There is a fallacy that is often presented in martial arts (and physical culture as a whole) that for people on the outside looking in there is no point to practicing. Why learn to fight with a sword, choke a person out, or lift a heavy weight if those things do not translate to a…
Read More... from Why you should wrestle, and everyone throughout history thought so as well!
I can’t believe it's the last week of our Taste of the Renaissance series. The four weeks have gone by like the lightning slash of a sidesword. I have to determine which class to sign up for next. The noon time slots work best, but the biggest question is what to try next…? Today in…
In the article linked below, Paul Dennhardt, a theatre professor at the College of Fine Arts of Illinois State University, explains important aspects of stage combat that should be understood by everyone in theatre by now. Sadly, most productions still don’t know where to begin with a sword fight, or what the process involves, but…
Within Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA), our serious scholars often suspect that our community suffers to an unknown degree from ‘lost treasures’. Precious books, scrolls, weapons and armour are frequently believed to have fallen to the decaying effects of time. Poor storage, war, long winters (think fireplace fuel), flood, fire, and hoarding in private collections are just some examples of the natural…
Class 5 begins and we are back to the rapier. My body is sore from yesterday’s Sun Run and I cannot focus. I am embarrassed by my inability to grasp what is being asked of me. I think I understand, but cannot execute the movements requested. Thankfully, our odd number makes it possible for me to…
If you enjoy training with Indian clubs but you’d like some more variety and challenge, the next stage is the Gada mace. Indian Clubs | Suria Akhara GADA Mace TrainingWatch this video on YouTube The two-handed grip for the “360” is more common among Western enthusiasts, and a great place to start to learn control…
I watched no martial arts movies over the weekend, which would be unusual except for the fact that it is hockey season. Now there’s some interesting martial arts for you -- I wonder if those hockey sticks are as well balanced as my rapier! I find myself really looking forward to Class 3. The only…
What does it mean to make acting decisions in a fight scene? Being angry or frightened or stone-faced during a sequence of moves is perhaps the only thing you can maintain besides the accuracy of your fight choreography. However, there is so much more you can do before the first move and between phrases when…
♪"Stop, Hammer time!"♫ (Apologies to MC Hammer.) What is a cultural ‘artistic’ reference in our time, was an invitation to ‘bring it’ in medieval times. For nearly two centuries, the warhammer was a weapon of choice for mounted medieval armoured combat. However, there seems to be a distinct lack of (recorded) knowledge of the fighting techniques…
Read More... from Book Review: "Warhammer, the Forgotten Weapon" by James Roth
Open Barn & Work Party Up for some fencing of a different kind? Come out to our work party at Red Colt farm on Sunday April 26th. We need help putting in a few fenceposts and electric wire, checking hoses and troughs, clearing blackberries and generally getting the fields ready for the horses to be…
Every week since our office moved downtown I have walked by Academie Duello and looked through the window, admiring the brave students practicing their arts as I passed. I would conjure up inspiring visions of myself decked out like Red Sonja, or like some rogue female musketeer, brave in my mind, but not quite brave…
An article from 1928 about H. G. Lang’s walking stick advice posted on Bartitsu.org reminds us of some of the prominent features of Bartitsu, especially suppleness. As Tony Wolf, author/editor of the Bartitsu Compendium and organizer of the Bartitsu Society remarked, this short newspaper piece gives us “nothing groundbreaking”, but here’s the clipping and my…
Season 5 of Game of Thrones is underway and fans of the hit HBO TV series based off the best selling books by George R.R. Martin are all abuzz. As someone who has been reading the books since they first came out (and often eagerly waiting for what seems like an eternity for the next…
After their first night at sparring, a new student of mine engaged me in a conversation. He had enjoyed himself, but felt like he was flailing and a bit out of control. He thought perhaps he should return to simply doing drills for a while. Sparring is one of the primary ends of our art.…
"It's everyone from everywhere in one place." --Bruno Ramos, Knight's Blade HEMA Fresh from flying home from VISS at the end of last month, the statement above really resonated with my experiences with the Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium, and with my modest exposure to HEMA events internationally. Peers from all over the world fly across continents…
This coming Saturday, April 18th, we will welcome back Robert Borsos of Borsos Torzs Horse Archery for another day of ever-popular mounted archery. Beginner Horseback Archery takes place in the morning and is suitable for anyone, even if you've never shot an arrow or sat on a horse in your life. This workshop is a prerequisite…
Port Coquitlam is ready to engage! Have you always wanted to start swordfighting but our downtown studio has simply been too far away? Well, great news, we have now added another location for people to access our classes! Our two beginner swordplay courses will now also be offered at Clinch MMA and Fitness, a mixed…
Another long-awaited post about upcoming movies that I think will have great combat. Today, we’ll look at the trailer for the upcoming film Southpaw and compare it to other films in the genre to generate reasonable expectations for its fight choreography and performance. I try to look at the pedigree of the filmmakers to give…