Swordplay Masterclass

Sometimes finding understanding in the martial arts is like trying to drink by catching raindrops. This is like drinking from a fire hose; the sheer depth of insight into every aspect of the martial art is staggering to experience. If I retain one tenth of the “Eureka!” moments I had in this intensive, I’ll count myself ten times more understanding of the art than before.

When I heard about HEMA, I really wanted to get into it but didn’t know where to start. There are no schools/clubs anywhere near me, and I don’t speak Italian or German, so unless there’s a manuscript in English or Spanish I couldn’t go to the original sources. And there are tons of resources online, but you can tell they’re written by (and for) people who already know what they’re talking about. But then I found Duello, and I’ve been loving it! I’m currently going through one of their “sidesword” courses (which btw includes sword & buckler) and it has been awesome! I still have a lot to learn, but now I have a great way to learning it well. I’m hooked!

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.

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.

At 54 I thought I might have trouble completing and was pleasantly surprised to find my edge. The experienced instructor was able to help me keep going and complete this incredible course. This is by far the best experience I have had with many years of Rapier and plan to continue training so I may inspire more women to partake in their dream to fight with a sword.

Every journey starts with putting one’s feet on the path. This class helped me find the path, chart out what my journey would be. We had excellent guides for the swordplay journey as well as most excellent companions.

I came to the masterclass after spending a couple years with a local club. I felt like I had no true understanding of the art of swordplay. My forms were limited, my free play abysmal, and I felt lost and unorganized. Swordplay masterclass was so well organized. It started from the basics and logically built a platform of knowledge and continued to build onto that. The instructor was very patient, and was able to describe and demonstrate each skill effectively to any learning speed. I feel much more organized and now have a platform to build on from now into the future. The community was very accepting and non-judgmental in their assistance.