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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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…
The quick release knot is item #4 on your Horsemanship Level 1 checklist. There are several methods of tying a quick release knot, and your instructor will teach you the most simple method. For your assessment we don't mind which one you use as long as it tightens when the horse pulls back releases smoothly…
Let's start with an analogy, not only because I have faith that my readers understand analogies, but also because you're guaranteed to understand this one: Jedi is to lightsabre as Steampunk is to Bartitsu Jedi don't have to use lightsabres (in fact, I'm surprised there aren't more who eschew them), it's just appropriate and therefore…
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…
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.…
Yesterday while teaching a private session one of my students brought in an old book of stretches and stretching routines and asked which ones were best for swordplay. The book she brought is an excellent resource and I snapped a couple pics of one routine to pass along on the blog (the book itself is unfortunately…
On March 1st we will be launching a new Academie Duello website: Duello.TV. This is the evolution of the Academie Duello learning channelon youtube, that we have been experimenting with over the past 6 months. This will be a subscription based online fencing academy that will give users access to a library of organized lessons…
Academie Duello has the honour of being featured in a documentary by filmmaker Tatiana Balashova that will be screened at the upcoming Women in Film festival at the Vancity Theatre on March 10th. From their program: ARTE, ARDORE, ONORE: THE WORLD OF SWORDPLAY | 10:00 mins 2011, Canada, directed by Tatiana Balashova Arte,…
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…
The overall goal of stage combat, as we discussed in episode 0: The Illusion of Violence, is creating a violent scene that is safe for the actor and believable to the audience in the context of the show. Last time, we broke down some of the ways in which our first priority, Safety, plays out…
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Another combination of my favourite subjects: stage combat and Edwardian self-defense. To add "...and ladies" would have been very sexist, why would you think I'd say something so rude? Oh yeah, the title of this article. Let me just say at the outset that women tend to be more concerned with personal safety than men…
@octaypus forwarded along a very cool diagram of the evolution of swords, looking primarily at their hilts and grips, throughout the centuries. It is a very cool diagram that I felt was worth passing along. Ahh the display we could make with just a few more swords in our museum!