Let’s see now; what is "proper" historical swordplay? There are many definitions: Swordplay as it is strictly interpreted from a specific fightbook. The swordplay (tempered with safety concerns) employed by the SCA in their efforts to accurately recreate an overall (family-friendly) "feel" of being in the Medieval or Renaissance period. Swordplay as a martial art-driven, "totally different" fitness program.…
Read More... from Pigeonholed Sword Press: News for February 2016
The work that George Silver was best known for was his 1599 Paradoxes of Defence, in which he conducts a vehement denunciation of the Italian teaching of the civilian dueling rapier within his England and its subsequent use by a heretofore doughty race of backsword wielders. Paradoxes was not so much a fight book as…
"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…
Fifteen years ago we would have been hard pressed to read about swordplay in any newspaper – and the only reference to the art on television would have been clips of sword fighting (of a sort) from that year's 'sword and sandals' blockbuster. Nowadays, swordplay events, educational initiatives and salle training are ‘normal’ fare for…
Read More... from Ready for Prime Time Sword Press: News for Mar 6th 2015
As of the new year, we have a new schedule for the next round of beginner's courses! Prepare for swinging swords and pulling punches. We offer three different courses which cover three separate avenues of Western Martial Arts. Bartitsu is a complex martial art with many interlocking skills. Our four-week Fight Like Sherlock Holmes course gives students an in-depth…
The Province Newspaper features a half page article today about Archery that mentions a lot of different people with the last name Boorman. Interestingly I do have a distant relation to the Boorman's who run the archery store in New Westminster and certainly some shared passion for traditional martial arts. I'm really glad to see…
Read More... from Archery Continues to be Big News in Vancouver
A couple of our instructors have been highlighted online in the last week, though in two quite different forums. Jennifer Landels was asked by Alex Waterhouse-Hayward to do some writing about herself to accompany a beautiful photograph he took of her around the time of the Shakespeare's Rebel event. It's gracefully written and gives you…
Read More... from A peek inside the world of two Duello instructors
Some cool spots about Academie Duello showed up in a couple publications in the last two weeks. Patrick von Stolk of Briefed.ca an online men's magazine focusing on the Vancouver area came in and tried out Warrior Fundamentals last week. Briefed is beginning a new series of articles on fitness in the Vancouver area that's…
(Photo from 24 Hours cover - Carmine Marinelli) The last few days have been a whirlwind for Academie Duello. Here are a few things you may have missed! Vancouver Courier Article We were in the Vancouver courier last week in an article about Knight Camp and other cool summer camps going on in Vancouver. Be…
Read More... from A Great Canada Day Weekend of Swordplay and Fun
When one thinks of gladiators; the medieval chivalric inspirations of hope, faith and charity; and renaissance Italian swordplay; one just knows that you’re contemplating combat of some style as practiced in … Malta! Discuss, Demonstrate, Drill. GOZO NEWS (Malta) 12 June 13 Public Lecture on the use of swords from 14th-19th century Last week, Prevosto…
Our friends at Maelstrom Core Martial Arts have written up a very nice article about Academie Duello on their blog. Maelstrom is a school that focuses on Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) and some related arts from surrounding regions and disciplines. I have been consistently impressed with their attitude, teaching approach, and the calibre of their…
Read More... from Article on Academie Duello at the Maelstrom Core Blog
As our archery peers have been learning, concurrent with ourselves, ‘good’ culture such as movies and books can result in a renaissance of arts or interests too long ignored by our laptop culture. The trick is to exploit (in the nicest possible way) and reinforce public participation in and adoption of our art forms and…
Within the WMA/HEMA community, we pride ourselves on the ‘authenticity’ of our studies. We use translations of a variety of medieval/renaissance fight books, using the words and pictures of yore to guide our learning. Our peers with metal working and leather skills work diligently to recreate the look and feel of arms and armour of…
Read More... from Technological ‘and’ Accessible Sword Press
There's an article today about Academie Duello and the Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium in the Vancouver Courier Newspaper. Check it out here. Also check out the video that the Courier's Jason Lang produced about Duello and the event on the Courier's YouTube. Comment on this post on our Posterous Blog.
If you pickup this week's Westender Newspaper you'll see a great article by Gen Handley about Academie Duello. Gen checked out a class a few weeks ago and it looks like he had a great time. It's a good article and tells a little about the origins of Duello. You can also check it out…
Read More... from Article in the Vancouver's Westender Newspaper
If you speak French or at least like watching moving pictures, take a look at this spot that appeared last month on CBC Television French about Academie Duello, Knight Camp, and me. They did a fine editing job to make my French sound semi-reasonable. Also appearing are Sabrina and Cartson, french speaking Knight Camp students,…
Vancouver Sun columnist Tom Hill wrote an article about Academie Duello's fitness programs that appeared on their website yesterday (Thursday). It gives a good summary of some of the health benefits you can reap through swordplay and captures the excitement of the art. Check it out on their website here! If you're interested in getting…
Read More... from @VancouverSun covers Academie Duello's Fitness Programs
This past Saturday Academie Duello was out at the South Hill Community Festival in Vancouver at Main and 49th. It was a beautiful day and was the first opportunity for our Youth Demo team to show off their stuff. Everyone did a fantastic job with showing of their quaterstaff skills and our adult demo team…
Read More... from [Video] Armoured Fun and Games at the South Hill Festival