Instructor Intensives
Train in the Foundations of Duello Armizare
A 5-day, 50-hour immersion in rapier, longsword, tactical theory, and learning methodology—the entry point to Duello Armizare instructor certification.
A 5-day, 50-hour immersion in rapier, longsword, tactical theory, and learning methodology—the entry point to Duello Armizare instructor certification.
The Level 1 Instructor Intensive gives practitioners a clear foundation in the art: how to move, how to control, how to make decisions under pressure, and how to help others learn. Whether you want to become an instructor, lead a study group, or make a major leap as a practitioner, the intensive is designed to connect technique, strategy, and training method into one coherent system.
50 Hours
Five days of focused instruction and practice.
Rapier + Longsword
Two weapon tracks taught through one unified system.
Learning Methodology
Training methods for retention, drilling, coaching, and applied practice.
Certification Pathway
The first step toward Apprentice Instructor and Level 1 Instructor status.
International Locations
Hosted by Duello Armizare schools and partners around the world.
The week that gives you the foundation
Duello Armizare is a complete martial system, not a collection of disconnected techniques. To understand it well, students need more than isolated classes or occasional workshops. They need immersion, feedback, structure, and a clear map of how the pieces connect.
The Level 1 Instructor Intensive was created to provide that foundation. Over five days, students study the martial mechanics, tactical principles, and learning methods that support the whole system. The goal is not only to teach a set of movements, but to help students understand why those movements work, when to apply them, and how to continue developing them after the week is complete.
- 1
Train the Foundation
- 2
Practice with Structure
- 3
Complete Assessments
- 4
Certify
- 5
Lead or Continue Study
Rapier, longsword, and learning methodology
The Level 1 Intensive is built around three integrated training blocks. Students may focus on one weapon or train both. Training both is recommended because the shared principles of the system become clearer when seen through multiple weapons.
Rapier
Rapier training focuses on posture, movement, blade control, strategic constraint, offhand use, and tactical decision-making. Students learn how to find and maintain control, how to attack and defend with sound mechanics, and how to use measure, cover, line, and tempo to understand the fight.
- Posture and movement
- Blade control and the crossing
- Attack, defence, and counter-offence
- Offhand use and disarms
- Measure, cover, line, and tempo
- Connection to Italian rapier sources
Longsword
Longsword training focuses on cutting and thrusting mechanics, structure, control in the crossing, wide and narrow play, tactical recovery, and close play. Students learn how to move from weapon control into grappling, disarms, throws, and other close-range actions.
- Cutting and thrusting mechanics
- Structure, grounding, and movement
- Control in the crossing
- Wide play and close play
- Grappling entries and disarms
- Connection to Fiore dei Liberi and related sources
Learning Methodology
The methodology block teaches students how to learn and teach physical skills more effectively. It is central to the instructor pathway, but it is equally valuable for serious practitioners who want to improve how they train.
- Learning models for physical skill
- Training plans for rapid improvement
- Retention strategies
- Drill design from simple to complex
- Technical diagnosis and repair
- Moving from drills into applied fencing
Rapier and longsword are different weapons. The principles are shared.
Duello Armizare studies each weapon on its own terms, but the weapons are not isolated arts. Rapier and longsword reveal the same underlying principles of structure, control, measure, cover, line, tempo, and tactical choice. Studying both allows students to see the connective tissue of the art more clearly.
This is one of the reasons the intensive format is so effective. Students do not simply learn “rapier techniques” and “longsword techniques.” They learn a way of understanding martial problems that can be carried across weapons, contexts, and training environments.
Measure
Understanding and controlling the distance between you and your opponent.
Cover
Keeping yourself safe while maintaining the ability to act.
Line
Controlling the paths through which attacks can travel.
Tempo
Creating and recognizing the moments when action is possible.
Structure
Using posture, alignment, and ground connection for power, health, and tactical effectiveness.
Control
Constraining the opponent's options while preserving your own.
From technique to tactical clarity
The intensive teaches students to understand fencing through a tactical framework. Rather than simply memorizing techniques, students learn how to read the fight: where the danger is, what control exists, what opportunity is being created, and what response is appropriate.
A core part of this approach is the True Fight: a strategy based on control, constraint, and sound tactical decision-making. Students use the True Fight and the Four Pillars to diagnose what is happening in the exchange and to make better choices under pressure.
The Four Pillars
Measure, cover, line, and tempo provide a practical language for understanding success and failure in the fight.
The True Fight
A strategy of control and constraint that helps students act from safety rather than guesswork.
Tactical Diagnosis
Students learn to identify the real problem: mechanics, distance, line, timing, pressure, choice, or recovery.
Applied Practice
Drills, games, and sparring progressions help move skills from classroom practice into live application.
How the intensive develops
The exact pacing adapts to the cohort and host location, but the Level 1 Intensive generally follows this arc.
Day 1
Day 1 — Structure and Foundations
The week begins with posture, movement, grounding, weapon alignment, and the mechanical basis for power, health, and tactical effectiveness. Students learn how the body supports the weapon and how structure shapes every martial choice that follows.
- Posture and stance
- Footwork and movement
- Ground connection
- Weapon alignment
- Mechanical efficiency and safety
Day 2
Day 2 — Control and Response
Students develop blade control, crossing mechanics, attack, defence, counter-offence, and recovery. The focus is not only on what to do when things go right, but how to regain control when pressure, timing, or position changes.
- Finding and maintaining control
- Responding to pressure
- Attack and defence from structure
- Counter-offence
- Recovery after errors
Day 3
Day 3 — Tactical Framework
The middle of the week connects technical practice to tactical decision-making. Students deepen their understanding of measure, cover, line, tempo, and the True Fight as tools for reading the exchange and making better choices.
- Measure
- Cover
- Line
- Tempo
- Tactical diagnosis
- The True Fight
Day 4
Day 4 — Close Play and Grappling
Students explore the transition from weapon control into close play. This includes offhand use with rapier, longsword grappling entries, disarms, throws, and the unarmed foundations that support armed close combat.
- Rapier offhand use
- Disarms
- Longsword grappling entries
- Throws and close-range control
- Unarmed foundations
Day 5
Day 5 — Integration and Next Steps
The final day pulls the week together through review, application, coaching, study planning, and preparation for continued assessment. Students leave with a clearer map of the art and a pathway for continued development.
- Integrated review
- Coaching and correction
- Study planning
- Assessment preparation
- Certification pathway
- Continuing practice after the week
You do not need to be certain you want to teach
The Level 1 Intensive is the entry point to instructor certification, but it is not only for people who already plan to teach. Many practitioners attend because they want to understand the art more deeply, train with greater focus, and break through a plateau in their own development.
The instructor lens can make anyone a better practitioner. When you learn how to diagnose errors, build drills, retain skills, and explain tactical choices, you also become better at guiding your own training.
Future Instructors
For practitioners who want to teach Duello Armizare with structure, clarity, and responsibility.
Study Group Leaders
For people who want to guide a local training group using Duello Armizare curriculum, online resources, mentorship, and assessment pathways.
Serious Practitioners
For students who want a major leap in their own fencing, even if they never plan to teach.
Martial Artists from Other Systems
For experienced martial artists who want a structured entry into European swordsmanship through a complete and coherent system.
The intensive is the beginning of the pathway
Workshops can be inspiring, but the real value comes from what students are able to retain, practice, and develop afterward. The Level 1 Instructor Intensive connects into a follow-through process that supports continued study, assessment, and certification.
After the intensive, candidates continue through post-course exams and practical demonstration. Successful completion can qualify students for Apprentice rank and Level 1 Instructor status, including the ability to lead a Duello Armizare study group and certify students at the Apprentice / Green Cord level.
Post-Course Exams
Four online quizzes help students review, organize, and retain the material.
Practical Demonstration
Candidates demonstrate the technical and instructional foundation required for certification.
Follow-Up Support
Students have access to continuing guidance after the intensive, including online meetings and video assessment opportunities where available.
Apprentice / Green Cord Pathway
Candidates can work toward Apprentice rank in rapier and/or longsword.
Level 1 Instructor Pathway
Successful candidates can become Level 1 Instructors and lead Duello Armizare study groups.
Study Group Development
Certified instructors can use the curriculum, training resources, and mentorship pathway to develop local practice communities.
What students take from the intensive
A brilliant distillation of fencing and teaching experience into principles that can be easily absorbed and effectively taught.
Boris Gendelev
The level of organization and integration of key concepts to facilitate comprehension and retention was through the roof.
Jenny Snyder
Head Instructor, Michigan Historical Art of Arms Fellowship
This intensive helped me see the connective tissue between so many of the individual techniques I had observed and learned.
Ben Corcoran
I came away with more value than I could ever have hoped when it comes to my own teaching practices.
Craig Hustler
Head Fencing Coach, Ontario Centre for Classical Sport
Upcoming Instructor Intensives
Level 1 Instructor Intensives are hosted by Duello Armizare schools and partner organizations around the world. Some events are registered directly through the host school. Others use a Duello Armizare event page with registration handled by the local host.
Interested in hosting a Duello Armizare intensive?
Duello Armizare intensives can be hosted by established schools, HEMA clubs, martial arts organizations, and study groups that want to bring the system to their region. Hosting an intensive can help build a local instructor pathway, strengthen an existing community, and connect students to the international Duello Armizare certification structure.
If your school or group is interested in hosting a Level 1 Intensive, contact us to discuss location, schedule, requirements, and instructor availability.
A host intensive may be appropriate if you have:
- a committed group of practitioners;
- a suitable training space;
- interest in instructor certification or study group development;
- a local community that can support a multi-day event;
- a desire to connect to the broader Duello Armizare system.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Level 1 is open to all levels. Some martial arts experience is useful, but the course is designed to establish the foundation of the system. The small cohort format allows instructors to scale the material to the group.
No. The intensive is the entry point to instructor certification, but it is also valuable for serious practitioners who want a deeper technical and tactical foundation. The methodology portion teaches learning tools that improve anyone's training.
Yes. Students may focus on one weapon track where that option is available. However, training both is recommended because the principles of the system become clearer when studied through multiple weapons.
They are different weapons, but they reveal shared principles: posture, measure, cover, line, tempo, control, and tactical decision-making. Studying both helps students see the deeper structure of the art.
The methodology portion covers how to learn, retain, diagnose, and train physical skills. Topics include drill design, training plans, technical correction, retention, coaching, and moving from structured practice into applied fencing.
After the intensive, candidates continue through post-course exams and practical demonstration. Follow-up support may include online meetings, video assessment opportunities, and guidance for continued study.
Level 1 Instructors can assist senior instructors, lead a Duello Armizare study group, and certify students at the Apprentice / Green Cord level, according to current certification requirements.
All official Duello Armizare Level 1 Intensives follow the same core curriculum and certification pathway. Local details such as host venue, exact schedule, registration process, and language support may vary.
Not necessarily. Some intensives are taught by Devon Boorman; others may be taught or supported by certified Duello Armizare instructors. Each event listing should identify the instructor once confirmed.
Contact Duello Armizare with information about your school or group, location, training space, expected participants, and preferred timing. We can discuss whether an intensive is a good fit and what would be required.
Begin the Path
The Level 1 Instructor Intensive is the first major step into Duello Armizare certification and a powerful training experience for any serious practitioner. Find an upcoming intensive, join the interest list, or contact us about bringing the program to your region.