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…
Category: Programs
Every moment in class is available for practice
I was standing firm in Longsword focus the other day, with my sword in posta longa. My partner was doing rising cuts to me through my sword. I realized after a few moments that I had a good opportunity to get some practice in. So while my partner reset I performed cuts to the air,…
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This month at Academie Duello and on Duello.TV
Rank examinations have just finished up today for the Mastery Program with two new Blue Cords entering the ranks. They have a whole new set of topics to look forward to as we roll over into the next month of curriculum at Academie Duello. Green Cord - Rapier and Offhand This month in Green Cord…
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My Swordfit Bootcamp Experience - Day 12
All right! Today being the last day of this round of bootcamp, Academie Duello director Devon Boorman instructed our class. As always, it was super fun and inspiring learning from the Maestro d'Armi. For one, Devon let us indulge without restraint in our Medieval breakfast of wine and bread - the results of which you can…
Concussions R Bad
Discussion of concussions often centres around contact sports. Here in Canada, news is made when hockey players must miss games, and the same is true of American football, and the most relevant for this Bartitsu blog: boxing. All you really need to know is hitting your head is bad. What is a concussion? “Concussion” means…
Summer at the Stables
Summer is just around the corner, and boy is it busy! So rather than start the series on Riding 1 this week, I thought I'd give an overview of what's happening in the coming months. June 2 June: This Saturday during the rank exams at Academie Duello we'll be presenting a number of Green Spurs…
My Swordfit Bootcamp Experience - Day 10
Hallo, Finally, a Monday bootcamp to blog about! This morning, I have three videos for you. First: warm-up, including lunges, bum kicks, skipping and crab crawls. Second: the dice game resurrected from Day 2. This time, we rolled the die for ourselves and so ended up doing our own independed excercise. Then, we'd grab our…
Resources for Newcomers
Hey everyone, We have another guest blogger this week. Ivan Sim has been teaching the Taste of the Renaissance program for several months now.I asked him to put together a blog post directed more towards our newer students though in truth it's just as valuable for veteran students. Catch Ivan Saturdays for some fun sparring and…
Stretching Towards Splits
How do you perform high kicks to prove you’re a “real martial artist”? Even educated and experienced stunt coordinators look for leg flexibility when choosing who will perform well in fight scenes. Why? Mostly because the public demands it. So, you have to increase your flexibility to give the people what they want. The Best…
My Swordfit Bootcamp Experience - Day 7
Hi All, Back again from another three day weekend, including a visit to Hell's Gate with Mom. (How wicked was your weekend?) On a less nefarious note- or more, depending on your take on swords- today's cutting was a drill used for last month's feature in Breakfast TV. Mané demonstrates it here: We also experimented with a…
Horse Sense
The final item on Horsemanship 1 checklist is: 11. Demonstrate safety and common sense when working around horses This is something our examiners make note of during the whole of the horsemanship assessment. We want to see that you are calm, confident, and sensible while handling your horse. Most candidates are very good at staying…
Deliberate Practice
Check out this article from Time. It's a pretty short read. Think on its meaning and how it can best aide your practice. Thanks to Heather for sharing it.
My Swordfit Bootcamp Experience - Day 5
Hello all, After an eventful weekend with Mom (archery at Academie Duello, t-rexes at Science World, and a bumpy boat ride on Howe Sound) I'm back for more bootcamp news! Perhaps it was my weekend break, my pre- 11pm bedtime, or my newly confirmed desire for self-awareness and bodily presence that gave me…
The Mastery Program, this week, at Academie Duello
This is an intense week in Mastery class with some of the most detail oriented yet prolific topics at hand at the various levels. For Green Cords we are working on gaining control of the opponent's weapon as they move toward us. This is one of my favourite months and weeks for its beautiful efficiency.…
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A Stable Situation: needs and habits of the horse
Aside from food, which was covered in last week's post, a horse needs shelter and security. These topics were both covered in previous posts (see links). For the Horsemanship 1 test we ask about 10. Stabling: needs and habits of the horse Along with reference to food, secure fencing, and shelter, we want to see…
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Guest Archery post
Our Archery program formally launched in February of this year and has been cruising steadily along with high popularity (for those wondering we're aiming - Hah! - to add a second class in September). Today's post is brought to you courtesy of the Head of the Archery Program, Patricia Gonsalves. She recently returned from…
My Swordfit Bootcamp Experience - Day 3
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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