This week in Bartitsu: Jujitsu review: kick defence into throw, takedowns aided by kicks, sweeps Boxing lesson: chancery and escapes Integration: chancery and other headlocks, chancery takedowns The Introduction to Bartitsu is also happening, which means my ongoing students will warm up by themselves, then we'll merge at 3:15 See you tomorrow at 3pm…
Year: 2012
Archery and Umbrellas
“Four things come not back: the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life and the neglected opportunity.” -Proverb Beginner Archery (FULL!) Sunday, March 4, 2012 9am-3pm Beginner Archery will cover the basics of archery using a recurve bow; including correct stance, the Y grip, proper breathing and the three finger draw and release technique. Also…
Thursday Drilling Recap: Rapier Collection Drills
Every Thursday I get together with a few of my senior students and we work on drills, sparring exercises, and body mechanics. Generally I have us stick to fairly fundamental exercises. I personally just love working on fundamentals and have found that this is always where the greatest opportunity for improvement lies, no matter…
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Boxing a Kangaroo (bad idea)
We all have fond memories of this: And recently on Bartitsu.org, Tony Wolf reprinted an article from 1893 entitled "The Kangaroo as Prize Fighter" which discusses the change from the Kangaroo's natural defenses into a human-like stance. It looks like this (not pretty): I think the appaling part of the 1893 article is the closing:…
Stretching for Swordplay
Yesterday while teaching a private session one of my students brought in an old book of stretches and stretching routines and asked which ones were best for swordplay. The book she brought is an excellent resource and I snapped a couple pics of one routine to pass along on the blog (the book itself is unfortunately…
Many Hands Make Light Work
Open Barn & Work Party this Weekend Light work at a farm? Is that an oxymoron, you ask? Not necessarily. We have a new shelter to put up. While it is not a job requiring lots of muscle it does take a minimum of eight people to 'walk' it into place, so we could sure…
Sword Press in Modern Times
This week’s offering is eclectic in origin and subject, sometimes one just gets lucky. The major lesson that the Major would like you to take away today is that the cost of some of our kit can be substantial – take care of it – and each others’. Making Swords in Modern Times …
Your two jobs
Regardless of what kind of combat you're in, you always have two jobs defend yourself position yourself to strike and strike Job 1 is easy. Wild swings can easily knock aside opponent's attacks but they leave you poorly able to deliver a strike of your own (or defend yourself from your opponent's second strike). That…
Gentry, Children and The Sort of People Who Like to Sweat at 7am...
Academie Duello is calling! "All I want is a gentleman. I'm sick to bloddy death of bastards!" -Katie Price Intro to Bartitsu Workshop Saturday, February 25, 2012 1pm-5pm Learn the mixed martial art of the Victorian English Gentleman. In this four-hour workshop, you'll acquire the essential Bartitsu skills of Boxing, Jujitsu, Savate and Cane fighting:…
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Bartitsu 18-February
This week in Bartitsu: Savate Review: Round kick or coup de pied horizontale Jujitsu Lesson: Kick defence into throw Integration: Using the round kick to improve throws Remember the slightly modified new format: 15 mins warm-up, 30 minutes for each of the three sections above, then 15 minutes at the end for sparring or conditioning.…
Longsword Fight Night is Tonight!
Come one come all to Longsword Open Floor! Bring your gambesons, helmets, armour, gauntlets or padded gloves, and longswords. We will be doing free sparring and slow work. There will also be lots of floor for exercises. If you don't have all your gear together, that's alright come out and do some drills or slow…
Cross-Training for Stage Combat
The actor-combatant (a professional actor who can also perform fight scenes) who actually gets work must be versatile enough to work with the needs of each production, so is cross-training in several martial arts a good thing? Two Kinds of People I hate to be one of those people who divides the world into two…
Announcing Duello.TV
On March 1st we will be launching a new Academie Duello website: Duello.TV. This is the evolution of the Academie Duello learning channelon youtube, that we have been experimenting with over the past 6 months. This will be a subscription based online fencing academy that will give users access to a library of organized lessons…
Horsebows and Handoffs
Cupid's arrow miss its mark? Maybe you were just moving too fast! For those with a need for speed there are two events coming up this spring that are likely to set your heart a-flutter. Mounted Games Clinic Date: March 30th to April 1st Closing date: February 24th Place: Maple Ridge Equi-Sport Centre, 21973 132nd…
Sword Press from the Atlantic
WMA on the Atlantic Coast dominates this cull – along with Wes’s wistful musing for the week. Recreating a ‘fun’ death? THE RECORD (Woodland Park, New Jersey) 09 February 12 Swordsmanship on display in Leonia (Melinda Aranda and Carol Karels) WEMA authority, author and stage fight instructor Jack Kirby was recently interviewed about how he…
Doing things wrong
A sometimes-heard phrase around the Academie is "doing things wrong will help you figure out when something's right." This is an often-understood but rarely appreciated concept. Truly understanding when things are most-definitely wrong will provide a deep understanding about when things are right. Think of all the things that you're doing right. Now…
Bartitsu 11-February
This week in Bartitsu: 1. Boxing review: hooks, traditional and modern replies, ring and street 2. Savate lesson: round kick 3. Integration: combinations and measure New format: sparring or conditioning Skipping Heavy bag Abs (all-fours) See you at 3pm!
Sticks and Bumbershoots!
"A halberd (also called halbert or Swiss voulge) is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 14th and 15th centuries. Possibly the word halberd comes from the German words Halm (staff), and Barte (axe) - in modern-day German, the weapon is called Hellebarde. The halberd consists of an axe blade topped…