One of the main errors I see people making in solitary practice is over-practicing a single action. Generally this comes in the form of practicing a complex, multi-part action, without the needed external stimulus (meaning an opponent/partner) to give the technique its contextual relevance, timing, and feeling. The negative outcome I have seen, for many,…
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March is underway which means that the Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium is almost upon us. We have a star-studded list of HEMA instructors and lecturers coming in from around the world. One of the guests is particularly near and dear to my heart and that would be Bob Charrette. Not only will Bob be offering…
Riding Level 3: Circles and Turns The fifth item on the Riding Level 3 checklist is: 5. Circles and turns at trot with correct diagonal changes. You have already demonstrated circles and half-circles at walk and trot for Level 2, and before you test Level 3 you should review that material, making sure you know…
The final week of Warrior Fundamentals. It was all coming to an end. While I was sad that the course was drawing to a close, we finished on a high note -- first, because we had the opportunity to play with polearms, and second, because we finally had the chance to spar, an experience that confirmed all of…
How do you transmit the precise movements of a performance to future performers? As a fight choreographer, I need to plan action scenes and teach them to actors. I need a method of recording human movement. Today, we’ll explore the options of how to write the movements in your choreography so you can best communicate…
Fifteen years ago we would have been hard pressed to read about swordplay in any newspaper – and the only reference to the art on television would have been clips of sword fighting (of a sort) from that year's 'sword and sandals' blockbuster. Nowadays, swordplay events, educational initiatives and salle training are ‘normal’ fare for…
Read More... from Ready for Prime Time Sword Press: News for Mar 6th 2015
You’re injured, you’re sick, you’re exhausted. Does this mean that practicing the art you are passionate about is out for today? Not necessarily. There are many ways to explore a physical skill without twitching a muscle… well, perhaps a little muscle twitching. 1. Read Reading a book on swordplay can expand your theoretical knowledge, challenge…
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We had our first Cavaliere assessment day of the year at Red Colt on Sunday. Congratulations to the following students who all passed the assessments they chose to take, and who are one or more steps closer to their next ranks! Horsemanship 1: Eugene Horsemanship 2: Allie & Natalie Horsemanship 3: Maria Riding 2: Allie…
Week number three had me intrigued. Longsword was finally starting to make sense to me but now we were moving on to a new weapon? This could go either way. Longsword had been difficult at first, but the more time I spent on it, the more sense it made to me. Learning something new at…
The front headlock is a very common position that occurs in many forms of wrestling. It is so instinctual that many children use it in play fighting without ever having seen it before. Although there are two directions for "chancery" in bare-knuckle boxing, the front headlock is by far the most common. Despite the popularity,…
Portrait of an African Nobleman (circa 1525 Netherlands) pictured with arming sword I have often stated that we frequently make the mistake of thinking about European, Asian and African nations and cultures as being mutually exclusive groups. It is true that we live in a modern era where cultural diversity and integration have changed worldwide.…
Read More... from The Black History of Historical European Martial Arts
When you choose to dedicate a significant portion of your life to acquiring an art, there are two primary types of martial learning environment in which you must spend time. One would be a symmetrical environment, where your training and sparring partners are doing (or trying to do) the same thing as you. The other is an asymmetrical environment, where…
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Riding Level 3: Effective Transitions As a beginning rider you drove with an automatic transmission. You knew 'go' and 'whoa', and, if you were lucky, somewhere in there was 'slow'. As your riding has improved you have gained the ability to use at least three different gaits and make accurate transitions between them. At level…