embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube link: Bartitsu: The Gentlemanly Art

Workshop July 26

Learn the fighting style of Sherlock Holmes in this unique one-day workshop at Academie Duello.

England in the 19th century was replete with instructors in martial arts from the world over. E.W. Barton-Wright had returned from Japan and opened a school to teach the English gentleman how to defend himself against ruffians using only the most effective techniques whether unarmed or carrying the accessory of the time: the walking-stick.

The Bartitsu system worked so well that Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle wrote that Sherlock Holmes used it to defeat Moriarty.

Learn:

• English boxing, French kickboxing and the English interpretation of Judo
• Stick fighting and self-defense with an umbrella
• Modern urban self-defense evolved from the principles of Bartitsu

Whether your interest is in history or practical self-defense, this workshop will give you the skills and knowledge of 19th century fighting.

Only $120 (15% discount for members)

Register Now: Call 604.568.9907 or Drop by Academie Duello

Upstairs 422 Richards St. – Corner of Hastings

Update: Due to scheduling conflicts, the first day of class is July 13. The course will be 3 weeks, 2 hours per day: 5pm to 7pm. Since the time is reduced, the price is reduced to $250.

Are Your Stage Combat Skills Rusty?

How long has it been since you took a stage combat class? Have you ever? Most theatre schools in Vancouver don’t even teach stage fighting. However, it is a fundamental skill for the performer.

Get a Refresher For Your Physical Performance

Stage combat is a shortcut to mastering your instrument by incorporating:

• moving around the stage with purpose
• interacting with another character in a life-or-death situation
• playing fear, anger, injury, effort while still concentrating on the choreography
• staying aware of your environment
• breathing, yelling, speaking your lines while exerting yourself

Don’t Accept Less Than FDC

Learn the foundations of Fight Directors Canada:

• Unarmed combat
• Quarterstaff
• Sword

It’s not just weapons, FDC emphasizes:

• Safety: You need to move with high speed and intensity, without risking any kind of injury.
• Storytelling: It’s not a game, it’s part of the play/movie… learn to incorporate combat into a scene.
• Style: Techniques change based on history and geography. Learn a versatile system.

Fun and Intensive

This is a jump-start program:

• 3 weeks
• Monday-Wednesday-Friday
• 3:30-6:30 5pm-7pm
• Starts July 6 July 13

Convenient

Any actor can do this:

• Afternoons: So you can get to other jobs in the evening, or auditions during the day
• Short duration: You don’t have to plan for 4 months of classes
• Affordable
• Downtown: Getting to Richards and Hastings is so easy

Get in gear, get an advantage over the other actors, get real safety and FDC standards (internationally recognized quality), get to Academie Duello.

Only $499 $250

Register Now – Call 604.568.9907

Drop by Academie Duello 422 Richards St. (upstairs)

The first class is July 13!

ps: Are you auditioning for Bard on the Beach in August? With this workshop on your resume, they’ll know you can handle a sword.

Why reading a book on a new martial art or stage combat will do very little for you:

This image is from an article called Learn Anything on Litemind.com

Why People Put Down Book Smarts

Learning from a book is often frustrating precisely because it is limited. You know that you can’t fully learn a skill from a book, especially if it is only described in words. Many classic books on slight of hand have few images, they’re all description. It’s up to the illusionist to interpret the words, and work in front of a mirror to achieve their version of the trick.

Fortunately, producing images in books has come a long way since the first magic manuals. New books have lots of pictures and diagrams. But if you’ve tried to learn a complicated skill from a book, such as a martial art, you know that you still need description, because you can’t get a good sense of movement from still pictures.

Video Training

So, knowing that people are frustrated with books, a huge video market has sprung up. This is not just a “money grab” by marketers… learning by video really is better. They teach all kinds of skills by video, even accounting and psychology. And that works because of the learning pyramid: the combo of hearing and seeing (and reading slides if they use that) means that you remember things better, and for a longer time.

The biggest value comes from learning physical skills from a video because you can see the movement. You don’t have to follow picture 1A, 1B, 2, 3… and read the descriptions of each one to get the flow of a technique. You watch the expert and listen to the voiceover simultaneously. What an excellent way to learn!

But that’s not the best way…

Teaching

It has been said that to truly be a master at anything, you must teach it. That’s because you actually learn by teaching. If you’ve never taught your skill to a student, try it. You’ll find that you have to explain things in more than one way to get them to truly understand it. You may have to invent a metaphor by saying “It’s like painting a fence… up, down.” And by trying different approaches, you solidify your own knowledge.

Just Do It

If you like the shiny books, put them into practice with a training partner. Better yet, take a class. Your instructor will be able to correct your form… the book just sits there. Video instruction is obviously better, given this learning theory. Still, the video can’t correct you. Only an expert instructor with a good eye can tell you if you’re doing it properly.

When you think you’ve got a combat skill down pretty good, try simulating a real fight scenario. It will teach you where your skill might be weak, and solidify the motion into your body even better.

Warning:
Never start learning a skill in a high stress situation or when tired. You’ll learn it wrong and teach your body to do it badly. It will be difficult to correct yourself later. When learning a new skill, warm up (not to exhaustion), then slowly perform the movement. If you have a teacher, get corrected on your form before you try to go faster. If you have a book or video, watch yourself in the mirror and see if you match the image. When you think it’s right, go faster. Then do it with a partner slowly. Then faster and controlled. Only after going through these steps should you try to do it “for real”.

Come see my fight choreography and magic in this show. By the way, the writing is brilliant and I’m really excited about the direction. This show is the jewel in the New Ideas Festival crown, and week three always sells out… so get your tickets soon.

ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL
a new play by Jordan Hall
directed by Tommy Taylor
featuring Heather Allin, Cassandra Togneri, Malcolm Taylor and Devin Upham

Week Three of the 2009 New Ideas Festival
March 25-28, 2009, The Alumnae Studio Theatre, Toronto

For Tickets Call: 416.364.4170 or email reservations@alumnaetheatre.com