Riddle me this: what would you say is your primary weapon? If you said longsword, rapier, sidesword... sorry, but in swordplay, your body is actually the most crucial part of your martial practice! It's what makes it possible to then train with or without other weapons. We oil our swords, but what about basic body…
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Just as grappling can be done from the saddle, so can disarms. For the Blue Spur you will need to show how to: Conduct three disarms from the falsemount at the halt and in motion "In motion" means at the walk. Disarms are typically conducted when riders are at a standstill or their horses are…
Hello Academie Duello friends and family, Have you received a message from Nicky Dexter titled, Document? Don't open that file! The message reads, Please kindly review the important document I uploaded for you on google secured drive. Click Here for immediate access Thank You Be advised that this was sent by a virus, and not by your…
We all know that HEMA/WMA is flourishing … and for the greater part is dominated by Italian rapier play or German long sword – with significant amounts of English and Viking sword and shield work added when available. But what is just as impressive is the reappearance of ‘niche’ swordplay forms … Spanish dagger/scissors combat;…
Mother's Day may have happened but last week, but this week's blog post is going to be looking at some of history's most hardcore Mum's from around the world. As though birthing children into the world wasn't an exceptional feat of strength, fortitude, and endurance these women not only raised their kids, but often raised…
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In any knight's career there is likely to come a time when you find yourself deprived of your sword. No matter, grappling is a valid and common tactic from the saddle. For the blue spur you need to demonstrate how to: Conduct three grapples from the falsemount at the halt and in motion The three…
This month, we are introducing levels within the Bartitsu program at Academie Duello, following the pattern of other programs in the school. In the sword programs, we have coloured cords inspired by heraldry. In the mounted combat program, we have different spurs. In the Bartitsu program, we are designating our levels by sashes, based on…
The first weekend in May was a busy one down at Red Colt. We kicked it off with a great turnout for the first Games Practice of the season on Friday evening. The next day we welcomed back Robert Borsos from Borsos Torzs Horse Archery Club for a full day of mounted archery. We had…
“There is always strength in numbers. The more individuals or organizations that you can rally to your cause, the better”. Mark Shields, PBS NewsHour commentator Today, Our modest offering concentrates on numbers – or rather the growth in numbers of the art. Not only does HEMA/WMA have a international, cross-cultural and cross-gender reach, but from…
So I’ve just completed day 2 of my workshop with the Hallebardiers in Bruges, Belgium. Today the focus was on Italian Rapier. There were 21 participants in attendance of varying levels of experience from brand new to several years of experience. The first half of the workshop focused on body mechanics, from the simple fundamental…
I just finished Day 1 of my workshop for the Halbardiers (and associated groups) in Bruges. There were 26 people in class today which was a nice turnout. The topic was Italian Longsword ala Fiore. We had 8 hours and covered a tremendous amount of material, which is a testament to both the ability and…
Remember the good old days when you would spend hours making that perfect mixed tape? You’d pick all the tracks, find good transitions from the end of one song to go into the start of a new song all while trying to make sure the mix fit perfectly onto both sides of the cassette without…
It’s easy in a technical art to develop a mechanic that functions as a solo action but fails when it meets the application environment. Yet attempting to develop a technique in a purely tactical environment can be overwhelming for many who are working to build governance of their body or in the absence of having…
Read More... from The Mechanical/Tactical Spiral for Skill Development