Last week we looked at the relative merits English and Western saddles. This week we're looking at the much thornier issue of reining style. It's one of the hardest adjustments to make when switching from one type of riding to the other, and proponents of each will often argue fiercely against the other. In dressage,…
New Initiatives and Continuing Legacies - Sword Press from Around the World
This week, we concentrate on swords (and sword masters) in modern times – and from area that we do not uaually consider to be WMA or sword centres of activity! A New Initiative Under Down-Under SOUTHLAND TIMES (Invercargill, New Zealand) 13 January 12 Knight likes his swords (Alex Fensome) Members of Medius Auvum Comitatus, a…
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Connect the dots
Today's topic: where to make adjustments. This is one of my big secrets; you're in for a treat. One of the novice fencer's greatest challenges is getting used to the posture. Toes and knees tend to point every which way other than the way they're supposed to face. I chalk this up to the…
Archery - Open Range Begins This Sunday!
"A long bow and a strong bow, And let the sky grow dark. The nock to the cord, the shaft to the ear, And a foreign king for a mark!" -- Robert E. Howard Archers grab your kits, bows and arrows and get ready as Academie's Duello Open Range begins this weekend on Sunday January…
Fantasy and Practical Stage Armour
Armour serves two purposes, as does most clothing: protection and fashion. On stage and in film, if you can see the armour, it's for fashion, and if you can't, then it's for protection. The Illusion of Practicality From the blindingly reflective plate on Zeus to the leather scraps on orcs, armour should match the character…
Mastering an activity - Putting in your 10,000 hours
Malcolm Gladwell in his book Blink states that it takes approximately 10,000 hours at an activity to master it. So if you commit one hour a day to practicing an activity, it's going to take you 10,000 days to find mastery, or about 27 years. Woah, that's a lot of years. Fortunately we can probably…
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English or Western?
I'm often asked why we use English saddles in our Cavaliere program. After all, doesn't the western saddle, with it's high pommel and cantle, better mimic the shape of the medieval jousting saddle? Isn't it easier for beginners to stay secure in the embrace of all that extra leather? The short answer to both these…
Do your homework!
You've all heard it (well, those of you attending class).Homework abounds at Academie Duello. Every rank in the Mastery program was assigned homework for the month of January. The homework we've assigned has two specific qualities simple: it can be explained easily in a sentence or two quick: it doesn't take long to do; about…
Bartitsu 7-Jan
Happy New Year, Bartitsuka, This week, we'll be looking at: 1. Review of cane from before the holidays: Lang's techniques 2. Savate lesson: combinations and slow work 3. Integration: Staying at long range, creating distance See you at 3pm!
New Year, New Everything
So here's a hodgepodge of news and links to things that are new for this ultimate year 2012. New Certification Dates First up, and most important, we will be running a Fight Directors Canada certification test at Academie Duello at the end of March. To qualify for Basic Actor-Combatant Certification, you must complete 60…
Book Notes: The Small-Sword in England (Aylward)
"Well Devon's not around and look at the empty space I've found, this one's mine!!" (Apologies to Chris de Burgh, Spanish Train) Given Devon’s absence on other commitments, I thought I’d sneak into his usual space for some non-press related, sword-resource time. With all due respect to some truly excellent writers and researchers out there…
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Cavaliere 2012
What's up in the next few months in the Mounted Combat Program? Riding & Horsemanship Our next series of Riding & Horsemanship classes begin Sunday January 15th. These classes are for all levels and cover the information needed to progress through our Horsemanship levels, followed by a minimum 30 minute Riding session to help you…
SwordFit Bootcamp starting January 9th!
Want to work off all that Christmas Turkey? Academie Duello is starting up another round of our awesome SwordFit Bootcamp starting January 9th to help you do just that. If you want a fitness experience that will entertain you and challenge you, SwordFit Bootcamp is the right camp for you. SwordFit Students: Lose…