Let’s take a look at the two workshops that David McCormick, head of Bartitsu and head of stage combat at Duello, will be teaching at the Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium: Power generation for punching and thrusting, and physical culture exercises. Body Mechanics of a Powerful Punch and Thrust Friday, 27 March, 2pm-3:15pm Who hasn’t been…
St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner and this weekend Academie Duello will be celebrating with CelticFest Vancouver. This Irish national holiday is celebrated in more countries around the world than any other national holiday. Countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, America and the U.K. are all known to raise a glass of…
Read More... from The Myths, Legends, and History of St. Patrick
March is underway which means that the Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium is almost upon us. We have a star-studded list of HEMA instructors and lecturers coming in from around the world. One of the guests is particularly near and dear to my heart and that would be Bob Charrette. Not only will Bob be offering…
Riding Level 3: Circles and Turns The fifth item on the Riding Level 3 checklist is: 5. Circles and turns at trot with correct diagonal changes. You have already demonstrated circles and half-circles at walk and trot for Level 2, and before you test Level 3 you should review that material, making sure you know…
The final week of Warrior Fundamentals. It was all coming to an end. While I was sad that the course was drawing to a close, we finished on a high note -- first, because we had the opportunity to play with polearms, and second, because we finally had the chance to spar, an experience that confirmed all of…
How do you transmit the precise movements of a performance to future performers? As a fight choreographer, I need to plan action scenes and teach them to actors. I need a method of recording human movement. Today, we’ll explore the options of how to write the movements in your choreography so you can best communicate…
Week number three had me intrigued. Longsword was finally starting to make sense to me but now we were moving on to a new weapon? This could go either way. Longsword had been difficult at first, but the more time I spent on it, the more sense it made to me. Learning something new at…
The front headlock is a very common position that occurs in many forms of wrestling. It is so instinctual that many children use it in play fighting without ever having seen it before. Although there are two directions for "chancery" in bare-knuckle boxing, the front headlock is by far the most common. Despite the popularity,…
Portrait of an African Nobleman (circa 1525 Netherlands) pictured with arming sword I have often stated that we frequently make the mistake of thinking about European, Asian and African nations and cultures as being mutually exclusive groups. It is true that we live in a modern era where cultural diversity and integration have changed worldwide.…
Read More... from The Black History of Historical European Martial Arts
Week two of classes began with my getting ill, and subsequently missing the next class. We had been assured at the beginning of the course, however, that there were multiple catch-up options. I was easily able to arrange a half-hour session before the beginning of the Wednesday class to cover what I had missed through my convalescence.…
It's one thing to be able to perform an action in a drill, another thing entirely to do it in freeplay. How do you take what you learn in class and apply it to combat where you don't know how your opponent may (or may not) react? The sidesword is a very versatile weapon --…
Read More... from Sidesword Skills Clinic- Level Up Your Freeplay
Congratulations to the successful candidates of Academie Duello’s January Combat Acting course. The following students have earned their Basic Actor-Combatant certification with Fight Directors Canada: Sayer Roberts Many of the other students will complete their conditions to satisfy FDC Fight Masters, involving additional hours of training and practice. Conditional Passes Some students receive a “conditional…
We are continuing our Beginners' Courses for the next month. To all who are interested in broadening their martial arts horizons, we offer three different courses which cover three separate avenues of 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…
Slate.com contains a column By Troy Patterson called "Gentleman Scholar" in which he offers etiquette advice for the contemporary man. One of his articles from April 2014 was brought to my attention recently: A Gentleman’s Guide to the Umbrella. His advice regarding buying an umbrella is the same advice I give: don't get a $5…
Duels have been fought for hundreds of years for a variety of reasons with a multitude of weapons. With today being St. Valentine's Day, we are going to take a look back into the pages of history where people hurled insults, hauled out swords, or came armed with pistols in order to prove a point in the…
Read More... from I Would Duel Anything For Love- Historic Duels Fought "In The Name of Love"
Perhaps my opinion is biased, but I believe that one of the best things that takes place at Academie Duello is our Summer and Spring Break kid's program Knight Camp. Youth (ages 8 – 14) are transported back in time as they are taught the knightly arts in an engaging and safe environment by Academie…
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Riding Level 3: Position It's one of the first things we teach you when you start riding, and something your instructors will continue to adjust throughout your riding career. Your position in the saddle is far more than just a matter of aesthetics. Good position is the foundation of effective riding. At level three we…
The Chinese New Year is upon us as 2015 enters into the Year of the Ram. I live in the city of Vancouver, which will be hosting a huge celebration and parade to ring in the Chinese New Year. People from many different cultures and backgrounds will be out enjoying the festivities. Living in a…
Read More... from When East Meets West: The History and Influence of The Silk Road