This afternoon we finished up our final day of training for the Duelling Arts Rapier Tournament at the Vancouver Club. This is part tournament and part spectacle; a hand picked roster of 8 senior Duello students will be fencing in a series of matches over the course of an evening of fine dining and cocktails, all with a Victorian flare. In amongst Read More …
Last week we began looking at cold performance as part of our training. Your cold performance is the immediate starting level of your body and mind when you first move from a non-martial to martial state. This week we’re looking at the ideas you should consider to prepare your body for high functioning and safe cold performances. Training the Body Read More …
Impulsive reaction is faster than thoughtful responsiveness. There are times when this speed of return can be beneficial. This thought-free reaction to a situation is what allows you to come back with a fast quip, avoid danger by intuiting a dangerous situation before it results, or gives you the emotional energy you need to stand up for yourself when you’re Read More …
This is part of an exploration of Power, Partnership, and Symmetry. In romance so many seek a relationship of balance and symmetry where the needs, interests, and pursuits of both parties match in every way. When courting, a delicate balance is often maintained where each party ventures forth enough to intrigue but fears to offer too much lest they be taken Read More …
This is part of an exploration of Power, Partnership, and Symmetry. Landlords offer property in exchange for fees to pay for it. This is still a partnership; both sides need what the other provides and both truly require mutual respect to be successful, though a landlord may have 10 houses and the tenant only the need for one. Many a landlord Read More …
If you want to imagine your ability to fence as a rating out of 100, it would be impossible to pinpoint an exact score in any kind of meaningful way. To be able to say I’m a 75 and they’re a 70, thus I should be able to defeat them isn’t relevant because its impossible to say where you are Read More …
This is part of an exploration of Power, Partnership, and Symmetry. The relationship between an employer and an employee should truly be a partnership and we should count ourselves fortunate to live in a western society where legal and social structure generally support the ability to approach this relationship as such. Each side provides a needed service to the other. Read More …
Relationship asymmetry is often seen to create a “power-dynamic”. The employer-employee relationship is stated to be one of power where the boss wields power in the imbalanced relationship with the worker. The landlord-tenant relationship is another where what the landlord offers up is different than what is offered on the other side, and again many would tell you a terrible Read More …
Warming up has innumerable benefits. It prepares the body for movement, increases your range of motion which helps prevent injury and increases performance, mentally prepares your technical repertoire, and can be used to set the right psychology for performance. Yet we do not always have the opportunity to warm up before we need to perform and potentially at a very Read More …
It does’t matter how much something costs you to do, you need to consider the value of your time when making your decision to participate. When considering going to a course, instead of simply looking a the courses cost I also factor in my own hourly rate. Will the course be worth that amount of value to me? When giving Read More …