This week in Bartitsu:1. Review of Boxing: straight punches, dynamic motion 2. Jujitsu Lesson: entry to standing holds 3. Integration: chancery and escapes See you at 3pm!
Category: Programs
The Versatile and Deadly Umbrella
On Sunday, one of our most popular workshops debuts for the new year. Here's a smattering of what we'll learn: Fairburn-Style Javelin-Style The London Riots (no laughing matter... feel free to chuckle, though): Penguin-Style (not Linux, you geeks!) Batman: Umbrella Attack (Flash game) http://dcbeyond.kidswb.com/games/umbrella-attack Poppins-Style If you can find one, I'd recommend the Poppins, which…
On the path of mastery; savour the plateau.
Last week I posted about the 10,000 hours it takes to master an activity and how you must savour the journey and not the destination. One of the biggest challenges that people face in putting in their 10,000 hours of mastery is the feeling of the plateau in learning. Where you don't feel like you're…
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English or Western, part II
Last week we looked at the relative merits English and Western saddles. This week we're looking at the much thornier issue of reining style. It's one of the hardest adjustments to make when switching from one type of riding to the other, and proponents of each will often argue fiercely against the other. In dressage,…
Connect the dots
Today's topic: where to make adjustments. This is one of my big secrets; you're in for a treat. One of the novice fencer's greatest challenges is getting used to the posture. Toes and knees tend to point every which way other than the way they're supposed to face. I chalk this up to the…
Fantasy and Practical Stage Armour
Armour serves two purposes, as does most clothing: protection and fashion. On stage and in film, if you can see the armour, it's for fashion, and if you can't, then it's for protection. The Illusion of Practicality From the blindingly reflective plate on Zeus to the leather scraps on orcs, armour should match the character…
Mastering an activity - Putting in your 10,000 hours
Malcolm Gladwell in his book Blink states that it takes approximately 10,000 hours at an activity to master it. So if you commit one hour a day to practicing an activity, it's going to take you 10,000 days to find mastery, or about 27 years. Woah, that's a lot of years. Fortunately we can probably…
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English or Western?
I'm often asked why we use English saddles in our Cavaliere program. After all, doesn't the western saddle, with it's high pommel and cantle, better mimic the shape of the medieval jousting saddle? Isn't it easier for beginners to stay secure in the embrace of all that extra leather? The short answer to both these…
Do your homework!
You've all heard it (well, those of you attending class).Homework abounds at Academie Duello. Every rank in the Mastery program was assigned homework for the month of January. The homework we've assigned has two specific qualities simple: it can be explained easily in a sentence or two quick: it doesn't take long to do; about…
Bartitsu 7-Jan
Happy New Year, Bartitsuka, This week, we'll be looking at: 1. Review of cane from before the holidays: Lang's techniques 2. Savate lesson: combinations and slow work 3. Integration: Staying at long range, creating distance See you at 3pm!
Cavaliere 2012
What's up in the next few months in the Mounted Combat Program? Riding & Horsemanship Our next series of Riding & Horsemanship classes begin Sunday January 15th. These classes are for all levels and cover the information needed to progress through our Horsemanship levels, followed by a minimum 30 minute Riding session to help you…
New Year's Resolutions for Fencing - A Review of the Slight Edge
Over the winter holiday I have been reading a book on the subject of personal mastery called The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson. It is a good and relevant read for those interested in mastering fencing (and not just because of the title!) or really any type of new year's resolution or goal you might…
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Google maps next update
Merry Christmas!Where ever you happen to be, grab something sword-y. A pencil will do, or a stick, or a toothbrush, just about anything will do. Point it down to the ground and then cut a montante. What did you think about? Some possible answers moving to guardia alta moving the sword up cutting a montante…
A Game of Dark Knights Should Set, Not Rise.
Well, it falls out that the only thing I should write about on this quiet Thursday is the recently released second installment of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. I'm not looking forward to the rest of this article, or the fallout it may generate. It's a dangerous game. I'll change directions often, sometimes in response…
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Horsey Holiday Fun
A mixed bag of (sometimes barely) equine related frivolity for you this week: Bronies Seriously? When I heard this interview on Q a couple of weeks ago I had to do a reality check to make sure it wasn't actually April 1st. But apparently there's a sub-culture of twenty-something guys who watch My Little Pony…
Solo Insights
I've gained some insights lately, specifically in longsword play that I thought I'd share. These all came from self-diagnosis, which is crucial for learning and is best done during your practice sessions when you can direct your own exercises. First, credit goes to Sean Hayes, Devon and Roland for their individual contributions and to me…
Bartitsu 17-Dec
This week in Bartitsu: Review of jujitsu: basic throws and evasions Cane Lesson: Lang's exercises from high guard, preemptive strike to head Integration: preemptive strike to back heel throw and variants See you at 3pm!
Stage Combat Priorities 3: Storytelling is Not a List of Events, Stupid
We all know that stage combat's first priority is safety, as we learned in Safety...Boring. We also know that many actors like stage combat classes because they learn cool-looking flourishes and how to look like a bad-a__ which we explored last time in Style and Expertise. Both of these are in service of our main…
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