Until this weekend we had an unbroken streak of good weather for Mounted Combat. In the two years we've been running the Mounted Combat workshops we've had stunningly good weather, with maybe a sprinkle of rain at the beginning or end of the day. However, when our weather luck failed, it failed spectacularly, and chose…
No lecture today … just press. Enjoy the break while We catch our breath. Gummi Sword! WESER KURIER (Bremen, Germany) 30 September 13 Mit dem Gummischwert aufs Pferd (Karsten Hollmann) Arne Koets and the staff of the Prince’s Riding School of Bückeburg are instructing a small number of student in the chivalric art of historical sword…
The Western Martial Arts Workshop (WMAW) for 2013 is over. Another satisfying year of this great event put on by the Chicago Swordplay Guild at the Dekoven Center in Racine Wisconsin. For those who are unfamiliar with the WMAW, this event started in 2001 and is one of the oldest workshops of Western Martial Arts…
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Injuries happen on all sorts of entertainment projects. Don't be lulled into complacency because a big budget does not mean "safe". Watch this video on YouTube Here I'm quoting directly from the Wikipedia article pulled on 25 September, 2013: Five people have been injured while working on Spider-Man. After two stunt doubles were injured during…
As I was flying out to the Western Martial Arts Workshop (WMAW) in Racine, Wisconsin this past weekend, many articles began whirling around the Internet about the demise of beloved sword fighting game initiative - Clang! I have been following this project closely as Neal Stephenson is a good friend of mine and a colleague…
Read More... from Clang! Neal Stephenson's Kickstarter is still alive and swinging!
With just a few days left till Carosella 2013, here are the logistics, and some practical tips to help you make the most of your weekend. Getting There All the activities happen at Red Colt Equestrian Farm Co-op, at 12320 No 2 Road, Richmond, south of Steveston Hwy, at the junction of Andrews. Bus: take…
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We’ve always found it fascinating to discover how our peers come to sword play, and to what specific discipline within it. We all know of someone of Spanish or Scottish background who is a dedicated student within the oriental martial arts and techniques of kendo, gumdo or jian shu. Within the Academie Duello, we have…
This month, we are excited to introduce a new Beginner's Course: Fight Like Sherlock Holmes! This 4-class introductory course was created to better integrate students into our ongoing Bartitsu program and improve the learning process. Classes will take place on Saturdays from 2:00pm to 4:00pm. Each week, two hours to Fight Like Sherlock Holmes! Fight Like Sherlock Holmes…
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Sunday September 29th is the Tournament portion of Carosella. There will be competitions for every level of participant, and plenty to watch for the general public. Here's the low-down. Grooms' Competition Open to: Anyone with their own or a leased horse Cavaliere Program members with a minimum of Horsemanship 1 Format: Teams of two will compete…
Modern scarification, like tattoos, can be seen as examples of various sub-cultures within the ‘mundane world’ using a unique version of badges representing tribal/group identification or indications of shared experiences. And while most of the world are familiar with the use of scars as identifiers within African and Asian tribal systems, and some are familiar…
Greetings everyone, This week I am in Chicago preparing for the Western Martial Arts Workshop in Racine, Wisconsin. This is a superb Western Martial Arts event put on by the Chicago Swordplay Guild and is one of the oldest running events of its kind in the world. This week in our classes…
There was a recent study Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on how people evaluate musical performances in contests shows that hearing the audio matters less than viewing the musician perform, even compared with a no-audio video. Check out the summary at Scientific American's 60-Second Science Blog Condition 1: audio only (compare the music…
On Saturday August 24th, Academie Duello was a part of the Scion City Chase. This event is an urban adventure where teams of two race each other through a series of "Chasepoints" throughout the city of Vancouver. At these points they undergo challenges that will either help or hinder them on their way to the…
With just over two weeks till Carosella 2013, I'm taking a break from our stroll through the Riding 2 Curriculum to feature some of the cool stuff you won't want to miss on the 27th - 29th of this month. Friday 27 September This day exists in the schedule to help you get the most…
We’ve written before on technologys' effect on our discipline, and We’ve another snippet that has real potential for adding to the production of period hilts and blades … or at least practice-only resin ones. We’re fully for any modern advance that can be worn under helmet, gorget or body armour that allows us to be…
Bartitsu may be approached for historical authenticity, or as a practical method for self defense that happens to have interesting historical roots. Sometimes, the practical modern gentleman's defensive tactics are only different from the historical as a matter of preference, of efficiency, or focusing on different expectations. Here, we'll be talking about self-defense, not sport-fighting.…
Greetings everyone to the first fine week of September. This past weekend many Academie Duello members as well as friends from abroad including Paul Wagner of the Stoccata School of Defence in Australia and Samantha Swords from New Zealand joined in the annual Cascadia North Accolade Tournament. This year the event took place on the…
I have finally managed to come down a bit more to earth since my return home from the Cascadia North Accolade Tournament this past weekend. Of course in classic Devon style, on the day of my return I went to the school, completely unloaded our trailers and trucks, headed home to do the same, then…
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