At our rank exams, we evaluate students by how they demonstrate certain techniques alone and against a partner, as well as their use in sparring. Many students are most nervous about the competitive aspect and not being able to plan exactly what will happen in the sparring component. However, I see more students get reduced…
This post first appeared on VictorianMartialArts.com and is republished with permission. Indian clubs are a quintessential staple of any (real or imagined) scene depicting a Victorian Gymnasium or training hall. As they grow in popularity due to their current revival in fitness circles, it’s easy to miss the fact that these useful tools are not…
In many of our classes at Duello we have a section where students of all levels drill with one another, one-on-one. It’s a great opportunity for inexperienced students to gain from the physical knowledge of experienced partners, for members of the school to meet and connect with one another, and for technique to be tested…
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Horsemanship Level 4: Foot and Shoeing pt I For want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost ... This proverb cautioning us to attend to detail continues to the loss of the battle, but as horse-keepers we don't need to follow the butterfly effect any further. The old…
Does the list of things to learn seem endless? It is. The more you think about the possible shows that require fight choreography and their potential needs, it can seem like an impossible task to be prepared for it all. One hand, two hands, look ma, no hands! When it comes down to it, you’ve…
Whenever a new historical drama breaks we tend to question its historical authenticity, and that’s a good thing. However even with a critical eye unfortunately we invariably end up internalising something of the narrative and this can have lasting consequences for our understanding of history. Anyone in historical martial arts can relate to this, whether…
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Recently a group of Academie Duello members participated in a rapier tournament at Ursulmas, an event hosted by the Society for Creative Anachronism in the state of Washington. The tournament was based around the concept of martial challenges that the organizer called “labours”. These challenges pitted individuals up against an opponent who outmatched them in…
Horsemanship Level 4: Feeding (pt II) Last week we looked at the nine rules of good feeding as part of your Feeding topic for Level 4. This week we'll cover: Common grains, concentrates & processing methods. Own routine & ration. In an ideal situation a horse is able to get all the food it needs…
This week, I’m jotting down some rumination on the connection between writing and martial arts, so I don’t have a thesis or a lesson to teach, but the reader can follow my musing toward their own meditation on the topic. I’m partially inspired by Major Wes who sent me a copy of the book on…
"Every society has needed licensed channels for the overflow of destructive impulses. Duelling reduced such feuds to symbolic proportions, confined them to individuals, and required only a limited number of victims". [1] Duelling bad! Very, very bad! In The Duel in European History, Marxist social-historian Kiernan offers us a wide variety of duelling stories and…
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This week I have been leading an instructor training intensive at Academie Duello. 50 hours of instruction in Italian swordplay technique, theory, and teaching methodology. So far it is living up to its name — intense — for both the students and the teachers. That's not a statement of distress, simply one of fact. The…
Horsemanship Level 4: Feeding The Feeding section of the Level Four checklist is quite large: 4. Feeding rules & how implemented. Common grains, concentrates & processing methods. Own routine & ration. This week in the blog we'll take a look at the rules of feeding, and next week we will examine types of grain. In…
You might not associate the mouth with fighting, except maybe to “slug them in the kisser”. But there are plenty of actions that a desperate person might do in combat using their oral cavity. Here are a few suggestions for your maw: Spitting is an Option Spitting can be a taunt or a direct insult.…
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