It's here! It's here! Capoferro has finally arrived at the Academie Duello store in time for last minute Christmas presents, the perfect thing for all the boys and girls on your shopping list! Also in is the premiere issue of Katsujinken, a sword arts journal featuring articles on both Eastern and Western swordsmanship. Come on…
Academie Duello featured in Elle Canada
Jen Landels and Kim Roseblade were interviewed for the attached article in the image. It's on the new-stands now if you want your own copy!
Solo Insights
I've gained some insights lately, specifically in longsword play that I thought I'd share. These all came from self-diagnosis, which is crucial for learning and is best done during your practice sessions when you can direct your own exercises. First, credit goes to Sean Hayes, Devon and Roland for their individual contributions and to me…
Bartitsu 17-Dec
This week in Bartitsu: Review of jujitsu: basic throws and evasions Cane Lesson: Lang's exercises from high guard, preemptive strike to head Integration: preemptive strike to back heel throw and variants See you at 3pm!
Holiday Closure
"Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of seperation." - Kahlil Gibran Academie Duello will be closed from Saturday, December 24, 2011 through Sunday, January 1, 2012. We will be open for class again on Monday, January 2, 2012. We wish all our members, friends and business collegues…
Stage Combat Priorities 3: Storytelling is Not a List of Events, Stupid
We all know that stage combat's first priority is safety, as we learned in Safety...Boring. We also know that many actors like stage combat classes because they learn cool-looking flourishes and how to look like a bad-a__ which we explored last time in Style and Expertise. Both of these are in service of our main…
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Sean Hayes Workshop Review
At the beginning of the month Academie Duello hosted Maestro Sean Hayes of the Northwest Fencing Academy for a weekend seminar that included 3 component workshops. The weekend was a resounding success and a joy to be a part of. I put a full review of the workshop up on SwordForum and you can read…
New for 2012 - Cavaliere Integrated Training Packages
We're really excited to be able to offer our new Integrated Training Packages for the Cavaliere Program. Starting in January you'll be able to pay a single monthly rate of $120+HST for all your mounted combat training. This includes the monthly Mounted Combat workshop and two Riding & Horsemanship sessions, saving you $60 off the…
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What did you expect to happen?
As promised, some reflections on practice garnered (or directly lifted) from Sean Hayes' workshop.A brief review: Sean was in Vancouver on 2, 3 & 4 December to teach three workshops on Armizare, Italy's knightly arts. He taught a workshop on solo practice, longsword body mechanics and unarmed, dagger and longsword. I'll be writing about the…
Bartitsu 10-dec
This week in Bartitsu: Introduction to Bartitsu workshop 1pm-5pm Ongoing class 3pm-5pm: Review of Savate: Knee strikes Jujitsu: Alternatives to standard throws, scissor take down Integration: Softening the opponent's base with leg strikes
Violent Illusions and Then We Party
"At its most basic level, the job is to choreograph fight scenes. But to do this effectively you need more than an arsenal of combat skills. You need an actor’s understanding of character, a director’s eye for story and a dancer’s feel for movement." - Daniel Levinson, Stratford Shakespeare Festival - Scene Notes Intro to…
Just in Time for a Bartitsu Workshop... Careful with the Face.
What is this marvellous fighting style from Victorian England that includes distractions, low kicks, and controlling the balance and reach of attackers? Why, it’s Bartitsu! Plus a little Wing Chun, since that’s Robert Downey Jr.’s previous training. Bartitsu Workshop This Saturday 10-December is an Introduction to Bartitsu workshop at Academie Duello in downtown Vancouver. For…
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A couple mentions of Academie Duello in the media today
A few mentions today of Academie Duello in the media:The Winnipeg Free Press mentioned us in an article on experiential gift giving: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/style/experiential-gifts-...Anny Chih, Free Lance Writer, and Devon Boorman appear in Yahoo's photo of the day: http://news.yahoo.com/photos/photo-of-the-day-slideshow-1309242001-slideshow/...
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