Swordplay Masterclass

Academie Duello’s instructor intensive gives a glimpse into a well-established, highly developed curriculum of swordplay as a martial art. I learned systematic learning and teaching techniques that will provide me and my study group with a path to continuous improvement as martial artists. The best part about it was spending a week at such an amazing, passionate and welcoming school.

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.

This an excellent deep dive into a practice of the longsword. Whether you’re new to swordsmanship, an experienced martial artist looking to pick up a new proficiency or just want to pursue a physical historical topic that can be acquired academically and athletically this MasterClass will serve you well. There is truly something for every level of interest in this course. The pacing is challenging and engaging at the same time, and with a flexible timeframe that encourages the practitioner to advance at a reasonable, self-driven pace. The masterclass teaches not only how to use this particular historical weapon, but how to create a path toward excellence that can be applied to any endeavor. These weeks have been time and money well spent!

This course covers a LOT of material, and makes you realise there’s so much farther to go on the path toward mastery; but the beauty is that you can see the structure of the system, and the instructional tools are things you can take away in order to teach yourself and others.

For me the videos were incredibly useful. In my area there are no longer any sort of fencing clubs other than the occasional SCA group. The videos provide an incredibly useful resource that I find far more engaging than studying the various manuscripts on my own.

I signed up because I’m so novice in the art that I felt like I didn’t have the tools to train alone. Being a novice, it did seem intimidating to be joining a mastery-oriented community – but having completed the program, I can’t even imagine a past version of myself not taking that step into the unknown. I’m now immersed in swordplay, I have access to a community that I feel comfortable within, despite being an enormously reticent person, and I have a rich training plan that includes multiple options and directions – forms, partner work, historical source study, recapping the basics… I’ve acquired a solid grounding in the verbal, physical and mental vocabulary of swordplay, and I also know where to turn for continuing guidance.

This is exactly the class a practitioner or future instructor needs. It lays out a training plan, but more importantly enables you to generate them for yourself and assist others in doing so. As always, the Academie Duello instructional team and curriculum are excellent.

The Instructor Intensive was an amazing experience. It gave me the opportunity to hone my skills and learn a new weapon, all the while teaching me both the ideas behind how we learn martial skills and how I can further my own training. I highly recommend it to anyone who wishes to not only learn the art, but learn how to make themselves better at the art.