Open Barn & Work Party Up for some fencing of a different kind? Come out to our work party at Red Colt farm on Sunday April 26th. We need help putting in a few fenceposts and electric wire, checking hoses and troughs, clearing blackberries and generally getting the fields ready for the horses to be…
Every week since our office moved downtown I have walked by Academie Duello and looked through the window, admiring the brave students practicing their arts as I passed. I would conjure up inspiring visions of myself decked out like Red Sonja, or like some rogue female musketeer, brave in my mind, but not quite brave…
An article from 1928 about H. G. Lang’s walking stick advice posted on Bartitsu.org reminds us of some of the prominent features of Bartitsu, especially suppleness. As Tony Wolf, author/editor of the Bartitsu Compendium and organizer of the Bartitsu Society remarked, this short newspaper piece gives us “nothing groundbreaking”, but here’s the clipping and my…
Season 5 of Game of Thrones is underway and fans of the hit HBO TV series based off the best selling books by George R.R. Martin are all abuzz. As someone who has been reading the books since they first came out (and often eagerly waiting for what seems like an eternity for the next…
After their first night at sparring, a new student of mine engaged me in a conversation. He had enjoyed himself, but felt like he was flailing and a bit out of control. He thought perhaps he should return to simply doing drills for a while. Sparring is one of the primary ends of our art.…
"It's everyone from everywhere in one place." --Bruno Ramos, Knight's Blade HEMA Fresh from flying home from VISS at the end of last month, the statement above really resonated with my experiences with the Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium, and with my modest exposure to HEMA events internationally. Peers from all over the world fly across continents…
This coming Saturday, April 18th, we will welcome back Robert Borsos of Borsos Torzs Horse Archery for another day of ever-popular mounted archery. Beginner Horseback Archery takes place in the morning and is suitable for anyone, even if you've never shot an arrow or sat on a horse in your life. This workshop is a prerequisite…
Port Coquitlam is ready to engage! Have you always wanted to start swordfighting but our downtown studio has simply been too far away? Well, great news, we have now added another location for people to access our classes! Our two beginner swordplay courses will now also be offered at Clinch MMA and Fitness, a mixed…
Another long-awaited post about upcoming movies that I think will have great combat. Today, we’ll look at the trailer for the upcoming film Southpaw and compare it to other films in the genre to generate reasonable expectations for its fight choreography and performance. I try to look at the pedigree of the filmmakers to give…
You’ve just finished a sparring match. You were struck, but what happened? The ability to recall a fight in a useful manner is a different skill than those required to have that fight. Here’s a process you can use to develop fighting recall: Fight a pass. At the conclusion of the pass, pause and ask…
Read More... from Learning to Observe - How to Deconstruct a Fight
Riding Level 3: Rhythm and Forward Movement At level 3 we want you to ride with 7. Rhythm and forward movement at all three gaits. Walk on loose rein. Rhythm is the foundation of the Training Pyramid for dressage. First go and review this post on rhythm as it fits within the pyramid. As suggested,…
During my physical culture workshop at VISS last weekend, we looked at a few feats of strength. Some of these might be thought of as cheating, others are outright stage illusions. Victorian Classic Strength First up, classic feats from the Bartitsu Compendium I, in a section called "How to Pose as a Strongman". 1. Using…
As I write this, my baby daughter is currently asleep in her crib, beside my bed. Behind her, leaning against the wall, is my longsword. I started swordfighting in February 2014. I wanted to learn, but I also wanted to improve my health. My husband and I had been trying for a baby for almost…