I'm Not Play-Fighting

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…

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December Workshop Highlights- Free workshops to keep your sword skills sharp over the holiday season

  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…

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Four Examples of When Bringing a Sword to a Gunfight Was a Grand Idea

  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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Waiting to be Discovered Sword News

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 HERALD…

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Performance News

We'll start with news items curated by Major WES VON PAPINEÄU. Wes was in town last week, I hope you had a chance to engage him in his always insightful conversation, and read his blog posts about swords and combat pulled from headlines around the world: https://www.academieduello.com//news-blog/author/wesvonpapineau/ Custom Swords for a Play For authentic fight…

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Is Bartitsu Practical?

In a preview of a course in Bartitsu taught at the Idler Academy in London, the Kensington & Chelsea Today newspaper summarized: ‘Bartitsu has been devised with a view to impart to peacefully disposed men the science of defending themselves against ruffians or bullies’. The language of the fighting style is enthralling and truly Victorian.…

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Beginners Courses for Next Year | Academie Duello

November Workshop Highlights: from Medieval Swordplay to the Modern Umbrella

As Autumn begins to transition into Winter don't get stuck indoors with a case of the rainy day blues. Take this opportunity to try something new at Duello and push the limits of your practice and perhaps discover a new passion! Here's a look at of few of our upcoming workshops in November: INTRO TO…

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The More You Holmes

For the Sherlock fans, I direct you to Bonzuko the webpage of fight director Jenn Zuko-Boughn. She has a regular feature called The More You Holmes, which is a reference to the 80's shooting-star factoid segments. Her explanations of obscure facts in the many Holmes TV series, films and stories are concise and always informative.…

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Pounding Out Sword News

Aside from our Ukrainian peers pounding on each other, today’s offering concentrates of some of those unique individuals that enjoy their study of swords and sword history in a way totally different from the blow-by-blow techniques used by HEMA/WMA practitioners.  We are lucky in this modern day to have a few skilled craftsmen that have…

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