If the movie ‘Wonder Woman’ has the legs to keep public interest (no pun intended) until October, ‘the’ Halloween must-have costume accessory of choice will probably be a sword sheathed, tied or taped over ones’ back. Given the amount of imagination out there, we’re apt to see many variations of the theme that night as…
Read More... from Fashionably Late Sword Press: News for June 2017
…They cry, waving before and after photos under your nose like they have solved one of life’s rudimentary problems, but “it works” is misleading when they are the ones defining what works. This blog is a short write up on the ketogenic diet based on a request from a client of mine named Mike who…
Riding Level 4: Jumping single-handed One of the skills we ask you to show in the Mounted Combat program that you won't find in most riding curricula is the ability to 12. Jump a small x-rail with single-hand reining This, of course, is a prequel to being able to jump with a weapon in hand.…
Meet Mr. Bumble. Mr. Bumble is scared of everything. Mr. Bumble is a foster rat currently in my care. He was found living outside. Before we took him in he was a day away from becoming snake food (seriously!) and at some point in his adventures he broke a number of toes, so he was likely…
The High Cost of Horsing Around We are fortunate at Academie Duello. We are one of the few HEMA schools in the world that own horses. Between our three horses and the horses that other owners at Red Colt Co-op make available to us, we are able to run classes, workshops, clinics, and our annual…
Now about two decades old, the modern study of HEMA is continuing to gain enthusiasts from non-traditional venues. We’re already familiar with our peers in Japan that have an interest in medieval western martial arts, mirroring the western interest in ‘kendo’ and any of the Chinese swordplay disciplines. The item on Romania’s interest in and…
So, this clean eating challenge popped up in my feed a few days ago because several people I know are taking it. We’re about to go down a rabbit hole, so I guess before we begin I should clarify: I don’t blame people for doing this stuff. I don’t blame people for hoping it will help them…
Read More... from Why "Clean" Eating Challenges Are Hot, Stinking Garbage
Horsemanship Level 4: Mounted Games It is possible to progress through our Riding and Horsemanship curricula without ever taking up mounted combat, and some people do this. However, we think you're missing out on a lot of the fun as well as on the riding skills that mounted games build. So even though we test…
Read More... from Get Your Game On: Incorporating Mounted Games
So, I generally don’t do reviews, so it means if I am doing one I either love the product or I really hate it to the point I need to put it in print so that I can stop being angry about it. Luckily (for you) this is the former. Over the weekend, I was…
Read More... from Review: We're Working Out! The Al Kavadlo App
The weather was perfect, the horses were mellow, and the students all left with smiles on their faces after our day of Horseback Archery with Robert Borsos of Borsos Torzs Horse Archery. The beginners started the day by learning Hungarian archery from foot, before we mounted them up on friendly school horses with handlers for some shooting…
Three times in the last week I have advised other coaches seeking help working on weight loss with clients to get them to do less, eat more, and be patient. The common belief for weight loss is to eat less, train more, but more often than not when talking to other nutrition coaches their clients flounder…
Read More... from Are You Doing Too Much and Eating Too Little?
So, let’s get this down on paper first. I hate the word functional. It’s not a problem with the word itself, it’s that like the words “natural”, “healthy” and “fitness” it has become virtually meaningless. Every time someone uses the word functional, ask them the question “functional for what?”. Most of the time they won’t…
Most sports require a novice to spend a lot of money to equip themselves with those pieces of kit necessary to start learning the basics of the game. (European football and ultimate Frisbee perhaps being the exceptions here). Ice hockey, lacrosse and American football require significant equipment commitment before the first timer can safely set…
Read More... from Spring Season Sword Press: News for April 2017
We're delighted to welcome back Robert Borsos of Borsos Torsz Horse Archery for another day of workshops on Sunday May 7th! The Beginner workshop is suitable for riders and archers of all levels from those who've never held a bow or sat upon a horse on up. The Intermediate workshop is for those who have…
Read More... from Shooting from the Saddle: Horseback Archery Returns May 7th
It's that time of year again! As the furry coats are shedding out, we shift our class times to take advantage of lingering daylight. This means Riding & Horsemanship classes move to Saturdays from 4pm onward, starting this Saturday, April 22nd. Mounted Combat mastery classes and Mounted Combat Fundamentals remain on Sundays starting at noon. …
We often do too much from a fear of doing nothing. We don’t give ourselves enough time to think about what we do because that’s when doubt can creep in. The problem with never really embracing this zero state is that often we do too much and never do anything well. If we constantly need to…
Read More... from Zero: How Starting From Nothing Builds Success
This recent inclusion to the HEMA body of common knowledge is very much a 'beer and peer' book. That is to say, you can open the book into most any chapter, and find a statement or assessment that should lead to intelligent debate among your knowledgeable sparring partners. In ‘Cut & Thrust’ Martin Dougherty describes…
Read More... from Book Review: “Cut & Thrust – European Swords and Swordsmanship” by Dougherty
I recently had a discussion on social media about this particular item: They are a kind of cutesy self defense device being marketed to women. Now, these are stupid, illegal, and unlikely to even offer an advantage in a self defense scenario. Not only that, but they are explicitly sold as a weapon, and therefore…