How to Get Started in HEMA: Find a Group
Historical European Martial Arts are one of the most rapidly growing parts of the Martial Arts world with new groups, sites, and schools opening up al…
Dimensions of Mastering the Art
When you attend classes through Academie Duello you learn a system of fencing, an art, and you learn that system through a particular methodology.
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Dealing with Criticism
"To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." - Elbert HubbardPutting yourself out into the world is …
Tumbling Down the “Why” Hole
Why do you practice martial arts? If it's for fun, once you've achieved a good level of fun, why seek to get better? If it's to win, why does winning …
Pursue Your Art Your Way
Do you like to put on full protective gear and really feel the rush or high intensity combat? Or, do you simply like the feel of the sword in your han…
Growing HEMA in Istanbul
This past weekend I was teaching in Istanbul, Turkey, a city that was arguably the centre of the western world at one time. It is a city steeped in bo…
An Amazing Swordplay Weekend in Italy
A little more than a week ago I was arriving in Italy to the sala of Roberto Gotti for a special gathering of swordsmen called Giocatore. This was a w…
The Pedestal: What We Expect From Our Teachers
I have come to wonder if placing our teachers on pedestals is about elevating them, or if it's really about lowering and restricting ourselves. Elevat…
Reading and Writing Strategies for Class Learning
If you feel that you learn best by reading or writing, you are not alone. For many these are the learning skills that they've had the most practice wi…
Kinesthetic Learning: Effective Doing and Feeling
Luis Preto gave a wonderful analogy in the instructor section of his Jogo do Pau level 1 instructor semina…
Strategies for Auditory Learning
At the end of a workshop delivered by Guy Windsor this past weekend, Guy asked all of his students "Did you have every opportunity to get what you wan…
Strategies for Visual Learning
Understanding your strongest and weakest learning styles can be a useful and il…
Being an Empowered Learner: Know Your Learning Style
Your learning is only based partly on the effectiveness of your teacher. It is largely based on your own personal effectiveness as a learner. Good tea…
There’s More to HEMA than Tournaments
I have fought in a lot of tournaments, and for a while that was what really lit my fire when it came to Western Martial Arts. There was a certain attr…
How Do You Foster Safety In Martial Arts?
Though safety may seem boring, uncool, or like an unnecessary consideration, it is a vital foundation for pursuing excellence in martial arts in both …
The Pursuit of Learning Should Not Be Partisan
It is easy to fall into the idea that there are right ways and wrong ways, true ways and false ways. If your group does things one way, if you've inve…
Keeping the “Martial” in Martial Art
These days there is very little impetus to end up in a duel with sharp swords, or even a true in-earnest fist fight on the street. In fact, I'm quite …
Walking the Path – Reflections on VISS 2017
"At their heart, martial arts are a solitary path. No one can walk that path for you."
I'm paraphrasing one of many great bits of wisdom shared by …
5 Martial Arts Conference Survival Strategies
This coming weekend is the Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium in Vancouver. This is a three …
30-for-30 Swordplay Challenge in Review
At the end of January we finished up the fourth 30-for-30 Swordplay Challenge. The Facebook group this year had over 250 members with reports coming f…
How to Connect with the Historical in HEMA
I began my practice of European arts without any personal connection to its original historical sources. My real connection was to movies and stories …
Structuring Your Solo Practice
Not everyone has the luxury of being able to regularly attend classes at a school like Academie Duello or get together with regular training partners.…
The Halfway Hump
We are at the halfway point in the 30-for-30 Swordplay Challenge! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can learn more about this 30-day swo…
30-for-30 Swordplay Challenge 2017
It's time for the 30-for-30 Swordplay Challenge—2017!
The Challenge
Practice 30 minutes of swordplay per day for 30 days starting January…
2016 DTV Year in Review
Greetings members, students, and friends of DuelloTV!
This time of year is always a time of reflection on the year past and the year to come. As wi…
Swordplay On Your Break, or a Break from Swordplay?
We just finished our last curriculum week for the year at Academie Duello. It will be two weeks before we're back onto our regular program, and depend…
Humble Beginnings: How To Start a Sword Fighting School
Academie Duello started in August 2004 at a defunct outdoor skating rink in the heart of downtown Vancouver, Canada. The space cost us nothing, other …
Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium
It's back! The fourth Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium! February 17th to 19th,…