Riding Level 2: The Vaulting Dismount There are many ways to get off a horse, but only a few that are deliberate and don't involve pain or embarrassment. When you first learn to ride that ground seems awfully far away, and it takes a while to learn to dismount with confidence and grace. That's why…
Category: Programs
A Comparison of Historical Music to Historical Swordplay
I remember a few years ago on a commute into Academie Duello I met a gentleman on the subway who was a researcher and player of Renaissance era music. Our conversation delved into the similarities of our two pursuits from the challenges of making modern interpretations from old written notations, to the changes the instruments…
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The Leading Hoof
Riding Level 2 - Identifying the Canter Lead Although we don't ask you to ride the canter on a particular lead at Level 2, we do want you to be visually able to identify the lead on which a horse is cantering . 12. Identify canter leads while watching another horse. What is a canter…
The Power of a "What's Right" Coaching Session
At the end of every evening class that I teach, I offer 10 minute private coaching sessions. These spots allow me an opportunity to work with people one on one and help them with struggles from class, tweaks to their form, and guidance for their overall development. Recently I had an interesting experience with one…
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The Canter
Riding Level 2: The Canter Level 1 Riding is all done at the walk and trot. However, the most useful gait for advanced Mounted Combat is the canter. A horse in a balanced canter is smooth to ride, and can move swiftly in and out of melee, turning with precision to help his rider deliver…
Winter Woollies Lease and other riding opportunities
Our last Cavaliere class for 2013 was held on Sunday: congrats to Lizzie who passed her Horsemanship 1 and Trisha who passed her Riding 2! Classes are on hold now, and will start up again with the Intro to Mounted Combat and Mounted Combat Workshop on February 2nd 2014. However, if you are wanting to…
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Archery Continues to be Big News in Vancouver
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…
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Squaring the Circle
Riding Level 2: Circles and Half - circles If you ride, whether it's dressage, hunter-jumpers, reining, or mounted combat, you will spend a lot of time going in circles. The circle is probably the single most effective training tool a rider has. A horse travelling correctly on a circle develops suppleness, as he curves his…
On the Mark: making accurate transitions
Riding Level 2: Progressive Transitions Those who have been in Cavaliere Classes and riding lessons in the last week or so will have noticed we've spent quite a bit of time working on transitions, from halt to walk, walk to trot, trot to walk, etc. Transitions that go from one pace to the next one…
Mounted Juggling
Riding Level 2: Mounted Games We don't actually ask you to juggle while riding, but sometimes that's what it feels like when we ask you to 8. Pick up an object from a standard, carry at trot to another standard and deposit. You may wonder what on earth this skill has to do with mounted…
Rank Exam Results, NerdFest, Archery, and Mounted Combat!
This past weekend members were inducted into new ranks in the Academie, we indulged in Nerdy goodness at Nerdfest at the Rickshaw Theatre, and whole crews of new people tried Archery and Mounted combat for the first time. Rank Exams Congratulations to Rick, Dieter, and Steve on completing their rank examination for the second rank…
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Last chance to ride!
November is the last month of the year in which we hold regular Cavaliere Program workshops and classes, and this month we've packed in one extra to let you get as much saddle time as possible before the weather forces all but the most waterproof souls indoors. November Workshops and Classes Introduction to Mounted Combat…
October 27 Cavaliere Class Postponed
A quick heads up to let you know the Cavaliere class scheduled for this weekend has been cancelled, and another class added at the end of the cycle on November 24th. The new schedule is: Class 2: November 10th Class 3: November 17th Class 4 & assessments: November 24th If you have already registered for…
AD's Kimberleigh Roseblade featured in Vancouver Courier today.
Check out our very own Kimberleigh Smithbower-Roseblade in the sports section of the Vancouver Courier today. If you don't live in Vancouver or shun the papery stuff you can check the article out on their website. The article tells the story of Kim's recent trip down to Mississippi where she worked with our friends at…
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Start Something New this November
Autumn has descended on Vancouver, and whether you're looking for something to shake off the rainy doldrums or a different way to stay active indoors, look no father than Academie Duello. We now offer three unique Beginner's Courses, each an affordable $99 (+tax)! Fight Like Sherlock Holmes Bartitsu is a complex martial art with many…
What to expect in Cavaliere class
So you've signed up for a series of four Cavaliere classes, and really all you know is you'll be out at Red Colt for three and a half hours doing something with horses and swords. But how exactly does a Cavaliere Class unfold? Students in the Cavaliere classes are divided into groups based on their…
Challenging yourself to do it 'even better'
I had an interesting conversation with my student Dieter last night after class. Dieter is a Green Cord (first rank in our mastery program at Duello) who recently challenged and did not pass his test for Blue Cord (second rank). Not passing the Blue Cord test is not uncommon, our philosophy at the school is…
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Duello.TV October 7: Offhand, Rapier Voids, Broad Guard, Defeating Longsword Porta di Ferro
Greetings everyone! It's the second week of October and the tracks of awesome swordplay continue, though one of them is only a slightly different course than last week. Greg and I posted up videos for Rapier Cutting for Green Cord (level 1) but as many of you let us know, that was completely incorrect.…