Welcome to DuelloTV – Expert HEMA Instruction

Join thousands of swordplay practitioners from around the world and build your skills from beginner to expert in the arts of the two-handed sword, duelling rapier, sword and shield, polearms, wrestling, and more.

Practice with an instructor with our live online courses, on your own with on demand videos, or start your own study group guided by our training plans. Progress through our ranks, grow your knowledge, develop finesse and power, and gain sparring and teaching skills.

Become a member for FREE now! You’ll receive:

  •   Quick Start courses for the Longsword and Rapier
  •   Daily At-Home Practice Drills
  •   Expert Training Advice Emails
  •   Exclusive Bonus Lessons
  •   Exclusive Offers
Join now to start improving every day!

Train Live and Online!

Combine the best live sword instruction with on-demand access so you don’t miss a thing! Perfect your foundational skills and advanced strategies with live feedback and corrections, and learn something new with different class topics announced every month!

Personalized instruction

Meet live with your class and instructor, receive specific feedback to weekly homework assignments, and join study groups for an entire community of support.

Unique courses

Go beyond the basics with unique classes debuting every month like:

  • Lunging, Leg & Back Strength with Rapier
  • Moving Like the Masters with Sidesword
  • Inviting Your Opponent to Dance with Longsword
  • Deceptive Rapier & Dagger

Purchase a Scholars Live! monthly subscription.

Online Swordplay Courses

Take online swordplay courses that feature video lessons, quizzes, and practice notes. Pick up where you left off anytime and use the courses from any device. Go to the Courses page.

Visit each course’s main page to watch a sample topic.

Course Progression from Fundamentals to Master

Our mastery program builds a foundation of knowledge and proficiency that moves you forward step-by-step, one level progressing to the next. You’ll be lead through a methodical and structured learning experience that will give you a complete understanding of the art of arms.

Provides core vocabulary and techniques. This material will pave the way for long-term study and set you on the path to Mastery. Graduate by showing a basic awareness of mechanics and strategy.
Provides all necessary training in body mechanics and movement, blade control, distance, and timing. Graduate by demonstrating competent mechanical control of body and sword, as well as basic strategic awareness.
Provides expanded repertoire of techniques, and broader utilization of core skills like angle, line, cutting mechanics, timing and proportion. Graduate by demonstrating proficient mechanical ability with competent strategic control of the fight.
Provides further expansion of weapons and scenarios, focusing on timing, tempo, power generation, strategy, and tactics. Graduate by demonstrating excellent mechanical skill and proficient strategies to control the opponent.
  • Martial Prowess Trial
  • Historical Research Trial
  • Community Contribution Trial
Provosts are expected to be mechanically excellent in the system of arms, able to diversely apply its principles with proficiency, and be able to challenge its implementation to build and grow the art. Graduate under the guidance of the Supervising Master. A Provost completes a series of trials in the areas of research, teaching, and martial prowess to achieve their Master level.
Continue Your Journey of Excellence
Masterful in the application of the system of arms, both mechanically and strategically. Able to proficiently apply their skills across all disciplines armed and unarmed. Able to pass the art on to others at a high level and to innovate and grow its practice for the Italian Martial Arts community as a whole.

For the Beginner

We offer progressive, structured, step-by-step instruction in the graceful rapier, powerful longsword, knife, grappling, poleweapons, and more.

Longsword: Cutting down from the right
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Rapier: The mechanics of a lunge
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Sidesword: Making parries against cuts
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Learn more about the weapons and disciplines of HEMA

Becoming an Expert

We’ll help you become a practitioner who can put theory into practice and practice into theory.

From Beginner to Master

Wherever you are in your journey, we’ll help you develop an enviable level of expertise and ability through rigorous programs that help you develop your proficiency while giving you a rich and explicit understanding of the art.

Our Focus is Martial Art

Combative dominance comes through complete martial understanding. We’ll teach you how to move and fight effectively, create training plans, build physical ability, and tactically counter-strategize any opponent.
Advanced Longsword: Countering high guards
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Advanced Sidesword: Feint provocations
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Advanced Rapier: Using forte guards
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You’ll learn not just how to master one discipline but how to master a complete martial art that includes two-handed and single handed swords, polearms, grappling, dagger, knife, and armoured combat.

Who We Are

Devon Boorman

Devon BoormanDevon is a world renowned international instructor and competitor of Historical European Martial Arts. He has been practicing and teaching martial arts for more than 30 years. He is the author of one book and two DVDs on Italian Rapier and Longsword; and he is the Co-founder, Director and Master Instructor of Academie Duello Centre for Swordplay in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Greg Reimer

Greg ReimerGreg Reimer has been studying Italian martial arts since 2006, and has taught over 5,500 hours of unarmed, dagger, rapier (and secondaries), sidesword & buckler, longsword, pole weapons and mounted combat. As Director of Swordfight Canada he has travelled across Western Canada and into Washington State to meet, teach and enjoy sparring with others.
Swordplay and the Lost Art of Knighthood
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Description
The art of swordplay is on the rise we can all be dancers, swordsmen and movers without being incredibly strong or typically athletic. Self-confessed former ‘gangly youth’ Devon Boorman tells us how sword fighting allowed him to bridge the gap between athlete and intellectual. Devon Boorman worked in a variety of jobs before finding his calling as the Master Instructor and Director of Academie Duello, the world’s largest centre for the practice of European swordplay and martial arts. For the past 12 years, he and his instructors have been working to revive the lost arts of the knight and nobles, including mastery of both hand to hand and mounted combat, as well as archery and wrestling. He’s currently exploring the nexus between physical and spiritual empowerment. He believes that through the exploration and mastery of movement, we can find mastery in the broader internal and external aspects of our lives. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

Our Values

Love is the action of putting others ahead of oneself. As an individual, one seeks to better the people around them in every way. As a community, we constantly lift each other up to higher levels of humanity and the potential we possess to be our collective best.

Honesty is the search for truth and all things essential. It is the acceptance of facts. It is the awareness and avoidance of self-deception. As an individual one searches out the core elements of existance. As a community, we speak and act in ways that mirror our desire for humility and goodness to rule.

Learn more as Maestro Devon Boorman talks about Duello’s vision for the art, the values, and the journey of martial arts mastery.

Duello Mastery: Our Arts
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Duello Mastery: Our Values
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Duello Mastery: the Journey
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Duello Mastery: Requirements
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Duello Mastery: Stages
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Testimonials

Devon Boorman has designed a fantastic curriculum that will satisfy the most curious and technical fencers. The course focuses on important mechanics in great detail and covers strategies in fighting. Perhaps the most important, you’ll be taught how to become a better learner and accelerate your own training and studies as well as your friends’ and students’ if you are or wish to become a teacher.

My experience changed the way I approach the art. Putting aside all of the physical and sword skills that I learned in this intensive, I feel that I learned how to learn, and I feel much more confident moving forward in my training now.

I’m absolutely surprised by the amount of material that was covered, by how much I improved in 5 days, and by the amount of the information my brain retained. The intensive was very well thought out, professional, and quickly gave you a feeling of belonging. I would definitely recommend it to anyone at any skill level. Why? A full week of nothing but focus on swordplay.

Training in such a deliberately and explicitly safe and respectful environment had a profound impact on me. Devon’s superb care, respect and professionalism in all our interactions helped me grow as a person and an instructor. The intensive format made for a unique and profound life-learning experience that I would absolutely recommend to any practitioner. Thank you.

I learn and improve not only in swordplay but with some introspection, about myself too – how I respond to certain situations, how I cope, how I interact, improving self-esteem, improving tolerance and patience, respect, discipline and so much more.

Bev T.

Devon Boorman does not simply teach you a martial art but also HOW he teaches a martial art. It is in this way he stands above the rest and brings an immeasurable value to the Intensive course that will enrich and renew one’s appreciation for this noble martial practice for a life time. In the simplest form, He is teaching people HOW to fish.

Academie Duello

Academie Duello Centre for Swordplay has served thousands of students in Vancouver, BC, Canada since 2004.

Academie Duello has one of the most complete and expertly constructed swordplay curriculums in the world providing a proven program that takes students from beginners to masters. Since 2004 more than 10,000 students have taken courses at Academie Duello, and many of those students have gone on to form satellite schools and study groups in cities all over the world. Visit Academie Duello.