From Taipei to Nanchang: Milestones on the Path of Mastery

After an excellent final week in Taiwan, teaching workshops across Taipei and Taizhong and spending time with the growing Duello community, I returned home just in time to celebrate another major milestone: our very first Scholar (Blue Cord) exam in China. Plus, this week marked the launch of our new live online series on Sword & Buckler fundamentals. Lots to share!

Welcome to the Path of the Sword newsletter! Each week, we share inspiration and resources to read, study, and practice to help further your journey in historical martial arts.

A Final Week in Taiwan

I’ve just returned home from an excellent two-week teaching tour in Taiwan. This final stretch included several workshops for the THEF Guild (an association of HEMA clubs in Taiwan) and time at our Duello branch, Sakura Sanguines, in Taipei, run by Tai Lee.

I taught:

• The Four Tempos
• Grappling, dagger, and grappling at the sword
• Fundamentals of rapier and the true fight
• And in Taizhong, an evening workshop on longsword fundamentals hosted by Accademia di Armi Fredde

The enthusiasm and skill of students across all these groups was inspiring. Taiwan’s HEMA community is vibrant and growing, and we’re already planning for my return next year to offer a week-long instructor intensive and certification program.

A Milestone in China: Our First Scholars

This week also marked a historic moment for Duello Armizare in China: our very first Scholar (Blue Cord) exam in Nanchang.

Congratulations to all four candidates who tested, and especially to our two new Scholars: Xuan Zhang and Cheng Zhu.

This exam represents a major step in establishing a clear path of mastery for our students in China. A special thank-you to Sihong Fu, one of my senior students, who administered the exam on the ground while I joined by video at 4am. Sihong not only helped make this possible but has done a tremendous job helping to build HEMA in China through Duello Armizare workshops and mentorship over the past many years.

Our next exam is scheduled for December 7th in Xiamen, and I’m looking forward to seeing even more candidates take up the challenge.

New Live Series: Sword & Buckler Fundamentals

This past week also launched a brand-new live online series focused on the fundamentals of Sword & Buckler: how to cut deftly around the buckler and with its support, in both wide play (gioco largo) and narrow play (gioco stretto).

We began with mechanics and essential solo drills, and over the next weeks we’ll build into partnered actions and tactical application.

All lessons are:

• Live on Fridays at 12 noon Pacific
• Recorded and available on-demand
• Included for Scholars Live subscribers

Here’s a short clip from our first class on withdrawing and extending the buckler during shoulder cuts. This pattern protects the hand as your sword extends, then opens space for the blade to return to the high line above the arm. It’s tricky to coordinate at first but deeply satisfying to master.

Watch the free clip: Cutting around the buckler with downward X

Explore: full Sword & Buckler live series here (for Scholars Live subsribers)

See you next time with more to share in the world of Armizare.