Academie Duello Information

Academie Duello Centre for Swordplay is a school of Western Martial Arts devoted to teaching the traditional martial practices of Europe. Our programs empower students to meet fitness goals, pursue mastery in martial arts, and engage the mind and body in a fun and unique way. We offer courses for youth and adults from a diverse selection of weapon arts, including: Rapier, Longsword, Sword and Shield, Polearms, Mounted Combat, Archery and Wrestling. Courses at Academie Duello take place at our convenient location in Downtown Vancouver, at 412 West Hastings Street, while all Mounted Combat programming is hosted at our partner stables, Cornwall Ridge Equestrian, located at 21955 14 Avenue, Langley BC. At Academie Duello our goal is to revive the rich martial traditions of Medieval and Early Modern Europe, and make them as vibrant and accessible as their Eastern counterparts like Karate and Kung Fu. This commitment to reinvigorating traditional Western martial arts is reflected in our curriculum, which is founded on the teachings of authentic combat manuals produced during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, covering a wide array of weapons and techniques used by the fighting men and women of those periods. Unlike many martial arts developed in the East, Western Martial Arts (WMA), also known as Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA), lack a continuous living tradition from their inception to the present. As a result, our work in reviving these arts is twofold: we research and explore the medieval and early modern primary-source texts of western martial systems, striving to accurately interpret the material through experimentation and dedicated practice. We then work to integrate these traditions with contemporary science on health and physical exercise to ensure that participants gain the maximum benefit from activity.