Registration for Carosella 2016 will be open in a matter of days! This year we have new workshops and demos including Garrocha, Natural Horsemanship, and an all-Canadian Horse Drill Team, as well as Horseback Archery, Mounted Sparring, Classical Riding, Mounted Games, and our exciting Sunday tournament! Now it's time to answer some of those frequently…
What do you do if caught in a tightly packed group of people, some of whom become violent? You may watch the news and see a group of people gathered in a festival who are attacked from the outside, such as the tragedy in Nice on Bastille Day. You may be a peaceful protester who…
Training on your own and you can’t get that move right? Do it again. In class and you fail at a technique? Ask your partner to give you their part again. Sparring with a peer and they get around your defence? Ask them to back up and do it again. Do it again until you fully…
Horsemanship Level 4: Saddlery pt II For Level 4 Horsemanship you will need to be able to fit not just your own tack, but other common parts of saddlery as well. This week we'll consider nosebands. Why a noseband? The variety of nosebands used today is a relatively modern invention. Mediaeval and early modern riders…
In stage combat, we have three priorities: Safety: all movements must have built-in safety so the risk to actors is minimized. Simulation: every movement should look genuine and feature authentic-looking intent. Storytelling: the combination of movements should match each character's personality, level of aggression, goals and further the plot of the story if possible. The…
If one were to ask for a point of commonality between the mountains of the sub-arctic, the arid Highveld, the temperate lowlands of the Vistula, and the oceanic vista of the southern Meseta, HEMA would probably not be the first word that comes to mind. But thanks to the advantages of being a swordsperson in…
Read More... from Serviceable Sword Press: News for June 2016
For many years I have kept a training journal. This is a log book of personal practice goals, training plans, progress toward those goals, and a ticker tape of general thoughts, comments, struggles, and successes. At its simplest, the journal is a way of keeping my training front-of-mind and it helps me keep continuity from…
Horsemanship Level 4: Saddlery pt I The final checklist item for Horsemanship 4 is: 10. Saddlery. Fit and care of own tack. Identify & fit nosebands, girths & common tack. Put on & remove a blanket. Once more, this is a large topic that we'll break down into several posts, looking at saddle fitting this…
This week, we're adding to our appreciation of Bartitsu from all angles: more fun, more science, and more people! Additional Fun Tony Wolf, editor of The Bartitsu Compendium, the author of the Suffrajitsu graphic novel trilogy, manager of Bartitsu.org, and awesome guy, has converted a board game from 1909 that pits Suffragettes against Police into…
Read More... from Science, Fun, and Martial Arts: Bartitsu Addendums
Canoeing is one of the first physical activities I remember being captured by. I love the water, and there was something powerful and graceful about navigating a craft with a simple flat piece of wood through the chaotic eddies and currents of a river or inlet. This interest may never have taken hold if it…
Read More... from How Noticing Your Students Outside Class Can Make a Profound Difference
Horsemanship Level 4: Vet & First Aid pt III Last week for this topic we looked at discerning emergency versus non-emergency ailments of the horse. This week we'll cover treatments of some minor illnesses and injuries. Thrush Thrush is a foul-smelling infection that occurs in the grooves (sulci) of the hoof on either side of…
Blood adds horror. That's the single reason to add a blood effect to a death scene. So, the only creative question in whether to consider a blood effect is: does this scene need more horror? In Romeo and Juliet, for example, do we need Mercutio's death to be horrific? I'd say yes. Do we need…
Practising does not always mean "working on". It’s important to give yourself time with the passions and skills in your life to just simply indulge in the activity. It's vital to allow yourself on occasion to indulge in pure enjoyment. This helps you remember why you do this thing in the first place, and can…
Read More... from Four Ways to Get Back to Enjoyment and Out of Criticality