I had the pleasure of attending an event last week called Stickmata put on by Immersion Labs in San Jose, California. The goal of this event (and similar past and upcoming events put on by Immersion Labs) is to bring together martial artists from diverse cultures and traditions. In this case everything was unified by…
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Looking for more than just a riding camp this Spring Break? Check out our Cavalier Camp for kids!
We were all newbies once. We were all the person who worried that our lack of skill was holding others back in their practice. And in some cases maybe we did. It is difficult to manage levels of challenge within a mixed level group. The needs of the experienced practitioner and those of the newcomer are quite…
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The idea of pursuing personal excellence is great, but functionally how do you do it? I've written about beating the boredom of repetitive drilling, and promoting an excellence mindset. Yet when you get the opportunity to really up the quality of what you're doing, where do you focus? Below is a piece of guidance material I…
Fans of horses and swords rejoice! We are running another Mounted Combat Intensive from April 8th through 12th, 2019. This 50-hour program offers you the chance to immerse yourself in a full week of mounted combat arts both in and out of the saddle. Throughout the week you will learn the foundation of our approach to…
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Three members of the Academie Duello crew and I visited the February 8-10 Capitol Clash in Washington, DC. This is a well run HEMA tournament event that runs alongside a huge modern fencing tournament all hosted by the Virginia Academy of Fencing (VAF). I had the pleasure of being part of the reffing staff, a…
I have long heard that ballet has its origins in historical fencing. It's a romantic idea and as someone who both teaches martial arts and dance (though not ballet) I certainly find tons of parallels in how they are both taught and practiced. The positions of modern ballet certainly bare some resemblance to classical and…
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Excellence is the evidence of diligent, attentive, and purposeful practice. Not all of us will achieve excellence, nor is it a requisite for enjoying or being fulfilled in martial arts. In fact I would say that much of what holds people back from excellence is that in many ways its pursuit can be grueling, repetitive,…
A new student at Academie Duello recently said to me "There's so much to learn, it's like being under a mountain!" It can feel that way. It truly is a mountain of knowledge, practice and craft one must climb to become a master of these arts! The Dunning-Kruger effect, which has gained such popularity of late,…
Recently I was asked in an online thread what I thought constituted a modern master of Historical European Martial Arts and whether I thought there was worth in the creation of modern masters or the use of the master title at all. In short to all: Yes. A Little Backstory on Fencing Mastery Before I…
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Happy New Year! There are big changes in the Mounted Combat program this year. Perhaps the most significant is that the program is moving from being a direct part of the Vancouver school, and to becoming a separate satellite school situated at Cornwall Ridge Farm. This won't have a huge affect on the classes themselves,…
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Happy Holidays and Happy New Year Everyone! Thank you all for being a part of Academie Duello over this past year. It's fun at the end of the year to take stock of what we've accomplished over the past twelve months as we look forward to some new and exciting developments in 2019. This has…
Sleep health and sleep hygiene are very trendy topics these days and for good reason. We all lead busy lives, there are limited times to catch up with friends or spend time with family, and there are tons of distractions that can occupy you into the wee hours if you let them. Getting less than…
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