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This past week I had the pleasure of teaching a two-day workshop at Signum Corvus in Mississauga, Ontario. Led by the passionate and principled Nick Bauer, this school blends reverence for tradition with a living, evolving martial spirit. It was a joy to teach such an engaged and capable group of students both from Signum…
Devon Boorman ·
When you step into a fight, how do you decide what to do first? Do you press in aggressively, or do you stay at a safe distance and probe for openings? The answer isn’t just about personal style—it’s about reading your opponent, understanding their tendencies, and recognizing the space between you. Wide and Narrow One…
Devon Boorman ·
One of the most interesting things about Historical European Martial Arts is that original teachings of masters from the 14th to 17th centuries are available to us as students and practitioners to read. One of the challenges is that these old fight books are usually written in languages you don’t know and using conventions you…
Devon Boorman ·
When working with two weapons the biggest mistake is to try to manage them independently from one another. This type of divided attention forces you to rapidly switch between one weapon and the other increasing your cognitive load and slowing your response time. This makes it easier for an opponent to isolate one of your…
Devon Boorman ·
A week ago I returned from the Western Martial Arts Workshop (WMAW) in Racine, Wisconsin. I have been honoured to be a part of this event for the past 15 years and this year was a special one. This year featured workshops, deeds of arms, engaging discussions, swordy hijinks, skillful demonstrations and more. It was…
Devon Boorman ·
About 300 kilometers (186 miles) south of Taipei is the tropical beach city of Tainan. Known for its good food, vibrant night markets, and richly mixed cultural heritage. Tainan was the first landing and settlement site for the Dutch presence on the island of Taiwan (known to them as Famosa Island) in the 17th century.…
Devon Boorman ·
I’ve just returned from a month working with students and instructors across the middle kingdom in Fuzhou, Nanjing, Chongqing, and Beijing. China is one of the fastest-growing hotbeds of European Martial Arts in the world. In this post I’m excited to share some of the highlights from my trip both as a tourist in these…
Devon Boorman ·
The Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium (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 the newly expanded Academie Duello Centre for…
Devon Boorman ·
Among the foundational concepts in Italian Swordplay is "tempo," a term that extends beyond mere timing to encompass the rhythm, opportunity, and decision-making critical to combat. A good fighter can see these critical moments, match the rhythm of an opponent, provoke predictable action, and then strike or seize control based on that action. Today we…
Devon Boorman ·
Deception is one of the most alluring ideas in martial arts. Yet good deception is significantly more complex and subtle than simply being sneaky. Today we're going to break down where deception fits into overall strategy, the most common pitfalls, and how to build feints and invitations that reliably succeed and don't lead to double…
Devon Boorman ·
