This is where I'll be the first weekend in July: GearCon The Gaslight Explorers, Adventurers, & Romantics Convention (GEAR Con) is a celebration of Pacific Northwest steampunk and neo-Victorian creativity, taking place over three days in Portland, Oregon. Members of the public can register to meet fellow enthusiasts, attend presentations and workshops, meet authors and…
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Hello everyone, and welcome to week 3 of Duello.TV. I just returned from the Borealis Swordplay Symposium in Ottawa, Canada yesterday. What a superb and fun event. If you were there, be sure to checkout the workshop review area for videos on winning the 5 crossings, as well as Sidesword cutting mechanics and core parrying…
Horsemanship Level 2: Saddlery Care In Dom Duarte's 15th century treatise on riding, horsemanship and mounted combat, Bem Cavalgar, he states: We must take good care of the saddle, the bridle and the stirrups, ensuring that they are strong, that they have the necessary resistance and are of good quality to avoid failure of any…
Swords in cities – in modern times and in those historical. We find swords in established salles, rented recreation centres, city halls and the neighbourhood watering hole. Cities used to be where one went to purchase the very latest-version of trendy weapons and accessories, and to take advantage of one of the many urban masters-of-arms…
I know an upcoming movie with that theme! Not Thor 2 Although it may be tempting to Ricochet the trailer for Thor 2: The Dark World (2013) with references to Thor (2011) and the changes to story or crew that may make the sequel better or worse, but I just don't care. Instead I'm aiming…
Horsemanship Level 2: Tacking & Untacking There's really nothing different about tacking up and untacking in Horsemanship Level 2, except this time we ask that you do it on your own: 7. Tack up and untack unassisted So rather than repeat myself, I'll refer you to the Level 1 post on the same subject: Another…
Hello everyone to week 2 of June. The weather in Vancouver has continued to be beautiful outdoor training weather; in fact I climbed to the top of a local mountain yesterday to do my 30 for 30 Swordplay Challenge session. This week on Duello.TV we are featuring a lesson on collecting with longsword, our first…
We love Our Job! Wander through the worlds’ press, looking for articles about HEMA/WMA. And to find such an item in the historical home of the sarissa, is especially satisfying. HEMA/WMA is on the rise in North America and western Europe, but We also have a foothold in China, Japan … and … Greece! This…
I don't know of any writings about using the sword-cane other than standard fencing training. Sorry. There aren't even sword-and-scabbard fighting advice in any historical manuals I know. It's a bit weird. I often tell stage combat students that they should know the historical, but be ready to invent new patterns of movement that suit…
Ours is a martial art rich with words. Words that describe foot positions, body orientations, sword positions, sword relationships and angles, directions of movement, tactical principles, strategic ideals, and more. We also use a vocabulary that is full of unfamiliar words from the Italian language (some of them even unfamiliar to modern Italian speakers) and…
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If your company has not budgeted sufficiently for fight direction, then you will necessarily have poor stage combat. If you have allocated no budget at all, you have no fights. Some companies try to get around this by finding a volunteer fight choreographer or a cast member who has taken a workshop one time, but…
Horsemanship Level 2: Equine Warning Signs Take a look at this painting by George Stubbs. Who is the angry looking bay in the middle threatening: the happy bay in front of him, or the oblivious human and palomino behind him? (Answer below)Reading your horse's moods is one of the most important skills you can develop. …
Welcome to Duello.TV for the week of June 3rd. The sun in shining in Vancouver and its a great time to train outside. I know that many Academie Duello students are getting into some extra time at the sword as they participate in the 30 for 30 Swordplay Challenge. If you haven't joined, it's not…