It's back — the fourth Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium! February 17th to 19th, 2017 will be a weekend of amazing learning right in the heart of beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia.
The theme this year is This vs That: An Exploration of Martial Asymmetry.
This is a do-not-miss event and I heartily recommend that you attend. Here is what is exciting me about the event:
Take Progressive Courses with World-class Instructors
Four pairs of intensive courses run through the weekend:
Bolognese Sword — Ilkka Hartekeinen
British Sword — Paul Wagner
Italian Rapier — Tom Leoni
Flemish Destreza Rapier — Matthew Howden
German Longsword — Christian Tobler
Italian Longsword — Devon Boorman
Italian Wrestling — Marco Quarta
German Wrestling — Jessica Finley
Nearly all of these instructors are published authors and all are amazing teachers and practitioners responsible for significant growth of their arts in modern HEMA.
More Than 9 Hours Per Course
You get 18 hours with two instructors of your choice. Build the foundation for a new art or deepen your understanding of one you already practice. Plus additional workshops that explore topics of strategy, body mechanics, training, and teaching. Plus lots of time for sparring and training with practitioners from throughout the world.
Over 32 hours of total training time is available throughout the event!
Match One Against the Other
On the last day of the weekend, the instructors and students of each track meet for a final 4-hour exploration of how one system meets the other. They will explore strategies, tactics, mechanics, and understanding both the compatibilities and the contrasts of two historical systems.
Workshops that Focus on Asymmetry
Beyond the intensive courses, there are individual workshops with the 8 listed instructors and many more. The workshops focus on the asymmetries that happen within a system. From strategic mismatches like aggressive vs defensive to physical mismatches like big vs small to tactical mismatches like long weapons vs short.
These types of workshops can truly expand your practice.
Tons of Other Cool Stuff
There's a Saturday night gala with live music, swordplay demonstrations, drinks, socializing, and more.
Opportunities to spar and socialize with instructors and students from around the world on two open sparring nights.
You can come early or stay later and enjoy time at Academie Duello, one of the world's largest HEMA schools (more than 40 hours of classes available per week).
Early bird pricing is available now at VancouverSwordplay.com
Really! Don't miss it!
Devon Boorman is the Co-Founder and Director of Academie Duello Centre for Swordplay, which has been active in Vancouver, Canada since 2004. Devon’s expertise centres on the Italian swordplay tradition including the arts of the Renaissance Italian rapier, sidesword, and longsword, as well as knife and unarmed techniques. Read more from Devon Boorman.