Every now and then I like to return to my books. As a part of the Mastery program there is required reading for each cord rank, so, we all read it at least once. It can be rather confusing at first, and, after that first reading I thought I was done with it. Then,…
Category: Programs
Theatrical Combat without Theatre
It's nice to read inspirational happy stories that encourage you to train harder and feel great. It's also nice to get clear information and details to help your chosen studies. Normally, I try to give you both. Today, I have to draw your attention to bad news. Vancouver Playhouse Closed I saw one of their…
Some Longsword Love - Drills for Longsword Flow
The rapier gets a lot of love around Duello being that it's the foundational weapon of our Mastery Program, but those of you who have advanced to the Red Cord or who are part of the Warrior Program or our Longsword Focus program, or are following along at home through our videos, deserve some attention…
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A Horse in Hand is Worth Two in the Field: catching & haltering
The second item on the Horsemanship Level 1 checklist is: 2. Enter, approach and safely halter horse in stall or paddock There are a myriad of videos out there, but really, you can't do it much better than this little girl: (Just watch to about 1:35 -- it gets a bit chaotic when her sister…
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SLOs: Sword Like Objects
No matter how much fun you're having, foam swords are not swords. Wasters, Foils, and S(word)L(ike)O(objects)s Sword simulators, specifically for longsword and arming/side sword, fall into three categories: wood, synthetic, and steel. There are, of course, some gray areas that don't fall directly into these categories, such as bamboo trainers built around some manner of…
Bartitsu 10-March-2012
This week in Bartitsu Walking stick review: Reverse grip Boxing lesson: Guarding Integration: Being ambushed Please note that future installments of this weekly notice will appear in Duello's weekly newsletter. I recommend all students subscribe to it to keep track of everything happening at Academie Duello. Look for the "Email List Sign Up" on the right side…
Horse Sense and Full-Speed Heavy Combat Training
"There is something about the outside of a horse that's good for the inside of a man." - Winston Churchill Riding & Horsemanship this weekend still has room left! In this series of workshops participants will cover the Horsemanship material needed to progress through the ranks of the Cavaliere Program. Beginners will learn the simple…
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Savate and Purring and Wing Chun
The similarities are striking. Or the kicking. Good writing does not happen through bad puns. Targeting the Shin and Knee The common advice among all practical forms of self-defence regarding kicks is: "Never use high kicks." I hope you've heard that before, so I won't spend too much time explaining the reasoning. The higher the…
Enjoying your training - Part 2
Last week I looked at the benefit of being happy when you're training or as one commenter expressed it: "Always train with a feeling of pleasurable exhilaration." Now lets take a look at a few reasons that get in the way of people enjoying their training: Disconnect from Training or Training Environment I figured…
Off side! Navigating your way around a horse
This is the first in a series of posts that will look at the individual requirements in the Horsemanship stream of the Cavaliere Program, beginning with Level 1. Even if you already have your Horsemanship 1 it is worthwhile reviewing this material, as subsequent levels are all built upon this foundation. The first item on…
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The Chicken Head!!
Take a look at this video.Now take a few moments to get over how bizarre it is... ... ... ... All right, let's move on. As bizarre as it is, the chicken demonstrates an important principle: we can move parts of our body while leaving other parts stationary. The implications of this are pretty big…
Bartitsu 3-March
This week in Bartitsu: 1. Boxing review: Chancery 2. Cane lesson: Reverse grip 3. Integration: Self-defence using strikes See you tomorrow at 3pm!
Boxing on Stage with Sordelet
Here's an excerpt from Ring of Truth: In Studio Theatre’s Sucker Punch, the Sweet Science Is an Art by Chris Klimek Roy Williams’ script sketches most of its fights lightly, using only few words of stage direction. Not until the climactic bout does the 44-year-old British playwright offer a round-by-round prescription of how goes the war.…
Enjoy yourself! Reasons one should savour the learning experience.
What emotion do you experience when you're training or taking a class? Are you aware of it? What's the expression that you have on your face while you're struggling to implement a new technique or honing the precise movements of a cut with a longsword or lunge with a rapier? This may seem like an…
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Red Cords on the Rooftop at Red Colt
First off a huge thanks to those who stayed after Riding & Horsemanship or came out to volunteer for the work party last Sunday. Despite weather that rotated through freezing cold, sunshine, and sudden corn snow, much was accomplished. We got the new shelter up, Michael beat the blackberry jungle into submission, Kirsten, Kat &…
Welcome back!
You've taken a break from class for a little while. There's a few things you can expect. One, you may find that things get easier. A little break every now and then can relax your fencing muscles. But, if you've taken an extended break from classes you may find your perceived abilities are not…
Bartitsu 25-Feb
This week in Bartitsu: Jujitsu review: kick defence into throw, takedowns aided by kicks, sweeps Boxing lesson: chancery and escapes Integration: chancery and other headlocks, chancery takedowns The Introduction to Bartitsu is also happening, which means my ongoing students will warm up by themselves, then we'll merge at 3:15 See you tomorrow at 3pm…
Thursday Drilling Recap: Rapier Collection Drills
Every Thursday I get together with a few of my senior students and we work on drills, sparring exercises, and body mechanics. Generally I have us stick to fairly fundamental exercises. I personally just love working on fundamentals and have found that this is always where the greatest opportunity for improvement lies, no matter…
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