo, and tactical decision-making. Training both gives you a broader and more connected understanding of the system.
The intensive is demanding, but students are encouraged to pace themselves. You do not need to participate in every drill at maximum intensity. The goal is to train hard, learn deeply, and manage your body intelligently through the week.
After the week, you continue into a 6-month follow-up period with monthly online meetings, available video assessments, study guidance, and post-course exams. This helps turn the intensive into lasting progress.
Level 1 Instructor status qualifies you as an Assistant Instructor and Student Guide within the Academie Duello system. It can also support you in facilitating an Academie Duello study group and continuing your development through distance or Vancouver-based training.
Yes. The intensive format is especially useful for out-of-town practitioners because it condenses a large amount of training into one week. Students have travelled from across Canada, the United States, and internationally to attend.
Billeting may be available depending on the cohort and local community capacity. Please contact us if accommodation cost is a barrier and we will let you know what options may be available.
Equipment requirements may vary by location and weapon track. After registration, we will provide a recommended equipment list. If you are unsure whether your current gear is appropriate, contact us before the course.
Yes. Academie Duello's online learning resources support continued study outside of Vancouver. Follow-up training, study group development, and assessment preparation may use online resources alongside mentorship and video assessment.
Level 2 and Beyond
After completing Level 1 and the necessary technical requirements, you may continue into Level 2 training and further instructor development.
Level 2 deepens your technical and teaching skill through advanced rapier, longsword, companion weapons, grappling, and refined instructional methodology.
Level 2 programs may include:
- Intermediate Rapier & Longsword
- Rapier & Dagger
- Sword & Buckler
- Abrazare / Longsword Grappling
- Advanced teaching and class management
- Coaching, correction, and curriculum development
Training Worldwide
Instructor Intensives run throughout the year in locations across North America and Asia, including Vancouver, Chicago, Taipei, and the Philippines.
Duello Armizare
Duello Armizare is the international association for practitioners of the Academie Duello martial system. Through Duello Armizare, students can find intensives worldwide, connect with certified instructors, and access advanced programs.
View All International ProgramsReady to Make a Major Leap in Your Swordplay?
Join a small cohort for five focused days of rapier, longsword, methodology, and instructor formation. Whether your goal is to teach, lead a study group, or become a stronger practitioner, the Level 1 Instructor Intensive gives you a clear foundation and a supported path forward.