Are you left-handed in a world of right-handed sword fighters? Or perhaps like Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark on Game of Thrones, you are right-handed but cast to play a left-handed character. Should your stage combat training include ambidexterity? Why Are You Smiling? I just read this interview with Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) about…
The official web page for the Academie Duello Instructor Training Program is now live! This page includes more details about the program, the intensive that starts on October 26th, instructor levels, our methodology, and some sample lesson materials. You can check it out here. Remember that registration opens for a limited time and for a…
This was going to be the "fashion issue"… but then I found the item of the month. Most martial arts salles or groups have a written or implied code of conduct by which instructors and students agree to be a better person… physically, morally, and ethically. Some groups have a youth program, in which young people may…
Riding Level 3: Safety, Confidence, and Control of Pace This is the final checklist item on your Riding Level 3 test. In some ways 'safety, confidence and control' seem like nebulous criteria, and it is true that the final mark in the this category is based on an overall impression generated from your whole ride. …
I am “Eduardo-from-Spain”. Most of you know who I am, but I guess some others do not. Well, I lived for two amazing years in Vancouver. I thought it would be fun, but I could not believe that a place such as Academie Duello was possible. So I’m writing here about how lucky I was…
This weekend there’s a gathering of steampunk enthusiasts in Portland, Oregon called Gearcon. Steampunk, like cyberpunk, is a genre of speculative fiction, a fashion trend and a community of fans with shared interests. In literature, it’s usually an alternate history of the Victorian era in which mad scientists played a much larger role. The fashion is…
Day Five I have a confession to make. I was neither able to attend Class 5 nor was I able to take advantage of the evening classes to make up for it. What’s a sword-fighting student to do? Thankfully, my trusty blade-wielding comrades filled me in on the general content for the class, and, wonderfully,…
This piece could have also been called: "Punching women respectfully; a guide" or, "How to be a douchebag by not hitting girls." I’ll frame this a little first. I am writing this as a man, drawing on two perspectives that are largely and unfairly male-dominated. The first is martial arts. The second is security work.…
Read More... from How respect may be holding you (and your training partner) back
Canada Day is fast approaching and as our country celebrates its 148th birthday, it is important that we as Canadians recognize that this birthday is based on Canada’s post-colonial history. On July 1st 1867 Canada became its own self-governing dominion within great Britain (and originally only included the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario…
Read More... from Okichitaw: Canada's only (Ab)original Martial Art System
I have pledged to do better this week. I am inspired by my latest Cornwell book, as well as by the lovely bottle of mead I was presented with by one of my shield mates. He offered it in exchange for a promise that I would not overly bludgeon him during our training. Day Three…
Just like the sun, we are coming back with our beginner's courses! Enjoy your summer with three different ways to approach to Western Martial Arts. Bartitsu is a complex martial art with many interlocking skills and is still very useful for learning practical self-defence today. Its introductory course, Fight Like Sherlock Holmes, runs once a week for four weeks.…
The emotional appreciation of staged fights depends primarily on the perceived balance of power. It doesn’t take much for us as audience members to feel that the scales are tipped heavily in one direction -- one versus many, injured/ill versus healthy, female versus male --– and there is something within us that always wants to…
Read More... from Battle of the Sexes: Staged Violence between Men and Women
Riding Level 3: Jumping position and small courses For Level 3 Riding you will need to: 13. Trot poles to a small jump showing good position and mane or crest release. and 14. Jump a small cross-rail course (18” high) of 2 jumps and 1 or 2 sets of poles. When we are looking at…
The following is the first in a four-part series from a student contributor. If you enjoy this and wish to read more from Angella, you can start with her four-part series on her experience taking another one of our introductory courses, Taste of the Renaissance. Day One It feels great to be back at Academie Duello…
It is very common for untrained people to punch with their palms down. I don’t know if it’s something that naturally feels right, or if it’s subconsciously learned from watching movies, boxing matches or other people. It is often taught as the correct way to punch in many Eastern martial arts. Is there anything wrong…
“…In fact he marshalled such an host of many different nations that it was a world's wonder.” [1] Medieval Combat World Championships. Swordfish. Longpoint. Battle of the Nations. … and many, many others. We have an embarrassment of riches in HEMA in that we have a number of national and international competitions during which we…
Read More... from Hierarchical Sword Press: News for June 2015
Once more we are offering a variety of special clinics related to the Mounted Combat Program at Red Colt throughout the summer. Clinics start up this Friday June 12th and continue through August with a variety of instructors and topics, from 6:00pm - 7:30pm each week. Some classes may run a half hour longer if…
Our Action Acting course starts on Monday, 15 June, so you’ve got just over a week a few days left to register. It will run Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm for two weeks. On the last day, there’s a written test and a performance test. There are three weapon systems and you’ll perform…