Choose Your Tracks & Workshops!

Hello VISS 2024 participants! With VISS just around the corner, excitement is building up, and we hope you’re feeling it too. Please take a moment to fill out the survey below to sign up for your preferred intensive tracks and workshops. Visit the schedule page to view our intensive tracks and descriptions!     […]

Read More…

VISS 2024 T-Shirt Design Contest

VISS 2024 planning is well underway, but one thing we still need is a fantastic design for this year’s t-shirts. We are now accepting entries for the VISS 2024 T-Shirt Design Contest. Entries will be accepted from now until midnight on March 28. The winner will receive a full three-day pass to VISS 2024! We […]

Read More…

VISS 2024: From Earnest to Honour

We’re excited to announce the theme for this year’s Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium (May 24-26) is From Earnest to Honour: Martial Art From Deadly Combat to Tournament and Deeds of Arms. Join us over this 3-day event for six immersive intensives where you will explore martial traditions from their deadly origins to their contemporary and historical application. […]

Read More…

VISS 2024!

Save the date for VISS 2024! We’re thrilled to announce that the Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium will be returning May 24 – 26, taking place in the heart of downtown Vancouver at Academie Duello! We’re cooking up extraordinary plans for this year’s event, including an exciting theme and lineup of internationally renowned instructors that you […]

Read More…

Evening Activities at VISS 2020!

VISS 2020 is this weekend and we have lots of awesome activities and events across the three days including some special evening events! Firstly, on Friday and Sunday we will be hosting the VISS Martial Arts Share and Open Sparring from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM which will bring together martial artists of all forms […]

Read More…

Intensive Track Descriptions!

Looking for more details on the intensive tracks on offer this year? Take a look at our schedule page for some fresh new information! We will be offering 5 paired intensive tracks bringing some of the best martial artists of each martial tradition from across the world together to learn from each other! Don’t forget […]

Read More…

VISS 2020!

Greetings from VISS!   We have some really good news regarding our next event. Instead of our next symposium happening in 2021, we’ve decided to run another in 2020! A whole year sooner! We will once again be at the Richmond Olympic Oval during the weekend of March 6th – 8th 2020, and we have […]

Read More…

Thats a wrap folks!

A huge thank you to all of the participants and instructors who came up this year and made the event a truly wonderful experience! And a big shoutout to all of our volunteers who helped everything run smoothly, and efficiently, you all did great work! See you all in 2020! […]

Read More…

Equipment Rental Form is Up!

Need to rent some equipment for your class or workshop at VISS? We’ve got you covered! Our equipment rental is up and we’ve got swords, gorgets and more! Check out the equipment rental page here to reserve yor equipment! Remember, your equipment must be reserved ahead of time! Check out the equipment rental FAQ Page […]

Read More…

VISS 2019 is One Month Away!

The time quickly approaches! VISS 2019 is officially one month away! Make sure to get your registration in and come join some of the best instructors in the world for a weekend of intensives, workshops, lectures, and sparring! This event only comes around every two years, so don’t miss out! […]

Read More…

The Official VISS 2019 Poster!

The official poster for VISS 2019 is up for your viewing pleasure! This beautiful poster was created by the incredibly talented Marika Purisima! VISS is just around the corner, so make sure to check out our schedule for updates on new workshops, lectures and intensives! New ones are being added every week! […]

Read More…

Do you practice Rapier?

We have intensives for that! VISS 2019 has some incredible workshops and intensives lined up for you Rapier practitioners out there! One of the highlights are two Intensives focused on the legacy of Salvator Fabris with Reinier Van Noort and John O’Meara. Both instructors will be teaching how Fabris’ fencing techniques and style changed throughout […]

Read More…

VISS 2019: This vs. This

Planning for the fifth Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium is well on its way, and we are excited to announce “This vs. This” is our theme for VISS 2019! “This vs. This” is about highlighting different approaches to the same subjects. We’re building on the theme of our last event, a study of asymmetry in martial arts, but […]

Read More…

Share your VISS notes!

We’re collecting class notes! As we mentioned during closing ceremonies, we’ve put together some Google documents so that attendees can share workshop and lecture notes with each other. This will be a great way of reviewing the material, sharing different perspectives, and catching up on missed training opportunities. To use these documents, please add your […]

Read More…

VISS 2017 is over!

VISS is complete! It has been a long time coming since VISS 2015, but VISS 2017 has officially come and gone. We offer our heartfelt thanks to our attendees, instructors, volunteers, sponsors, and organizers. Without them, this year’s symposium would not have become a sold-out event and arguably the most successful VISS yet. This year’s […]

Read More…

Welcome, VISS attendees!

Welcome, VISS attendees! Our symposium officially begins tomorrow. We hope you’re as excited as we are! Our schedule is wonderfully full this year, and we have a convenient .pdf version of the schedule to prove it: Click here to view it in .pdf form! Enjoy your weekend! […]

Read More…

The VISS Unarmed Schedule

The 2017 Vancouver Swordplay Symposium is just one week away! Though symposium passes are sold out, our audit passes and gala tickets are still available. This year’s event schedule is carefully designed so that you can dive deeply into the subjects of your choosing with as few schedule conflicts as possible. As an example, here’s […]

Read More…

VISS 2017 Symposium Passes are SOLD OUT!

We are officially sold out of 2017 symposium passes! If you’re still interested in attending VISS, you still have two options: Sign up for an audit pass and/or gala ticket. Audit passes allow you to observe all workshops and attend our lecture track. Join our wait list for symposium passes. Our wait list takes into […]

Read More…

The VISS Lecture Track

With the Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium just around the corner, now is a great time to check out our lecture options over at our events schedule page. As always, our workshops are complemented by a series of lectures, each of which fits into this year’s VISS theme of “This vs. That,” exploring asymmetries in the […]

Read More…

The VISS Rapier Schedule

The 2017 Vancouver Swordplay Symposium is just a few weeks away! This year’s event schedule is carefully designed so that you can dive deeply into the subjects of your choosing with as few schedule conflicts as possible. As an example, here’s what a rapier-focused schedule could look like: Friday In the morning, David Coblentz will […]

Read More…

The VISS Longsword Schedule

The 2017 Vancouver Swordplay Symposium is just a few weeks away! This year’s workshop schedule is carefully designed so that you can dive deeply into the subjects of your choosing with as few schedule conflicts as possible. As an example, here’s what a longsword-focused schedule could look like: Friday In the morning, you can begin […]

Read More…

New updates to VISS schedule

More workshop and schedule details are now available for the 2017 Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium! Take a look at our workshop schedule page to start planning out your VISS. Included are in-depth details for the 3-day intensive workshops, including all equipment and experience prerequisites. For those who don’t yet have their own equipment, keep an […]

Read More…

The VISS Saturday Evening Gala

More details are now available for the VISS gala on the evening of Saturday, February 18! The gala is a formal party running from 8:00 pm to 12:00 am at Academie Duello on 412 West Hastings Street. Doors open at 7:30 pm. Some of this year’s gala features include: Live Music by JC and the […]

Read More…

Changes to VISS instructor lineup

We’ve got several big changes to our VISS 2017 instructor lineup to announce! Unfortunately, Tom Leoni has had to withdraw from VISS. He will not be leading our three-day Italian rapier intensive, but the intensive will continue nonetheless. In his place, the Italian rapier intensive will be led by Maestro David Coblentz. Maestro Coblentz received […]

Read More…

The 30 for 30 Swordplay Challenge

This month, Academie Duello is once again organizing the 30 for 30 Swordplay Challenge. Martial artists of all stripes will join in, set training goals, then pledge to practice 30 minutes or more for 30 days straight. I’ll be joining this year, my fourth time attempting the challenge, but this time is special for me. […]

Read More…

New instructors for VISS 2017

We have several new changes to announce for the VISS 2017 instructor lineup. Unfortunately, Ilkka Hartikainen has been forced to withdraw from VISS for personal reasons. However, our Bolognese intensive continues nonetheless! We are happy to announce that Rob Rutherfoord will be leading our 3-day Bolognese swordsmanship intensive! Rob is an instructor with the Chicago […]

Read More…

You can rent equipment for VISS!

The Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium is just two months away! One of the most common questions we receive is: “What if I don’t have my own equipment?” We want to keep VISS accessible to everyone, so if you don’t have your own equipment, we have you covered. We’ll be offering equipment for all attendees to […]

Read More…

VISS schedule now available!

A preliminary workshop schedule is now available for the 2017 Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium. Click over to our workshops page to start planning which workshops you’d like to take! VISS will take place over three days, February 17-19. The core of our schedule is made up of eight 3-day workshop intensive tracks. Each 3-day intensive […]

Read More…

VISS 2017 Location and Venues

We are happy to announce the venues for the upcoming 2017 Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium! This year, VISS will take place in downtown Vancouver, centered around Academie Duello Centre for Swordplay at 412 West Hastings Street. Opening and closing ceremonies, equipment rental, the Saturday evening gala, and a variety of martial arts workshops will be […]

Read More…

Update regarding VISS instructors

UPDATE: Steaphen Fick will no longer be attending VISS 2017. We had originally announced that he would be returning to lead a workshop, however Steaphen has had to withdraw due to a work commitment. So far, our confirmed instructors include Tom Leoni, Matthew Howden, Christian Tobler, Devon Boorman, Jessica Finley, Marco Quarta, Ilkka Hartikainen, Paul […]

Read More…

VISS intensive details!

We’re ready to announce more details for the VISS 2017 intensive workshops! The Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium has always been about the pursuit of mastery. That’s why we set up the intensive workshops, a chance to spend nine hours with a single instructor over the course of three days. These intensive workshops represent our desire […]

Read More…

VISS 2017 T-Shirt Design Contest Winner!

The 2017 T-shirt design contest results are in! The judges chose this design by Marika Purisima of Vancouver! Marika has won a full three day pass to VISS 2017 and we all get the pleasure of wearing T-shirts with her awesome design on it. Marika’s design borrows historical illustrations to evoke this year’s asymmetrical “This […]

Read More…

Devon Boorman confirmed for VISS 2017

Devon Boorman, co-founder and director of Academie Duello Centre for Swordplay in Vancouver, Canada

Among this year’s Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium intensive instructors will be Devon Boorman, co-founder and director of Academie Duello Centre for Swordplay, one of the largest schools for historical European swordsmanship in the world. Devon is best known for his instruction in various forms of Italian swordplay, from 15th century longsword arts to the Bolognese […]

Read More…

Billeting needed

One of the ways that we help keep VISS affordable and build the community is by doing our best to host out-of-town attendees. If you’re based in Vancouver and you are able to host one or more VISS attendees, please contact our registrar. Alternately, if you plan on attending VISS you either need a place […]

Read More…

Marco Quarta confirmed for VISS 2017

Marco Quarta will be joining us as an instructor for the 2017 Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium! Marco taught a variety of standalone workshops at VISS 2013 and 2015, and this time he’ll be teaching an intensive 3-day workshop alongside Tom Leoni, Matthew Howden, Christian Tobler, Ilkka Hartikainen, Jessica Finley, and more! Marco is an instructor […]

Read More…

Jessica Finley confirmed for VISS 2017

We are proud to announce that Jessica Finley will be joining us as an instructor at the 2017 Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium! Jessica Finley is a veteran of VISS 2013, when she led a three-day intensive on Liechtenauer’s longsword, messer, and unarmed grappling. She is the author of Medieval Wrestling: Modern Practice of a 15th-Century […]

Read More…

Ilkka Hartikainen confirmed for VISS 2017

Ilkka Hartikainen has been confirmed as an instructor for the 2017 Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium! Ilkka will be leading an intensive 3-day workshop on Bolognese swordsmanship. Ilkka hails from Helsinki, Finland, where he teaches at the Espoo Association for Historical Fencing. You may know Ilkka from his Bolognese swordsmanship workshops around the world, his website […]

Read More…

VISS 2017 Early Registration is Open!

Early registration is officially open for the 2017 Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium! Register now and you will receive a 20% early registration discount until our full schedule is announced in the coming months. To register, head on over to our registration page. In addition to the early registration discount, our American registrants currently enjoy an […]

Read More…

UPDATED: 2017 VISS T-Shirt Contest

Update: we’ve extended the deadline! VISS 2017 planning is well underway, but one thing we still need is a fantastic design for this year’s T-shirts. We are now accepting entries to the VISS 2017 T-Shirt design contest. Entries will be accepted from now until midnight on Friday, September 30 Friday, October 14. The winner will […]

Read More…

VISS 2017: This vs. That

Greetings swordplay enthusiasts! The fourth Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium is coming up in on February 17-19, 2017 and preparations are now well underway. We’ve started booking great instructors, and we want to let you in on some details, namely this year’s “This vs. That” theme. VISS has always featured four in-depth intensive study tracks. At […]

Read More…

VISS 2017

The Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium is a couple of weeks behind us now and plans have already begun for the 2017 event! We have already set the date for February 17-19, 2017. Please mark your calendars! We are now looking for new board members to help plan and execute VISS 2017. Though the event is […]

Read More…

Thank you!

What a great weekend! The 3rd Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium was a great success. This year our event ran an extra 3 days, starting with the Pen and Sword event at the Vancouver Public Library, the VISS Instructor Summit, and then our symposium weekend, followed by an excellent sparring after-party. We had instructors join us […]

Read More…

Sunday lecture changes

Unfortunately, our guest lecturer Dr. Robert Rouse has come down with an illness and will not be available to speak at VISS tomorrow. However, Noelle Philips and Daniel Helbert will continue to offer their scheduled lecture entitled “Why Do We Fight?: The Warrior Cultures of Medieval England.” Dr. Rouse’s lecture “Storied Swords: Behind the Legendary […]

Read More…

Private lessons

VISS is shaping up to provide lots of opportunities for students of all levels! We now have more information available regarding our private lessons on offer. The following instructors will be available for private lessons during VISS:   Puck Curtis Steaphen Fick Matthew Howden David McCormick Mark Mikita Marco Quarta Kaja Sadowski Christian Tobler   […]

Read More…

Schedule updates and revisions

The schedule for VISS 2015 has changed! We have had to shuffle a few classes around to better accommodate our instructors, so please see our workshop schedule page to see the most up-to-date information. Fear not – no classes have been removed or added. All we’ve done is swap the evening and afternoon sessions, but […]

Read More…

Lectures have been scheduled!

If you are looking forward to our lecture track this year, you’re in luck: The full lecture schedule is now available to see on our schedule page. We will be offering six lectures and one panel discussion through the day on Saturday and Sunday. We’re proud to say that our lecturers represent both the physical […]

Read More…

New lecturers added

This year’s lectures are looking good, with great topics offered by martial arts instructors and academics alike. We’re proud to host academic lectures by Dr. Noelle Phillips, Dr. Robert Rouse, and Daniel Helbert of the University of British Columbia. In addition, we’ll have lectures by martial arts instructors including Bob Charrette, Puck Curtis, David R. […]

Read More…

New lectures and workshop descriptions added!

More details are now available about our workshops, including equipment and skill prerequisites when applicable. Also, our lecture track is looking fleshed out now with seven lectures to choose from! Check out our schedule page for descriptions. Check out what we have on offer so far: Panel Discussion: What makes good HEMA? featuring Tom Leoni […]

Read More…

Full workshop schedule now available!

The full workshop schedule for VISS 2015 has been finalized and is available our our workshop schedule page! Take a look to see the full list of our martial arts instructors, workshops, and schedule for the entire event. Two of our lectures are already listed, but a full lecture schedule and list of lecturers will […]

Read More…

Bob Charrette confirmed as lecturer

Bob Charrette will be coming to VISS 2015 as a lecturer! Bob is an expert on the work of Fiore dei Liberi and author of the excellent book Fiore dei Liberi’s Armizare: The Chivalric Martial Arts System of il Fior di Battaglia. In particular, Bob is known for his emphasis on armored combat in the […]

Read More…

The VISS 2015 instructor list is final!

After some late changes in our instructor roster, we are happy to announce that our list of instructors for VISS 2015 is final! We welcome two new additions to our roster: Mark Mikita of the Mikita School of Martial Art in Los Angeles, California and Loki Jörgenson of Maelstrom Martial Arts in Vancouver, British Columbia. […]

Read More…

The Pen and the Sword: Swordplay Talk and Demonstration at the Vancouver Public Library!

Throughout history swordplay has been in integral part of our storytelling. Whether it’s The Three Musketeers or Star Wars, the idea of characters duelling with swords is one that is firmly ingrained in our psyche and it’s also an idea worth exploring further. This March 23rd in partnership with the Vancouver Public Library as part […]

Read More…

VISS 2015 workshop schedule now available

We are happy to announce that a workshop schedule is now available on our workshop page! There are currently three levels of hands-on workshops available: Multi-day intensive workshop series are comprised of three 3-hour sessions for a total of nine hours with the same instructor(s). We are currently offering four intensive tracks, each focusing on […]

Read More…

Special hotel deal for VISS attendees

VISS 2015 is pleased to announce that the Victorian Hotel will once again be offering a special rate exclusively to Vancouver Swordplay attendees for their deluxe rooms as well as their B&B (shared bathroom) accommodations. The Victorian Hotel is a unique boutique hotel located at 514 Homer Street, within very easy walking distance from Academie […]

Read More…

Marco Quarta confirmed for VISS 2015

Marco Quarta will be joining our roster of returning instructors for VISS 2015! Marco is a talented grappler, stickfighter, and researcher of Italian martial traditions. Marco has a long history with various disciplines, including modern fencing as well as grappling arts of various traditions, which he showed at VISS 2013 in some impressive matches with […]

Read More…

Matthew Howden confirmed for VISS 2015

The latest instructor to join us for VISS 2015 is Matthew Howden of Academia Duellatoria in Portland, OR! Matthew specializes in the rapier art of Gerard Thibault, a 17th century Dutch system which descended from the Spanish rapier tradition. Thibault’s system is rarely practiced, yet based on one of the most comprehensive historical swordsmanship texts […]

Read More…

Tom Leoni confirmed for VISS 2015

For his third VISS in a row, Tom Leoni will be joining us to teach at VISS 2015! Tom is an internationally recognized teacher of Italian swordplay arts and the leading translator of historical Italian martial texts. His translations have greatly improved accessibility to the arts of Fabris, Giganti, Capoferro, Manciolino, and Fiore for English […]

Read More…

Registration is now open!

Registration is now open for the 2015 Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium (VISS) to be held March 27-29 at Academie Duello in Vancouver, BC, Canada! The 3-day symposium will include events which represent a range of Western martial arts traditions. VISS is only held once every two years, so take advantage of the opportunity while you […]

Read More…

Christian Tobler confirmed for VISS 2015

Christian Tobler of Selohaar Fechtschule will be joining VISS 2015 to teach a 3-day intensive! Christian specializes in historical German swordsmanship and is one of the best-known translators of German medieval texts. In 2013, Christian taught workshops on German dagger and German sword and buckler, then fenced against Sean Hayes with sword and buckler at […]

Read More…

VISS 2015 is coming!

At long last, the 2015 Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium is coming! VISS has been scheduled for March 27-29. This year’s theme is “the pursuit of mastery,” events such as: Hands-on workshops with a variety of world-renowned instructors from across North America and Europe. A lecture track for those who want to understand the intellectual side […]

Read More…

Thank you for making VISS 2013 a success!

Wow, it’s been nearly a month since the Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium, and we are so please that the event was such a success. We are so excited and proud to have such wonderful WMA/HEMA practicioners to share this diverse and beautiful passion with. We welcomed instructors and attendees from around the world who sparred […]

Read More…

Important Details for Attendees

Last Minute Sign-Ups Online Registration has now closed, but you may still register in person at Academie Duello (412 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC) or via phone by calling (604) 568-9907 between the hours of 12 pm to 8 pm, Monday to Friday. If you only plan to attend single days or want a lecture […]

Read More…

Registration & Workshop Selection Updates

Some housekeeping notes for any VISS folks: Online Registration has now closed, but you may still register for the event in person at Academie Duello (412 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC) or via phone by calling (604) 568-9907 between the hours of 12 pm to 8pm Monday to Friday. *Please note Academie Duello will be […]

Read More…

VISS in the Vancouver Courier

There’s an article today about Academie Duello and the Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium in the Vancouver Courier Newspaper. Check it out online here. Also check out the video that the Courier’s Jason Lang produced about Duello on their Youtube Channel: [tubepress video=”UPK4hqqskJA”] […]

Read More…

World Class Authors coming to VISS

Is the pen truly mightier than the sword? We’ll have the chance to find out next month when three awesome authors who also happen to be martial artists drop in on VISS. Chris (CC) Humphreys Chris (CC) Humphreys came to swordplay through his career as a stage and screen actor with fighting roles that have […]

Read More…

Just Three Weeks Away to Exciting Swordplay!

In three weeks time we will be opening our doors to sword fighters, instructors, authours, lecturers, and swordplay enthusiasts from around the world. This is going to be an exciting weekend of workshops, lectures, a fantastic gala party, and amazing guests. If you haven’t familiarized yourself with everything that is going on at the event, […]

Read More…

Volunteer for VISS (with perks!)

Our volunteer coordinator Katie still needs volunteers for the Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium 2013. Volunteering is a great way to get work experience in a wide range of fields, or WMA-related perks. Working to help run an international event looks great on a résumé. Perks of Being a VISS Volunteer: Volunteers will be granted a […]

Read More…

Early Bird Deadline Extended

We know how busy the month of December can be with the holidays. We also know that sometimes you get a bit of cash in your Christmas stocking, or a nice chunk of Hannukah gelt (or whatever you choose to celebrate). Or maybe you were waiting until the schedule timetable was announced. Whatever your reason, […]

Read More…

Fly to VISS with a special deal from Air Canada

We’re happy to announce that Air Canada is the official Canadian airline for VISS 2013 and has provided a special promotion code for registered out-of-town attendees. It is through the support of companies and organizations like Air Canada that we’re able to produce the Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium. Air Canada is Canada’s largest full-service airline and […]

Read More…

Call for 2 Organizational Volunteers

The Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium is looking for two organizational volunteers. Please send a cover letter and CV to volunteer@vancouverswordplay.com if you are interested. Time commitment will vary depending on the amount of work which needs to be done from one week to the next. Each assistant will be compensated in the form of one […]

Read More…

VISS 2013 Registration Now Open

We’re excited to announce registration for VISS 2013 is now open! There are a variety of ways to attend VISS depending on what you want to get out of the event. We offer two types of access—participation or observation—and you can then attend as much or as little as you wish. We’re also excited to […]

Read More…

Planning in Full Swing for VISS 2013

Things have been a little quiet here from us on the VISS Board of Directors, but rest assured we’re working hard to bring you an amazing event in February 2013. Registration will be going live in mid-October, with a short period of super early bird pricing, as well as early bird discounts until the end […]

Read More…

Testimonials from VISS 2011

From Sean Hayes: “Devon Boorman and the Academie Duello were amazing and gracious hosts, the organization of the event was top-notch, the Saturday Gala was a fantastic high class party, and most importantly, the students were highly skilled and really challenged the instructors to perform at their best…” […]

Read More…