Yes! We may have been snowed out for our regularly scheduled Playday on February 5th, so we've thumbed our noses at the weather and the schedule alike, and will hold it on March 5th instead. No need to register in advance: just show up. Mounted games and mounted sparring right after Mounted Combat Class. Bring…
Riding Level 4: the Leg Yield Item 6 of the Level 4 checklist seems quite full: 6. Turns, circles. Trot, canter. Knowledge of canter leads. Leg yield at trot. However, you already know your turns, circles and canter leads, which you can review in previous posts. At this level, we will be looking for accurate…
This coming weekend is the Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium. This is a three day weekend of martial arts workshops, intensives, sparring, socializing, and more. Over the past 20 years, I have attended my fair share of conferences both as a student and as a teacher across disciplines of eastern or western origin. These events are…
Read More... from 5 Martial Arts Conference Survival Strategies
Happy Valentine's Day, from some of our favourite kissable faces. Photos taken at Red Colt Co-op by Double Exposure Photography (aka Is & El). A reminder that there is no swordplay at the barn this weekend due to VISS. However, Riding & Horsemanship classes are on! Upcoming Classes NEW! Ongoing Mounted Combat Skills Beginning…
At the end of January, we finished up the fourth 30-for-30 Swordplay Challenge. The Facebook group this year had over 250 members with reports coming from at least 100 of them throughout the entire month. I enjoyed reading posts from practitioners throughout the world with varying levels of experience and coming from different backgrounds and…
Riding Level 4: Transitions Before you read this post, review the Level 3 post on the Half Halt. You will want all this information to be second nature by now, as we look at the next Level 4 checklist item: 5. Effectiveness and use of Aids. Transitions. Halt. Salute At this level, we will not…
Read More... from Forward to Halt: Effective Use of the Aids
I began my practice of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) without any personal connection to its original historical sources. My real connection was to movies and stories of swordsmanship. I had musketeers and knights running through my mind when I first connected with a group training in rapier fencing. Yet, what I really connected with…
Read More... from How to Connect with the Historical in HEMA
Riding Level 4: Rhythm and Independent Work Cast your mind back to many years ago on this blog when I first discussed the training pyramid and its base layer, rhythm. In your Level 4 exam we are looking for 4. All paces, feel of rhythm. Independent work. In Level 3 we wanted you to demonstrate…
Not everyone has the luxury of being able to regularly attend classes at a school like Academie Duello or get together with regular training partners. So, how do you train on your own in a way that is effective? In this last week's DTV Livestream we discussed just that. Here's a round-up of some of…
Riding Level 4: Position & Balance At Riding Level 1 we are only looking for basic control of the horse and don't mark you on your position. At Level 2 we want to see an adequate basic seat position at walk and trot, but don't mark your canter position, and at Level 3 we are…
We are just past the halfway point in the 30-for-30 Swordplay Challenge! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can learn more about this 30-day swordplay training challenge in this DTV blog post. Halfway points are both exciting and challenging. On one front, you've made it half way! However, you also have…
To acquire the Green Spur, the first rank of the Mounted Combat program, in addition to Horsemanship and Riding Level 1, you will need to be assessed on the Green Spur Mounted Combat skills. These include Swordplay from the Ground, Swordplay Knowledge, and Mounted Combat Knowledge. The knowledge sections are covered in past sections of…
"What have you failed at today?" This question is one that a friend's father used to ask her and her brother every day at dinner. I found the story inspiring. This question, as well as her father's warm approach in how he asked it, contained so many positive questions and affirmations: What did you try today?…
Due to the un-Vancouverish weather we've been having lately, we have decided to delay the start of the next cycle of courses in the Mounted Combat Program. The riding arena is currently in a semi-frozen state that makes it slippery on top and rock-hard underneath, leaving it unsafe for both horses and riders. This change…
I hate New Year's resolutions. They don't stick, and they end up making you feel guilty before you even flip the calendar to February. But I do like goals. Especially goals that are useful and achievable all year round. And whether you like New Year's resolutions or not, January is a great time to peer…
Greetings members, students, and friends of Academie Duello! This time of year is always a time of reflection on the year past and the year to come. As with most years, 2016 has been a year of growth, struggle, triumph, and celebration. We have lost some good friends and also been enriched by many new…
The weather outside is frightful, but that doesn't stop hardy Canadian mares (and girls)! If you have a Mounted Combat Membership and a few days off this week don't let the weather stop you -- come on down and get cuddly with one of our furry beasts. They'll be happy to see you, especially if…
Who doesn’t want a pony for Christmas? Give the next best thing with a six-week course of Riding & Horsemanship at Red Colt Farm, where students learn to care for and ride Academie Duello’s gentle school horses. If the thought of knighthood lights up your loved-one’s eyes, include the Mounted Combat Fundamentals course for only…
Read More... from The Next Best Thing to a Pony Under the Tree