The concept of chivalry originated with the knight. In fact, that’s all it means: knightly. The French word “cheval” means horse, and the thing that separated a knight from other soldiers was his steed. But we all know that chivalry goes beyond horse grooming, it is more closely related to the code of honour expected…
Sword Fighting Lessons on Duello.TV This Week
As of this week on Duello.TV we have over 250 videos posted! We have content on longsword, sidesword, rapier and dagger, cloak, buckler, and more. It's been exciting getting to this stage and we're looking froward to bringing even more cool stuff soon. This month all three levels of the Mastery Program are focusing on…
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Mount up!
The second item on the Riding 1 checklist is: 2. Mount safely and correctly from block or ground, picking up reins correctly Mounting your horse may seem like the simplest of skills, but it's one that takes a lot of practice to make smooth, effortless and kind to your horse. As you can see from…
International Sword Press … and Gaming?
It’s another one of those week’s where We’re all over the place – we just about circle the world with this edition … and happily so. Cutting Class from your couch? PC MAG (New York, New York) 11 June 12 Author Neal Stephenson Solicits Funds for Sword-Fighting Game (Chloe Albanesius) TG DAILY (Portland, Oregon) The…
National Stage Combat Workshop
Fight Directors Canada holds the National Workshop every summer. It's a two-week intensive in which actors and fight choreographers from across the country meet to train and work with the best international fight masters. It's also an opportunity to earn certification if a student does not have a certification course in their community. And this…
Guest post: pushing to the next rank
Today's post features another guest poster. Nels Anderson is a recent addition to the Blue Cord. I requested his perspective because, as you'll soon read, Nels had to take an extended break from class, and returned the month before his successful test for Blue Cord. A great story on the power of practice. Thanks…
What's on your head?
When it comes to head protection, most of us use fencing masks, whether we're fighting with rapiers, knives, longswords, or anything else. Anyone who's done this for a while, however, will be well acquainted with the idea of mask failure. All masks have a limited lifespan: over time, and with repeated blows, the mesh loses…
Bartitsu Fight Night
Tonight, and the second Friday of every month from now on, will be a Bartitsu focus night. As with all weapon-specific Open Floors, everyone is welcome to spar with their usual weapons: rapier, longsword, etc. The difference is that I will be there to referee bouts of cane fighting and unarmed techniques. Those who are…
Summer of Swordplay!
"When I reached the end I stood at bay. He drew no weapon, but he rushed at me and threw his long arms around me. He knew that his own game was up, and was only anxious to revenge himself upon me. We tottered together upon the brink of the fall. I have some knowledge,…
Grandmas wield swords too!
My grandma visited Academie Duello last week while she was in town for my birthday. This is the first time she’s ever been to Academie Duello and as you can see from the photo she took to it right away! My grandma's visit and her excitement at being able to put on gauntlets and wield…
[Gallery] New photos from the bow making workshop
8 new photos from the bow making workshop have been added to our Flickr gallery. Including a view of our students posing with their raw yew staves at the beginning of the workshop. Check it out.
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The Riding Curriculum
Over the past dozen weeks or so I've written posts detailing the requirements for our Horsemanship Level 1. If you read through those posts, look at the relevant chapters of the Manual of Horsemanship, and attend at least three Horsemanship classes in which you have the opportunity to practice handling, grooming and tacking up, you…
Mongoliad Canes & some Found Sword Press
In Our modest social circles, WMA enthusiasts are seen to be a somewhat ... umm, eclectic group of characters at the best of times. So, what happens when you mix WMA with another socially-“interesting” group – say science-fiction authors? Speaking of mixing, We also offer an item on a ‘mix’ of combatant’s that has yet…