In November, I started classes at Academie Duello. It was a long time coming as most of my friends have either attended in the past or are currently attending, and I had recently begun working there. I decided, for the sake of the full experience, that I'd have to see the school as a student…
Category: Swordfit
Training the Ranges of Your Ability
If you want to imagine your ability to fence as a rating out of 100, it would be impossible to pinpoint an exact score in any kind of meaningful way. To be able to say I’m a 75 and they’re a 70, thus I should be able to defeat them isn’t relevant because its impossible…
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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30 for 30 Swordplay Challenge!
It's common sense that if you want to get better at something, you need to practice. But practice takes time and commitment and setting a new habit can be challenging. That's where your friends can step in to help you. This June I am challenging you to join me and many others at Academie Duello…
Drink Yer Water
Everyone has heard this one. You need to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. Every health source will tell you that. So, do you drink that much water? I didn't think so. But this is the single most important nutrient you ingest every day, and the single easiest way to cleanse your…
Advice for Having Swords and Bows in Public
A recent article in the Vancouver Sun has brought a often discussed issue to the forefront again: Can I carry a sword or bow to class on public transit, or for that matter down the street in Vancouver? The short answer is "yes" but there are some nuances to be aware of and a few…
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Bartitsu Bootcamp
This week, I'm taking over the 7am SwordFit Bootcamp, and naturally, we're using Bartitsu skills as the foundation of our movements. One-hour Class Outline Welcome and Salute Warm Up: Jogging Jump rope (Jumping Jacks for those without rope) Medicine ball toss and catch with joint rotations Boxing: Preparation: Shadow boxing Free punching focus pads Lead…
My Swordfit Bootcamp Experience - Day 12
All right! Today being the last day of this round of bootcamp, Academie Duello director Devon Boorman instructed our class. As always, it was super fun and inspiring learning from the Maestro d'Armi. For one, Devon let us indulge without restraint in our Medieval breakfast of wine and bread - the results of which you can…
My Swordfit Bootcamp Experience - Day 10
Hallo, Finally, a Monday bootcamp to blog about! This morning, I have three videos for you. First: warm-up, including lunges, bum kicks, skipping and crab crawls. Second: the dice game resurrected from Day 2. This time, we rolled the die for ourselves and so ended up doing our own independed excercise. Then, we'd grab our…
My Swordfit Bootcamp Experience - Day 7
Hi All, Back again from another three day weekend, including a visit to Hell's Gate with Mom. (How wicked was your weekend?) On a less nefarious note- or more, depending on your take on swords- today's cutting was a drill used for last month's feature in Breakfast TV. Mané demonstrates it here: We also experimented with a…
My Swordfit Bootcamp Experience - Day 5
Hello all, After an eventful weekend with Mom (archery at Academie Duello, t-rexes at Science World, and a bumpy boat ride on Howe Sound) I'm back for more bootcamp news! Perhaps it was my weekend break, my pre- 11pm bedtime, or my newly confirmed desire for self-awareness and bodily presence that gave me…
My Swordfit Bootcamp Experience - Day 3
Good day, all! TGIF- and not only because it’s the end of the week; today was power day in bootcamp. I like power day because it means I can go all out and release any pent up energy and emotion accumulated throughout the week. Yes, on power day, I Iet my body do the…
My Swordfit Bootcamp Experience - Day 2
Hello Everyone, So, yesterday was my second day of May bootcamp. (I forgot to mention last time, but it happens three times a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.) My apologies for the lateness of this post; I’m still getting the hang of this whole blogging process -this is my first blog ever! And what…
My Swordfit Bootcamp Experience - Day 1
Hello fellow sword and fitness enthusiasts! This morning was the first morning of May Swordfit Bootcamp. Bleary eyed and yawning when I rolled into Academie Duello at 7am, I was nevertheless prepared to get my butt whipped into shaped. Today's theme was precision, and like all bootcamp days , we started with a 10 min…
[Video] Check out SwordFit Bootcamp in action!
This Monday we'll be starting up a new session of SwordFit Bootcamp and I must tell you that it's awesome! I went out this morning to support the last day of the April series and I must say I am incredibly happy with how the program has developed. The pace was excellent, students were working…
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