Mark your calendars: the Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium is returning from March 6 – 8, 2026!
Latest News
VISS 2026 — Theme and Instructors
The Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium 2026
March 6–8, 2026 | Vancouver, Canada
The Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium returns in 2026 with the theme: The Pursuit of Mastery.
This year we’ll explore what it means to go beyond competence, to refine skill into art, to transform practice into mastery, and to pursue the highest levels of swordplay.
We are honoured to present our Intensive Track Instructors for 2026:
-
Devon Boorman – Founder of Academie Duello, Devon Boorman is a world renowned martial arts instructor, practitioner, and author, focusing on Italian Armizare, including the use of rapier, sidesword, longsword, grappling, and mounted combat.
-
Eric Myers – Eric was certified as a Master at Arms in classical Italian fencing by the San Jose State University Fencing Masters Program in 2008, and is cofounder of the Sacramento Sword School.
-
Marli Vlok – Marli started her HEMA journey in 2013 at Academie Duello. She immediately fell in love with the art and grace of rapier fencing and Bolognese single sword. She became an instructor in 2014 and holds the rank of free-scholar at Academie Duello. In 2020, she expanded her practice to include Italian classical foil and historical European flagwaving.
-
Matthew Howden – Matthew Howden runs HistoricCombat.com, where he heads the Visual Thibault and Visual Frias projects. Matthew has been researching, practicing, and teaching Historical European Martial Arts for over two decades.
-
Matheus Alfred-Olmedo – Provost of Academie Duello, his technical proficiency covers rapier (and secondaries), longsword, large two-handed swords, sidesword, and polearms, in particular spear and shield.
These excellent instructors will guide participants through immersive three-day intensive tracks allowing you to dive deeply over 9 hours into the specifics of their arts.
Stay tuned for plenty of exciting announcements still to come, including our roster of elective block instructors, each intensive track topic, and our final intensive track instructor. Together they’ll bring a rich variety of classes designed to expand your learning, deepen your skills, and broaden your path toward mastery.
Save the Date: March 6 – 8, 2026
Registration opens soon!