Academie Duello is proud to announce a new program to take place at our Vancouver location starting this month. The En-guard program is a specialty dog training program based on the 1461 Hundekämpfe manuscript.

I'm excited because this is one of the first times that we'll be drawing from German sources. Dogs were used by many European cultures in times of war not just for personal defence but as support to military units. The techniques that we have developed from the manual are quite extensive and believe it or not might turn your dog into a rather good sparring partner.

Using modern safety training weapons, dogs will receive a firm foundation in sword and unarmed fundamentals aimed at self and owner defence.

Those who sign up for the elite package will get custom designed plate armour for their furry best friend based on historical field designs on display in the Met in New York and the Higgins museum outside Boston.

We are also working on a firearms workshop to be delivered later this summer, so keep posted for more developments.

Rates and starting dates will be available on the website soon. Keep an eye on our workshops calendar.

Devon Boorman is the Co-Founder and Director of Academie Duello Centre for Swordplay, which has been active in Vancouver, Canada since 2004. Devon’s expertise centres on the Italian swordplay tradition including the arts of the Renaissance Italian rapier, sidesword, and longsword, as well as knife and unarmed techniques.
Read more from Devon Boorman.