Being a long-term instructor of anything means that you see a lot of students come and go and in many cases come again. It's these returners who often have the biggest challenge in being in the learning environment. These are the students who come back with a great passion and then become quickly despondent and…
Riding Level 2: The Vaulting Dismount There are many ways to get off a horse, but only a few that are deliberate and don't involve pain or embarrassment. When you first learn to ride that ground seems awfully far away, and it takes a while to learn to dismount with confidence and grace. That's why…
From time to time; our community manages to get ‘good press’ by journalists that drop by a salle and participate in a HEMA/WMA program; or they are able to interview an enthusiastic public after a hard fought and dramatic, historical swordplay demonstration. That said, one of the frustrating elements about being interested and active in…
PlayFighting is not play-fighting. Yes, we play fighting: pretend combat. But play fighting is not play-fighting: combat amusement. Well, it is for entertainment, but not for the performers; for the audience. Although staging combat is fun... stage combat is an essential skill for any actor, stage or screen. Because every play is fighting. Drama is…
During the holiday break Academie Duello will be opening our doors Monday nights to allow our students to keep their swordplay skills sharp. We shall be offering two workshops that are free for all current Duello students. BODY MECHANICS Learn how to apply both power and efficiency to every strike, step, cut, and…
1.) The Samurai Servant of God One morning in 2006 when Bishop Kent Hendrix’s teenage son came barging into his bedroom screaming that a woman was being attacked out on the street, the Mormon man did not get on his knees and pray to god for help, but instead took matters into his own…
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I remember a few years ago on a commute into Academie Duello I met a gentleman on the subway who was a researcher and player of Renaissance era music. Our conversation delved into the similarities of our two pursuits from the challenges of making modern interpretations from old written notations, to the changes the instruments…
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I've always been a very hard person to buy for when December comes around- which is the month for Yuletide gift giving as well as when my birthday falls. As a crafty person who makes a of my own jewelry, accessories and DIYs a lot of day to day household items, I have often been…
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Riding Level 2 - Identifying the Canter Lead Although we don't ask you to ride the canter on a particular lead at Level 2, we do want you to be visually able to identify the lead on which a horse is cantering . 12. Identify canter leads while watching another horse. What is a canter…
As Bartitsu is a martial art that aims to borrow from every effective method, especially with the goal of peacefully resolving a violent situation by disrupting an attacker's balance, grappling arts of every type are great to learn from. We will be exploring many of the moves from these videos in Bartitsu classes focused on…
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Rapier-thin HEMA/WMA pickings from the press on this pass, it’s much akin to getting a Christmas stocking, but no presents under the tree! Thankfully, there are other things happening around the world to prove that the interest in swords, medieval or modern, is not on the wane. If It’s not Scottish, It’s Crap! CHRONICLE…
At the end of every evening class that I teach, I offer 10 minute private coaching sessions. These spots allow me an opportunity to work with people one on one and help them with struggles from class, tweaks to their form, and guidance for their overall development. Recently I had an interesting experience with one…
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Riding Level 2: The Canter Level 1 Riding is all done at the walk and trot. However, the most useful gait for advanced Mounted Combat is the canter. A horse in a balanced canter is smooth to ride, and can move swiftly in and out of melee, turning with precision to help his rider deliver…