Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium

It’s back! The fourth Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium! February 17th to 19th, 2017 will be a weekend of amazing learning right in the heart of beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia.
The theme this year is This vs That: An Exploration of Martial Asymmetry. This really is a do-not-miss event and I heartily recommend that you attend. Here is what is exciting me about the event:

Take Progressive Courses with World-class Instructors

Four pairs of intensive courses run through the weekend:

German Longsword – Christian Tobler
Italian Longsword – Devon Boorman

Bolognese Sword – Ilkka Hartekeinen
British Sword – Paul Wagner

Italian Rapier – Tom Leoni
Flemish Destreza Rapier – Matthew Howden

Italian Wrestling – Marco Quarta
German Wrestling – Jessica Finley

Nearly all of these instructors are published authors and all are amazing teachers and practitioners responsible for significant growth of their arts in modern HEMA.

More Than Nine Hours Per Course

You get 18 hours with two instructors of your choice. Build the foundation for a new art or deepen your understanding of one you already practice. Plus additional workshops that explore topics of strategy, body mechanics, training, and teaching. Plus lots of time for sparring and training with practitioners from throughout the world.
Over 32 hours of total training time is available throughout the event!

Match One Against the Other

On the last day of the weekend the instructors and students of each track meet for a final 4 hour exploration of how one system meets the other. Explore strategy, tactics, mechanics, and understand both the compatibilities and the contrasts of two historical systems.

Workshops that Focus on Asymmetry

Beyond the intensive courses there are individual workshops with the 8 listed instructors and many more. The workshops focus on the asymmetries that happen within a system. From strategic mismatches like aggressive vs defensive, to physical mismatches like big vs small, to tactical mismatches like long weapons vs short.
This type of workshop can truly expand your practice.

Tons of Other Cool Stuff

There’s a Saturday night gala with live music, swordplay demonstrations, drinks, socializing, and more.
Opportunities to spar and socialize with instructors and students from around the world on two open sparring nights.
You can come early or stay later and enjoy time at Academie Duello, one of the world’s largest HEMA schools (more than 40 hours of classes available per week).
Early bird pricing is available now until Dec 30 at VancouverSwordplay.com
Really. Don’t miss it! Leave any questions or thoughts about it in the comments.
Devon