The lantern jaw and the brow ridge aren’t accidentally related to testosterone production. We know that during development, testosterone levels during critical phases will determine certain male-dominated bone structures. Recently, a new hypothesis explains why the human face evolved the way it did. On the Face of It The researchers examined skulls of human ancestors,…
Canada Day is upon us and what better way to celebrate the "true North strong and free" by taking a look into our country's history. We've come a long way from July 1st, 1867 when just three colonies were united under the British North American Act. 147 years later we now have a nation…
The drone of uniformly delivered content to rows of kids locked into desks is the initiation into formal learning that many of us come from. A system designed to output little industrial cogs who are themselves uniform. This is a system that is unfortunately devoid of passion and builds a habit for learning that places…
The last item on the falsemount checklist for the Blue Spur is Demonstrate the mounted combat guards and show their use. To review the 13 mounted combat guards take a quick look at this video: You don't need to know all the many uses of each guard, or the alternate names, but should be able…
The demands of service took us away on short notice for three weeks, … but We’ll grovel in apology later. First … Hodor! Or rather … ‘Bohurt’! HEMA/WMA matches. I hurt. You hurt. Bohurt! Curriculum – bringing dignity to what otherwise is a vulgar brawl. LA WEEKLY (California) 13 June 14 An L.A. School for…
As a SwordFit coach one of the concepts that I try to drill into my students is that their body is the most important weapon they use in their study, training and application of Western Martial Arts. We oil our swords, but what about basic body maintenance? Our bodies are the most crucial part of our…
Read More... from Conditioning and Foundational Movement Skills: Essentials for Every Swordfighter
Our next round of Beginner’s Courses start in a couple weeks! Challenge yourself and have fun with our unique, engaging beginner programs. Want to know what you're getting into first? Sign up for a FREE TRIAL LESSON for any of our Beginner’s Courses! Our two swordplay Beginner’s Courses, Taste of the Renaissance and Warrior Fundamentals, are 8-classes long and can be taken…
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Each summer, Fight Directors Canada, the national certification body for stage combat, holds an intensive workshop at which students can earn their next level of certification. It is attended by as many Fight Masters as possible, including international guests. For those living in places other than the big theatre centres in Canada, it may be…
What is Prix Fiore? ‘Prix Fiore’ is a term coined by Academie Duello and refers to a dressage test that includes sword forms. The Prix Caprilli is a dressage test with jumps, named for Federico Caprilli, innovator of the modern jumping seat. With the Prix Fiore (named for Fiore dei Liberi, author of the 14th…
If you are going to spend any time on horseback one thing is guaranteed: at some point you will fall off. This is inevitable, and most horse-wisdom agrees that you must eat dirt a minimum number of times before you're considered a rider. One way to make this inevitability less traumatic, both physically and mentally,…
Read More... from The Short Fall: Falling from the Falsemount
Hitting things is usually satisfying. Watching a villain get away is stressful because we want to see the hero fight him into submission, and if he’s a murderer, we’ll root for the hero to kill him in revenge. Violent video games are best-sellers. Let’s not deny that if you practice swordplay or stage combat, you…
As predicted this summer's schedule in the Cavaliere program is a little wibbly-wobbly, but I will do my best to keep this blog up to date with the most recent information. Instead of weekly Mounted Games Practices on Fridays at 5-7pm, we will use this time slot for varied activites (including games practices). Here is…
By popular demand, here is a list of books on Bartitsu: The Bartitsu Compendium I & II edited by Tony Wolf Sherlock Holmes School of Self-Defence by Ivy Press Related Period Material: The Secrets of Jujitsu by Re-Nie Jiu Jitsu and Other Methods of Self Defense by Percy Longhurst Boxing by R.G. Allanson-Winn Scientific Boxing…