Page 2 of 33
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 ·
Each defense or counter-attack is what demands the next piece of the form, the next counter. A good form demonstrates a series of obedience-inducing threats.
Devon Boorman ·
On my recent trip to Los Angeles, my friend Mark Mikita took me to a hidden gem of a shop near his place in Marina Del Rey. In a strip mall between a payday loan place and convenience store (not sure this was exactly the neighbours but you get the idea) was one of the…
Devon Boorman ·
The rondel dagger is quite different from a modern tactical knife in that its primary function is as an armour-piercing spike. This changes how you address defending yourself from many modern systems. You don’t have sharp slicing edges to worry about, yet it is nearly a foot long meaning you can’t let your opponent get…
Devon Boorman ·
“I, the tiger, am so quick at running and turning that I can’t even be overtaken by a lightning bolt.” Fior di Battaglia, Getty Museum, Tom Leoni translation I love slow fencing and I think it is an essential part of training. However, slow alone does not prepare you for combat. Martial art exists along…
Devon Boorman ·
