Every now and then I like to return to my books. As a part of the Mastery program there is required reading for each cord rank, so, we all read it at least once. It can be rather confusing at first, and, after that first reading I thought I was done with it. Then,…
Four Hours of Knight Camp for Grown-ups!
"I'm your knight in shining armour. I'm here to save you from Linkin Park." - Rufus Wainwright Intro to the Knightly Arts Saturday, March 24, 2012 3pm-7pm Over the course of four hours you will learn the fundamentals of Armizare; a martial system first taught by Italian Knight Fiore dei Liberi in the 14th century. You will…
Theatrical Combat without Theatre
It's nice to read inspirational happy stories that encourage you to train harder and feel great. It's also nice to get clear information and details to help your chosen studies. Normally, I try to give you both. Today, I have to draw your attention to bad news. Vancouver Playhouse Closed I saw one of their…
Some Longsword Love - Drills for Longsword Flow
The rapier gets a lot of love around Duello being that it's the foundational weapon of our Mastery Program, but those of you who have advanced to the Red Cord or who are part of the Warrior Program or our Longsword Focus program, or are following along at home through our videos, deserve some attention…
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A Horse in Hand is Worth Two in the Field: catching & haltering
The second item on the Horsemanship Level 1 checklist is: 2. Enter, approach and safely halter horse in stall or paddock There are a myriad of videos out there, but really, you can't do it much better than this little girl: (Just watch to about 1:35 -- it gets a bit chaotic when her sister…
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Somewhat Related to Sword Press
Sometimes when things are quiet in the WMA world, trying to find sword-related press is akin to banging your head against a stone wall … a very tall, thick stone … hey, wait a minute! … Taking a Castle – the Hard Way THE PROVINCE (Vancouver, BC) 08 March 12 Fresh take on medieval castles…
SLOs: Sword Like Objects
No matter how much fun you're having, foam swords are not swords. Wasters, Foils, and S(word)L(ike)O(objects)s Sword simulators, specifically for longsword and arming/side sword, fall into three categories: wood, synthetic, and steel. There are, of course, some gray areas that don't fall directly into these categories, such as bamboo trainers built around some manner of…
Arte, Ardore, Onore documentary wins Women in Film Award
The 10 minute documentary by Tatiana Balashova about Academie Duello has won the Distribution Award from the Women in Film festival happening this weekend in Vancouver. In fact the film will be premiering today at 3:30pm! You can read more about it at the festival here. Congratulations to Tatiana for her accolade!
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Bartitsu 10-March-2012
This week in Bartitsu Walking stick review: Reverse grip Boxing lesson: Guarding Integration: Being ambushed Please note that future installments of this weekly notice will appear in Duello's weekly newsletter. I recommend all students subscribe to it to keep track of everything happening at Academie Duello. Look for the "Email List Sign Up" on the right side…
Horse Sense and Full-Speed Heavy Combat Training
"There is something about the outside of a horse that's good for the inside of a man." - Winston Churchill Riding & Horsemanship this weekend still has room left! In this series of workshops participants will cover the Horsemanship material needed to progress through the ranks of the Cavaliere Program. Beginners will learn the simple…
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The triumvirate of Rapier, Sidesword, and Longsword - This month in Mastery at Academie Duello
As you may or may not know our curriculum at Academie Duello in the Mastery Program runs on a scheduled calendar based on what level you are at. Each month there is a different focus in class, perhaps a different weapon or a change in strategic or technical theme. This is one of the rare…
Savate and Purring and Wing Chun
The similarities are striking. Or the kicking. Good writing does not happen through bad puns. Targeting the Shin and Knee The common advice among all practical forms of self-defence regarding kicks is: "Never use high kicks." I hope you've heard that before, so I won't spend too much time explaining the reasoning. The higher the…
Forteza Fitness in Chicago is doing some cool stuff!
My friends Greg Mele and Keith Jennings as well as associated others, including Tony Wolf, have setup a new salle of swordsmanship, Bartitsu and much more in Chicago. The centre is called Forteza Fitness and it is the new home of the Chicago Swordplay Guild and the Bartitsu Club of Chicago. They recently got some…
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