Not at all. Whether you approach your practice as a martial sport or a martial art, defeating your opponent can be a useful measure of your ability. However, it's the wrong place to be looking until a fair ways down the path of setting a martial foundation. There are many techniques, tricks, and traps one…
Read More... from How Much Should I Worry About Winning At The Beginning?
Horsemanship Level 4: Foot and Shoeing pt II For the first part of this topic we looked at the external structures of the foot and their functions. This week we'll address the pros and cons of leaving a horse barefoot versus shod, and when to shoe or re-shoe. Horseshoes in History Millions of years of…
Any skill you want to keep should be rehearsed weekly. Any skill you want to improve should be practiced daily. Spaced repetitions In the case of learning new vocabulary, or memorizing names, we have a lot of good data from psychological studies. It is well known that there is a certain frequency of reminders that…
Let’s see now; what is "proper" historical swordplay? There are many definitions: Swordplay as it is strictly interpreted from a specific fightbook. The swordplay (tempered with safety concerns) employed by the SCA in their efforts to accurately recreate an overall (family-friendly) "feel" of being in the Medieval or Renaissance period. Swordplay as a martial art-driven, "totally different" fitness program.…
Read More... from Pigeonholed Sword Press: News for February 2016
Whenever I teach dance, or martial arts, body mechanics are a big part of the foundation that I try to build with my students. There are many similarities to the mechanics required in partner dancing to those required in swordplay. When you get into lifting and dipping your partner, the crossover starts to even more…
Congratulations to all the participants who have just finished the 5- and 6-week Mounted Combat, Riding, and Horsemanship classes. Everyone who was present on Sunday completed least one part of their assessments. Kaleigh, Ari, François, Alicia, Viktoria, and Brad were tested on riding, horsemanship or both; Brad, François, Kevin, Melissa, Christian, Karissa, and Stephanie all…
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…
Read More... from How to Help Your Drill Partner, Not Slow Their Learning
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…
Read More... from Vikings: An interview with archaeologist Stephen Fox
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…