Not long ago, I had a conversation (online of course — who talks on the phone or in person anymore?) with my student Xian from Halifax. He asked a question about the nature of longsword fencing as it is often seen now in tournaments and in many videos online: "Why don't we see more play…
Registration for Carosella 2017 is open! This year spaces for participating on horseback are limited to 20, so be sure to sign up soon. Now it's time to answer some of those frequently asked questions.... Q: How can I sign up for Carosella? A: You can register online here for full and one-day passes. Regular entries…
In the 1650s, a German speaking student attended the knight academy at Sorø in Eastern Denmark. There he studied under fencing master Wilhelm Schöffer von Dietz, a known student of fencing master Salvator Fabris (whose manual is a core source for rapier instruction at Academie Duello and to the Italian tradition in general). In his…
Carosella 2017 Registration is now open for Carosella 2017, our three day symposium of mounted combat, archery, and games! This exciting event, now in its fifth year, consists of two days of workshops on ground and on horseback for all levels of riding, swordplay, and archery. New for 2017 Interested in learning mounted combat techniques…
At the moment of writing I'm sitting in a plane seat on my way out of Duluth Minnesota. I've spent my weekend at the beautiful facility of the Avalon Educational Institute teaching a combination of sword alone, sword and buckler, partisan, and spadone. I love inter-disciplinary weekends. They're an opportunity to connect students with the…
This past weekend, we hosted the Vancouver Martial Challenge at Academie Duello and it was a tremendous weekend of inter-disciplinary sparring and camaraderie. The goals of this event are to: Foster Authentic Martial Combat Inspire Personal Challenge and Growth Create Community Through the Joy of Martial Arts There are many tournaments around the world and…
Horseback Archery is Back! The ever-popular Beginner and Intermediate Horseback Archery workshops with Robert Borsos are back this Sunday, August 6th. People have been asking which course they can and should take and whether their existing skills are up to par. So let's deconstruct it for you. Frequently Asked Questions Shouldn't I learn how to…
In the history of duelling we read the history of of mankind in the development of evil passions, and the occasional display of some redeeming qualities.[1] Last month we had the press assessment that Canada ‘might’ be establishing the legal conditions that would allow us to return to ‘the duel’ as a socially acceptable method…
Historical European Martial Arts are one of the most rapidly growing parts of the Martial Arts world with new groups, sites, and schools opening up all the time in both the West and East. Yet for a new practitioner, even with all this choice, it can be hard to know where or how to start.…
When you attend classes through Academie Duello, you learn a system of fencing, an art, and you learn that system through a particular methodology. Our goal is to help people find the path of mastery. To develop an understanding of the art on a deep and fundamental level in multiple dimensions and to explore those…
On Thursday July 13th, Academie Duello hosted a Mounted Combat day for competitors on the International Mounted Games Exchange. Twenty fifteen-year-olds plus coaches and chaperones from the UK, USA, Australia, and across Canada made Red Colt a stop on their two-week tour of the Lower Mainland and the Island. Putting Old Skills to New Work…
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"To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." - Elbert Hubbard Putting yourself out into the world is a surefire way to invite criticism. All who do encounter those who detract. Yet is there really any other way one would want to be in the world? When we embark on a new pursuit like swordplay,…
I consider myself to be relatively lucky in regards to injuries when it comes to martial arts. I have broken some fingers in intense bouting, separated a shoulder while doing armoured combat, and have certainly had my share of sprains and strains. That being said, it has been a relatively healthy career thanks to a…
Read More... from Taped Up, Braced Up, and Strapped Down: Training Through Injury