As most of you know we skipped Carosella in September due to the fact we were busy moving the Mounted Combat Program from Richmond to our new digs at Cornwall Ridge Farm in Langley. So as not to let 2018 pass us by without our annual celebration of all things horsey and swordy, we are…
This past week, at our 50-hour instructor intensive, I introduced a new batch of students, who travelled in from various places around the world to the method and benefits of slow sparring. Slow sparring is exactly what it sounds like: sparring done slowly. It has proven itself to me to be a tremendously valuable training…
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As practitioners of mounted combat, it is often useful for us to look to the classical riding instructors of the 16th and 17th centuries such as Antoine de Pluvinel, François Robichon de Guérinière, and William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle. Fortunately these men all wrote books to which we can refer, and even more fortunately the…
There is plenty happening at the barn this month, and all of it safely out of the November weather, thanks to our beautiful indoor arena! If you haven't been to Cornwall Ridge Farm yet, now is a great time to check it out. Mounted Combat Mastery Mastery classes happen this month on the 11th…
One of the most quoted lines from Bruce Lee is "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times." It's a quote that emphasizes the importance of focused practice and a high level of proficiency. But it is often used to…
Read More... from Bruce Lee's 10,000 Kicks and the Real Meaning of Mastery
In his book Mastery, George Leonard recounts a story about an Aikido class where his Sensei had them repeat a single technique for three hours. George was a fairly senior student at that time who had a solid training ethic. But this particular three hours represented quite a journey for him, and I found it…
A couple weeks ago at the closing ceremonies of the L'Arte delle Armi conference in Chicago I was asked, along with Duello Provost Matheus Olmedo, and Jacopo Penso and Moreno del Ricci of Sala Opera Nova in Italy, to put on a display of traditional Bolognese Assaults. Assalto: Provost Matheus OlmedoWatch this video on YouTube…
One of the most challenging things to deal with in sparring is the mental or emotional intensity of a very forward motivated opponent, someone who throws powerful blows, or someone who comes very ferociously. Commonly people respond in one of two ways: Freeze or pull away, failing to make a cover. Making a single simple…
This holiday Monday, October 8th, is you last chance to catch Horseback Archery in 2018! We are lucky enough to have Robert Borsos of Borsos Torz Horse Archery for one more clinic before he heads back overseas on his busy international competition schedule. Don't miss out on this fabulous opportunity to get instruction in a small…
"Although military discipline and art may be noted plainly and clearly in many courageous knights and greathearted fighters, it can also be seen that they are unclear to many talented people, owing to their inexperience. Thus, sometimes in discussing or using arms, they fall short due to ignorance, rather than to malicious intent." Achille Marozzo,…
Riding, Horsemanship, and Mounted Combat Fundamentals: Which Course is Right for You? Students in our mounted combat courses come to us with a wide variety of pre-existing skills. Some are expert riders, some have been practising swordplay for years, and some are complete beginners at both. Whatever your skill-set, we have courses for you! Here's…
Read More... from Choosing your Course in the Mounted Combat Program
Tennis, one of the few internationally followed duelling sports, has four major tournaments throughout the year that are held in esteem above all of the others. These events, "the majors", are hosted in four different countries and played on four different surfaces: Wimbledon (grass), French Open (clay), US Open (Decoturf), and Australian Open (Plexicushion). Each…
Our Mounted Combat Program has made a huge leap forward! The horses, the program, and the Program Head, have moved to Cornwall Ridge Farm in Langley BC. The farm, which covers 12 acres on 16 Avenue near Campbell Valley Park, is ideally equipped to suit the needs of the program, and provide greater comfort for…