Academie Duello - Centre for Swordplay

The winners of our Knight Camp contest are:

Free Knight Camp:

Gina Pelley
Monica Samuda

$200 OFF Knight Camp:

Melanie Ann
Steve Chester
Megan Vogt

Congratulations! Please send us a direct message here on Facebook to claim your prize. Thank you to everyone who took part in the contest!

Knight Camp Summer starts this Monday, and you can sign up here:

Knight Camp - Swordplay For Youth Welcome to Canada's award-winning Academie Duello’s Knight Camp where youth learn swordplay and knightly skills in a safe environment.

Delaney, Sophie, and Varsh*ta are practicing archery at Duello today!

Cafe Duello got featured on Vancouver Is Awesome ! Check it out:)

Getting medieval: New Vancouver café serves up sips, snacks and swordplay It's more "sword and a scone" than "Sword in the Stone."

Cafe Duello got featured on Vancouver Is Awesome Check it out!

Getting medieval: New Vancouver café serves up sips, snacks and swordplay It's more "sword and a scone" than "Sword in the Stone."

VISS was a huge success! We're so grateful to everyone who attended. It was truly an amazing three days. See you next year!

🗡️ Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium 2024 in Review 🗡️

VISS is a premier event in the Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) community, drawing practitioners and instructors from around the world. This year’s symposium marked the seventh gathering since its inception in 2011, offering a rich blend of instruction, sparring, and discussion at our newly expanded centre in Vancouver, Canada.

From rapier to German longsword, Italian armoured fighting to folk-style wrestling, VISS covered a wide range of European martial arts. Instructors guided students through deadly techniques, historical sporting applications, and everything in between. The event was a tremendous success, and we're already looking forward to next year!

Read Director Devon Boorman's full post about the event on the Path of the Sword blog here: https://pathofthesword.com/vancouver-international-swordplay-symposium-2024-in-review/

Registration for the June 17th to 21st Instructor Intensive in Vancouver, BC has only a couple spots left!

Super-charge your learning and proficiency with an immersive 5-day (50 hour!) experience with some of the world’s most experienced practitioners and instructors of Italian rapier and longsword while developing your ability to be an effective teacher and student.

Advance yourself as a practitioner while equipping yourself with strategies for maximizing skill learning, retention, practice, coaching, and combative integration.

The intensive is open to all levels of experience. Space is limited so grab your spot today!

"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."

Thomas Belloma, Houston Texas

Register Here - https://momence.com/Devon-Boorman/Level-1-Rapier-%26-Longsword-Instructor-Intensive/100321446

We've added delicious smoothies to our menu! Be sure to check them out next time you're at Academie Duello. We've made sure they're all made with super healthy ingredients and taste amazing 🤩

VISS offers a three-day immersive learning experience with focused subjects and engaging workshops. Here's a glimpse into one of the workshops.
Cloaks have been fashion accessories for centuries—a skilled sword fighter’s versatile secondary. Wrapped around an arm, or flung at someone’s face, we will explore various ways in which capes can be used to protect, bind, distract, and enhance your sword fighting.
Based on Italian Renaissance sword fighting, we will spend 90 minutes learning:
- how a cloak defends against thrusts and cuts
- tactical application in how to approach a fight while weaning a cloak
- the "fun" tricks of a cloak fighter

View Matheus’ bio, the full intensive descriptions, and register for VISS at https://www.vancouverswordplay.com/

Cafe Duello is now open! Come enjoy a delicious cup of coffee and a pastry! We also need your help. We’re working hard to perfect the menu at Cafe Duello and we’d love your input. Please share any ideas for beverages (it could be a coffee, smoothie or something more fancy) in the comments. If we decide to add yours to the menu, we’ll give you well-deserved credit!
P.S. Please also think of some cool sword-themed names for those beverages! For example, ‘Capoferrocino’. :)

🗡️ Ready to Master Historical European Martial Arts? 🗡️

Join us at Academie Duello for our Level 1 Instructor Intensive, June 17-21! Dive into 50 hours of immersive training in Italian Longsword and Rapier, designed to elevate your technique and teaching skills.

🛡️ Perfect for enthusiasts eager to learn and experienced practitioners aiming to teach.
🛡️ Gain comprehensive insights into combat mechanics, strategic control, and historical pedagogy.
🛡️ Cap the week with a chance to earn your Apprentice (Green Cord) and Scholar (Blue Cord) ranks.

Spaces are limited—secure your spot now! https://www.academieduello.com/courses/intensive-courses/

VISS is coming up soon! May 24 - 26
Some traditions in southern Italy are distinguished by their use of an alternative lunge mechanic and refused guard in sword & dagger. Commonly nicknamed “the starfish lunge” today, this movement allows for particularly fast and powerful counterattacks.
In this class we’ll learn and practise the four basic guards and the accompanying starfish lunge, as attacks, counterattacks, and defence.
View the full schedule, in-depth intensive and workshop descriptions, and register for VISS at www.vancouverswordplay.com/schedule/.

Congratulations to everyone who finished the level 2 Instructor Intensive last week at Academie Duello!

A group of 7 excellent students from Vancouver and abroad spent 50 hours over one week (!!) studying intermediate and advanced techniques for the rapier and longsword as well as the finer points of how to teach, correct, and coach. Well done all you did an amazing job!

Join us for the next Level 1 Rapier and Longsword Instructor Intensive in June from the 17th to the 21st.

https://www.academieduello.com//courses/intensive-courses/

We have chosen to carry 49th Parallel coffee at Cafe Duello! After many trials and deliberations, it won for it’s amazing flavour and versatility in use. Sign up to Cafe Duello Newsletter: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/QrTIHel

Register for May Beginner Programs!
https://www.academieduello.com/courses/programs/

Meet Travis, our new Café Duello manager and barista! He’s already one of our most celebrated Adventures instructors, so we’re delighted to have him take the reins of the café!
While in film school in 2016, Travis took a couple of beginner swordplay courses at Duello, and since then has been training and trying every weapon on offer. Travis has experience with longsword, rapier, polearms, archery, sidesword & shield, along with wrestling and grappling. Longsword is where his heart lies, and he began instructing Duello’s Beginner Longsword course in early 2021. Inspired by great Arthurian and fantasy heroes, Travis continues to study and add to his skills and repertoire.

It’s the FINAL DAY to get the Early Bird discount for registration for VISS 2024!
Follow this link for details:
https://mailchi.mp/01e7ddcdb22e/last-chance-for-early-bird-pricing

The Spring Program is up!
https://conta.cc/4czlugB
Here you can find the plentiful workshop schedule which is packed this season. You'll also find details about Beginner Courses, Youth Programs and Special Events. Enjoy!

Cafe Duello will be open during the tournament tonight 6pm -9pm. Come over and get a drink on us! :)

We’ve been working hard on our new expansion: Cafe Duello! Mere months ago the space next to Academie Duello was an empty shell, now we’re super close to opening our doors! Refinished floors, counters, lighting, and more!
Sign up to our Cafe Duello Newsletter List!
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/QrTIHel

Sign Up for the April Beginner Courses!
https://www.academieduello.com/courses/programs/

For the past few months, we have been working hard on renovating the space right next door to our studio and building an exciting new project - Cafe Duello! That’s right, we are opening a cafe where we’ll serve pastries, smoothies, coffee, and some really cool and unique beverages (more on that in the future) 🙂 We envision this new space to be a cool hangout spot for the members of our community and anyone else who’d like to come and get a great coffee or a tasty bite. Moreover, the extra space will also serve as an additional studio floor where you’ll be able to take regular classes as well as Adventures. Yes, we are growing!

Soft opening within the next few weeks. We’ll keep you updated.

Please follow Cafe Duello on Instagram!

Something new is coming to Academie Duello!

Last chance to book Spring Break Knight Camp!

Only a few spots left!

Register Here: https://www.academieduello.com/youth/knight-camp-youth-swordplay/

Join us on a journey into chivalry and knightly skills!

Spring Break 2024 Dates

Week 1: March 18

Week 2: March 25

Knight Camp is an award winning adventure day-camp for kids 8-14 lasting five days and focused on the skills of knighthood, from the martial arts of sword & shield, two-handed sword, and staff, to the practice of knightly virtues such as courage and integrity.

Students at Knight Camp learn about history, leadership, heraldry, archery, medieval games and much more. It's a trip into a magical realm of knights, imagination & chivalry.

Our next Level 1 Instructor Intensive is on the calendar and open for registration!!

This is a 50-hour immersive week in the Duello Armizare approach to the arts of Rapier and Longsword at our centre in Vancouver, Canada. If you're interested in training to be a Duello Instructor or just want to level up your sword fighting through an immersive week in martial art join us June 17th to 21st.

Open to all levels of experience.

Full course information and registration here:
https://www.academieduello.com/courses/intensive-courses/