More than two years ago, I got together with Greg Reimer, a group of other Duello students and a filmmaker to lay down the footage for a new DVD: Introduction to Italian Longsword. After two years of post-production problem solving it is finally available to the public!! This DVD is an efficient and thorough approach to…
Riding Level 4: Single-handed Reining For Level 3 you were asked to demonstrate single-handed reining at a walk, trot, and canter. For Level 4 we also want to see: 8. Single hand reining. Control & confidence at all paces. Turns, halts. This Level 3 blog post covers the mechanics of single-handed reining. For Level 4 we…
Say that your car has broken down. You go ask your friends for recommendations of a good mechanic. You don’t ask for recommendations on how to fix it yourself with zero automotive knowledge, and then do your best to follow the instructions on what “worked for them”. Health and fitness are weird. You can do…
Let me say first that I am all for the pursuit of excellence. Challenging yourself to be better is daunting, daring, and rewarding. On this road, you must find the edges of your comfort, push beyond your physical limitations, and surmount many an emotional hurdle. And though much of this is truly hard, little of…
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Riding Level 4: Forward Movement pt II Last week, we looked at forward movement. This week we'll look at the remainder of checkbox #7 in your Level 4 riding assessment: the free walk and work on a loose rein. The Free Walk A free walk on a loose rein is a common element of dressage…
No* Sorry to disappoint, but as much as we want to hate on a particular foodstuff, it’s really not, because the fact is food is not good or bad. Nor is it evil, “clean”, healthy or pure. Food is food. A better question than whether something is “good” or “healthy” is does this suit my…
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These days, there is very little impetus to end up in a duel with sharp swords or even a true in-earnest fist fight on the street. In fact, I'm quite happy to live in a time and place where I do not need to defend my life on the regular. However, I am a teacher and…
Riding Level 4: Forward Movement As we go up in levels, the checkbox summaries on the assessment sheets begin to sound a bit like code. 7. Ability in forward movement. Free walk. Walk, trot on loose rein. In this section, we are looking at your ability to ride the horse with impulsion and some degree…
How long is a workout? A better question is how long do you have? In a conversation with a student this week, the subject of giving 100% came up and how they were training. Due to illness and stress, they were not training at the capacity that they had previously been at. They were happy…
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"At their heart, martial arts are a solitary path. No one can walk that path for you." I'm paraphrasing one of many great bits of wisdom shared by Mark Mikita, a 50-year martial arts practitioner and teacher, at his talk on longevity in martial arts at the 2017 edition of the Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium…
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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…
If you attend the gym a lot, you will see that some people spend their entire time frustrated. They pace back and forth, hassle people about when they will be done with a piece of equipment they need, and just generally don’t seem to be having a good time. They have needs, they have a…
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…