Good day, all! TGIF- and not only because it’s the end of the week; today was power day in bootcamp. I like power day because it means I can go all out and release any pent up energy and emotion accumulated throughout the week. Yes, on power day, I Iet my body do the…
Practice swordfighting from your living room with Duello.TV!
We are proud to announce the launch of Duello.TV, an exciting portal into the Western Martial Arts we practice here at Academie Duello Centre for Swordplay. You can now access lessons on the rapier, sword and shield, and longsword at home, work or on the go. We’ve been working long and hard on this…
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My Swordfit Bootcamp Experience - Day 2
Hello Everyone, So, yesterday was my second day of May bootcamp. (I forgot to mention last time, but it happens three times a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.) My apologies for the lateness of this post; I’m still getting the hang of this whole blogging process -this is my first blog ever! And what…
[Photo] Working the front desk at Academie Duello
Check out Academie Duello's Ultimate Knight!
This past Friday was an exciting day at Academie Duello. Sterling, who late last year received Academie Duello's Ultimate Knight package from the Grant a Wish Foundation, received the final and crowning component of the package: a full suit of custom sized plate armour. The Ultimate Knight package includes weapons, armour, practice equipment, private lessons,…
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My Swordfit Bootcamp Experience - Day 1
Hello fellow sword and fitness enthusiasts! This morning was the first morning of May Swordfit Bootcamp. Bleary eyed and yawning when I rolled into Academie Duello at 7am, I was nevertheless prepared to get my butt whipped into shaped. Today's theme was precision, and like all bootcamp days , we started with a 10 min…
What's on the Menu?
There's a lot of news and fun stuff this week, so lets get the lesson over with right away, shall we? Basic Feeding First of all, go and re-read this post from January, which covers basic feeding. There is an entire science to equine nutrition, but for Horsemanship level 1 test we ask specifically about:…
Sword and Shield Dirty Plays Workshop Recap
This past Saturday I taught a workshop on the grittier, all-in, side of Sword and Buckler combat. We explored shield strikes, wrestling entries, arm binds, disarms, throws, and counter-wrestles. The workshop had 12 participants and went superbly. I've included a few photos taken by Greg Reimer during the workshop showing a few techniques in action. …
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Sword Press of the Nations
We have an embarrassment of riches this week, albeit most are stale-dated by about a month. We get a look at some of the teams that participated in the recently concluded Battle of the Nations (BOTN), we find two new ‘old’ swords and we get a look at what it is like to approach WMA/HEMA…
[Video] Check out SwordFit Bootcamp in action!
This Monday we'll be starting up a new session of SwordFit Bootcamp and I must tell you that it's awesome! I went out this morning to support the last day of the April series and I must say I am incredibly happy with how the program has developed. The pace was excellent, students were working…
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Workshopping In May
"Violence and smut are of course everywhere on the airwaves. You cannot turn on your television without seeing them, although sometimes you have to hunt around." - Dave Barry Intro to Stage Combat Sunday, May 13, 2012 In this intensive 4-hour workshop, we’ll cover the basics of stage combat, including: ▪Slaps ▪Punches ▪Chokes ▪Push and…
Bourne to Fight
The three Bourne movies are often cited as favourites of modern film fights. Let's take a closer look. The Bourne Identity Fight Summary: This is the one that made Bourne: Pen Versus Knife. Fight Length: 97 seconds Notes: There is time and space given to character choices, but flurries of attacks are fast and close.…
Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium - Board Position Opportunities
Planning for the 2013 edition of the Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium has begun! We had our first board meeting just this last weekend and began setting out our vision for next year's conference to be held February 16 - 18, 2013. This will be the second time we have run this conference in Vancouver and…
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