Academie Duello Museum Tour
Devon Boorman leads an exploration of the 13 swords displayed in the Arms & Armour museum at Academie Duello.
All Rapier & Dagger Guards in Refused | RA Bonus
In this lesson Devon brings you through all of the rapier and dagger positions and the secret to understanding how to form them with the dagger side extended (refused postures). This is a system for analyzing opponents, analyzing your own invitations and opportunities, and exploring what is fundamentally possible and tactically advantageous, whether dagger or sword leading.
Armoured Combat - Entering with Blows
Devon shares how even against armour a few good strikes with the longsword can be useful. This is a fun sequence to explore in solo or partner practice.
Armoured Combat - High Serpent
In this mini-lesson Devon explores one of the more esoteric guards of the armoured fighting system, the High Serpent.
Armoured Combat: Guard of the Archer
Devon shares a couple of techniques from this guard that may surprise you and will certainly surprise your opponents with their power and more importantly their control.
Armoured Poste Assalto with Partner | LS Bonus
Devon brings viewers through the armoured assalto with a partner demonstrating how each part can be done in a martial context.
Armoured Poste Solo Assalto | LS Bonus
In this mini lesson Devon teaches the armoured guard assalto.
Armoured Six Poste Progression | LS Bonus
A mini lesson on the progression of the 6 armoured guards as well as how they connect with the 12 poste progression.
At-home Training Sword | LS Bonus
In this lesson Devon shows two at-home training tools and how best to use them to work mobility, edge alignment and body engagement in small training spaces.
A Tactical Breakdown of Marozzo’s First Assault - Part 5
Attack Where The Hands Will Be
In this clip I share some tips on where the high level action really is in hitting hands — and at the technical best, using hand hits as a way to open up deeper targets.
Battling unfair comparisons
Nearly all forms of outside comparison are demotivating. Get students to focus on goals they can control—those that come from their own efforts and not comparison to others.
Bauman Fechtbuch Flip-through
A beautiful reproduction of the Bauman Fechtbuch, an historical fight book produced by HEMA Bookshelf.
Body Mechanics, Footwork, and Weight Shifting
A beautiful crossover lesson that relates how the ideas for weight transfer in dance are excellent for building greater fluidity in your swordplay movement.
Bonus: Sidesword and the Offhand
In this bonus Devon describes how the closed and open positions of the rapier and dagger are varied when using the shorter sidesword.
Cafe Duello Intro Tour Reel
Changing Step Entry
Devon shares how to use the changing step with a series of four cuts. The first two are used to draw an opponent into a bind, and the second two to clear the bind and set up your attack or next intention.
Collection to Defeat the Counter-cut (LSW-230 1-3)
Make posta longa resistant to an opponent's pressure by meeting their resistance with structure
Dagger Intro and Flow
Devon introduces us to the rondel dagger and the targeting for attacks, along with some background info on the weapon.
Dance with the Sword | LS Bonus
In this short lesson Devon shares a simple way to begin to develop the feeling of how to send your sword out with power and lightness. Then how to proceed from there toward greater complexity and dexterity in your swordwork. Taken from the Swordplay Masterclass (swordplaymasterclass.com).
Deconstruction-Reconstruction | LS Bonus
Breaking down combat actions and outcomes
Disarm Game
It is the abstraction from combat that makes it valuable and opens you up to greater innovation and exploration. Make sure to keep it slow and relaxed. Use position and angle instead of force to find your disarms.
Disarms: Two-handed Inside Line
Dominant Hand Switch | LS Solo
Changing your lead hand from left to right and back again
Dual Wielding Mini Lesson - Protecting Your Hands
When your weapons are extended (whether that is two swords, or a single longsword) your hands are closer to the opponent and an easier, lower commitment target. In this mini-lesson with two swords I demonstrate three ways to protect your hands when dual wielding and use an opponent’s attacks to your hands to your advantage.
Exchanging Blows with Rapier
Tessitura is a great rapier game that allows you to work up a sweat while you build essential skills like finding, gaining, and blade control along with practicing lunges, recovery, and movement skills.
Feint by Stramazzone
This clip explores feint via stramazzone with even more depth. Here you’ll learn how to create this feint from all four directions with both the longsword (in two hands) and the sidesword (in one hand).
Finestra Recovery, Exit, Counter (LSW-050 9-10)
Every time that a partner is practicing defending, you can be practicing recovery. The secret is to manage your level of commitment so that you can hit but can also recover.
Fiore's Common Spear Fencer
In this clip from the Fiore Spear Master Class Devon demonstrates the action of the "common fencer" who is wielding the spear against Fiore's masters. He then shows how Fiore's counter master follows from the common fencer play.
Foundations: Duello Armizare Theory
In this lecture Devon brings you through the foundational theory and vocabulary of swordplay within Duello Armizare and renaissance Italian fencing in general. A great primer for those wanting to dive a little deeper into the building blocks of the art.
Foundations of Half-swording
In the video here, Devon walks us through the foundations of half-swording and discusses the opponent's face as a target, even when armored.
Giving Better Student Feedback
There’s a simple process to follow when giving feedback to a student. In this Q&A question I go through this simple three step process and give a little additional advice.
Guards of the Sidesword
This form brings you through all 17 positions we use, in a way that is memorable and useful. In the detailed mini-lesson Devon names all the guards and give you other historical names and references along the way.
High Quality Disengage | SS Bonus
In this lesson I break down the fundamental rules of a great disengage. I teach these principles with a Sidesword but they are universal to the longsword and rapier as well.
Hitting and Protecting the Hands - Full Lecture
Ideas on protecting and hitting the hands as well as some deeper topics about whether hand hits are martially effective or should even be allowed in modern sparring at all.
How to Start a Sword Fight | LS Bonus
Three ways to help bridge the gap between out-of-measure into the space where you can control their weapon, create safety and maximize good opportunities to attack.
Improve Through Directed Sparring
Devon discusses the definition of Directed Sparring, and covers the use of focused games and scenarios, sparring with specific (limited) roles, and alternative winning outcomes.
Interpreting Manuals
The process of reading through and integrating instruction from historical manuals.
Introduction to Falling
This is a solo based lesson that will help you start to develop the strength, resilience, and coordination required to fall safely in partner exercise. This is ideal for those who have never practiced falling before or those who intend to teach falling to beginners.
Intro to Rondel Daggers
Devon shares the form, function, and history of the rondel dagger, and shows off a reproduction that will give you a sense of just how scary these long knives are!
Italian Rapier Lunge Mechanics - Right & Wrong
Note that many of these are true for sidesword, longsword, and spear. Watch these videos and see if any of these look familiar.
Learning to Protect Your Hands
A clip from a recent Scholars Live lecture covers the fundamentals of how to get good at protecting your hands from attack and some of the fundamentals you should practice.
Longsword Games & Scenarios
Sparring games and scenarios are a way to bring more focus to your open practice without the rigidity of drills
Longsword Sparring - Hits & Tempos
In this series of longsword bouts between M. Devon Boorman and FS Ben Davis, each tempo and opportunity is slowed down and captioned to help you understand what these moments look like.
Longsword Strategy Against the Rapier: Controlling Measure
Devon shares some useful footwork that you can use to tease the edge of your opponent’s measure and lure even a clever opponent into making a mistake that will allow you to clear their sword and enter.
Longsword vs Rapier - Full Workshop
In-depth instruction, drills, and exercises on all 10 strategies. In this workshop you’ll learn how to keep the rapier free, lure the longsword opponent into playing your game, and protect yourself when everything goes wrong.
Longsword vs Sidesword: Poke, Peek, Pop!
Allow the sword & buckler fighter to blind themselves momentarily with their own buckler, then strike as they move it to recover their sight.
Longsword vs Sword & Buckler: Falso Impuntato
This technique is actually applicable to both longsword and sidesword and involves turning the sword so you can cast the point of the sword behind the defense of an opponent.
Luring and the Disarm Game
with Maestro Devon Boorman and Guru Mark Mikita
Making Disarms Work
Guru Mark Mikita shares disarms with Maestro Devon Boorman, as well as his thoughts on what makes them work and how to counter them. What Mark has to offer is relevant to all weapon martial arts.
Marozzo's First Assault of Sword & Buckler - Fast and Slow
Assaults are excellent for solo practice and to learn tactical concepts for partnered work and sparring.
Marozzo's First Assault of Sword & Buckler - Slow and Fast
Devon Boorman demonstrates Achille Marozzo's First Assault of Sword & Buckler (1536) with two levels of intensity. First slowly then with higher intensity and speed.
Marozzo Spadone 2nd Assault, Part 2
In Part 2 we begin to explore the transition between the cut and the thrust and introduce a type of circular beat called a tramazoncello.
Meyer Square - Single Sword
This pattern from Joachim Meyer’s 1570 fight book is a training tool for practicing various combinations of cuts. It is quite popular amongst the modern HEMA set and can provide some useful exercises for solo practice.
Offering Correct Resistance to your Training Partner, Part 1
In this section from my January 2022 workshop at the Chicago Swordplay Guild (CSG) Devon walks through both the essential qualities for winning any bind, and also how to get your training partners to give you the resistance you need to make your technique truly effective.
Offering Correct Resistance to your Training Partner, Part 2
When "helpful" resistance is no longer helpful!
Parrying with Tucked Arms | LS Bonus
Exploring the time needed to cover an attack, using the withdrawn arms to cut an arc that intercepts the oncoming attack with leverage, and increasing the speed of the riposte.
Partisan Solo Form Mini-Lesson
Get started with this awesome and straightforward solo-form video that teaches the basic attacks, defenses, and postures used for partisan.
Paul Wagner - Development of English Arts
A wide-ranging conversation with Paul Wagner about the development of both weapons and martial arts in England and the British Isles in general.
Paul Wagner: Full Interview
Paul and Devon explore the differences in development of English and Italian martial arts, primary differences between English martial arts and their contemporaries, and so much more.
Perceiving Fast as Slow - Full Lecture
Devon covers each of the five points including how to train to reduce your stress and up your combat IQ, how to develop the right kind of speed drills, and how to tactically control your opponents.
Physical Conditioning
Physical conditioning is the first martial technique. You need a good physical foundation upon which to build your skills, drive increased performance and reduce your risk of injury.
Pifalls: Incorrect Knee Alignment
A clip from the Teaching Skills workshop sharing vital tips on how to protect your knees through simple proprioceptive guides.
Pitfalls: Avoiding Improper Grip
How to identify and avoid wrist strain with longsword and sidesword.
Pitfalls: Structural Errors
Eliminating shoulder and elbow pain in your training.
Protecting your Hands | SS Bonus
In this short clip you will learn the reason hands get hit, four keys to a safe parry, and two ways to yield to your opponent’s pressure and close distance safely.
Providing Resistance CSG
An exerpt from a workshop for the Chicago Swordplay Guild at Forteza Fitness where we explored how to effectively give your partner good resistance.
Rapier Footwork Ladder | RA Bonus
Holding posture while making quick steps.
Rapier Games & Scenarios
Sparring games and scenarios are a way to bring more focus to your open practice without the rigidity of drills
Rapier Sparring - Hits & Tempos
In this series of rapier bouts between M. Devon Boorman and FS Ben Davis, each tempo and opportunity is slowed down and captioned to help you understand what these moments look like.
Rapier vs Longsword - #5 Yielding
Two techniques to give you confidence to close the distance against the longsword fighter.
Rotella Ribbon Cut
Devon introduces some tips for handling a Rotella and the way to properly simulate the actions with a buckler.
Roverso Fendente Mechanics
This lesson on cutting a full blow from your offside (roverso fendente) touches on every part of fluid mechanics. You’ll learn how to effectively use the lever of the sword’s handle to generate greater initial power, follow the blow with your hips and feet, and smoothly transition between blows from the right and left.
Scaling Speeds (LSW-050 10.4)
Use different sparring speeds to focus on various aspects of swordplay training. Taken from the Longsword Fundamentals III course.
Scanatura with Sword and Buckler
A mini-lesson on the spiralling transport known as the "scanatura". Learn how to use the scanatura to strike high after a low parry or capture and transport an opponent when they try to thrust around your defense.
Secrets of the Counter Thrust | SS Bonus
In this lesson Devon discusses the three advantages necessary for defeating the opponent's thrust and safely delivering one of your own.
Sidesword vs Longsword: Using the shield to control the hands
Using the buckler to parry and constrain the hands of the Longsword fighter.
Solo Play Building | LS Bonus
In this lesson Devon walks step-by-step through how to use solo play building to develop skills in visualization and sequencing.
Spadone: 2nd Assault, Part 1
Devon presents the first part of Marozzo's second assault of Spadone in a step-by-step instruction:
1. Falso dritto; 2. Falso manco; 3. Tondo to the thigh, Guardia d'intrare; 4. Hanging parry; 5. Feint; 6. Ridoppio to the arms; 7. Cover the sword; 8. Tondo to clear, Guardia d'intrare
1. Falso dritto; 2. Falso manco; 3. Tondo to the thigh, Guardia d'intrare; 4. Hanging parry; 5. Feint; 6. Ridoppio to the arms; 7. Cover the sword; 8. Tondo to clear, Guardia d'intrare
Stretto vs Largo: Stringere of the Quadrants
Devon breaks down how to constrain each quadrant and take control of the fight. Learn how to shut down an opponent’s direct attacks and how to counter their attempts to clear your blade.
Striking In The Right Moment
Devon breaks down the four key opportunities that you can take from an opponent in every sword fight through a short form.
SuperBrain! with Scaling Speeds | LS Bonus
Provost Greg Reimer uses a metronome to teach the the Five Scaling Speeds (plus a bonus sixth!)
Sword & Buckler Cutting Rose
This elegant sword cutting pattern focuses on the preparations of the sword as well as how to navigate around the buckler in gioco largo.
Sword and Buckler Positions | SS Bonus
In this video Devon goes through the three positions of the buckler that accommodate cutting around it with the sidesword. All of this builds up to a pattern of cutting a downward X over and under the shield arm.
The Fundamentals of Disarms
with Maestro Devon Boorman and Guru Mark Mikita
The Theory of Wide and Narrow Play
In this video, Devon breaks down three definitions of gioco—from foundational to strategic—to help you recognize where you are in a fight and what to do next.
Three Components of Tempo
Three ways to view the concept of tempo and how to use it in your swordplay.
Three Drilling Errors | LS Bonus
Devon breaks down three common mistakes you might be making when you drill, and how to correct them and train more effectively.
Three Stages of Deception | SS Bonus
In this lesson Devon shows how to manipulate a feint at three different stages based on the jumpiness of your opponent.
Throw and Counter Throw - Clip
In this lesson Devon shares how to effectively enter when halfswording to conduct a throw, as well as the consequence of not breaking your opponent’s structure when you do—a pretty awesome counter that works in armour and out.
Training with Limited Equipment
How to get by when you have minimal training equipment available to you. This is a problem that many groups face if they’re in areas of the world where HEMA equipment is hard to import or expensive to acquire.
Two-Sword: Defending in Unified Guards
In this lesson clip Devon demonstrates the use of unified "shape-based" guards to defend high and low on on side. Using guardia d'intrare and guardia di faccia Devon demonstrates how a single shape defends against all attacks on one side with minimal adjustment.
Two-Sword Basic Guard and Guard Change
Devon shares a few important rules and shows them in Guardia d’Intrare (the entering guard) on the right and left. Then he demonstrates a simple exercise for moving between them.
Two-Sword Cut & Thrust Pattern
In this clip Maestro Boorman shares a fundamental cutting and thrusting pattern to two swords as well as the finer points of how to appropriately order your attacks so that you never leave your opponent an opportunity to strike.
Two-Swords: Thrusting in Guarda d'Intrare
In this clip Devon demonstrates how to use closed Intrare as a means to gain and thrust against an opponent's weapon proactively or as a counter-thrust, including some tips on how to use the false edge and the advantage of crossing in a way that is incredibly strong.
Two Sword Exercise: Supporting & Cutting
In this clip Devon demonstrates how to cover and control with one sword while cutting with the other on the inside and outside.
Two Swords: Cutting the Meyer Square
In the two sword version the cutting sword is cutting the specified path while the covering sword is making the matching guard position (high or low) based on whether the cutting sword is ending its path in a high or low position.
Two Swords Pattern | SS Bonus
Thrusting pattern using two swords to both threaten and cover two lines at once.
Two Swords vs Two Sticks
Devon shares some interesting context on how the use of double sword and double stick differs from each other, and why.
Vine Disarms with Stick and Rapier
with Maestro Devon Boorman and Guru Mark Mikita
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DTV Subscription – Scholars Live! Month-to-month $109/mo or
DTV Subscription – Scholars Live! 3-Month Term $99/mo.
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