Academia Duellatoria will begin offering military saber training this October at Fort Vancouver.
“We are pleased to be able to bring this program back with additional COVID safety protocols. Drills for sword work naturally require distancing, so this is a great way to get exercise, learn military history and do something fun and unusual on your own or with your family,” Elaine Dorset, National Park Service Supervisor of the Saber Training Program, said.
The classes will be held on Sundays from Oct. 17 through Nov. 28. Registrations are open through Academia Duellatoria’s contact page site, with Jeff referenced as the head of the process.
Taking place at the national historic site, the cost of the training course is $100 per person over the age of 12. Three levels of training will be offered, including Basic 1, Basic 2, and Intermediate. Training sabers and safety equipment are included with the entry, but all participants are required to wear a mask throughout the course to abide by COVID-19 safety-related protocols.
The class, established in 2017, focuses on specific techniques used by the U.S. Army Dragoons. The sport is similar to various other martial arts, exercising one’s ability to maintain physical discipline and mental control.
The skill is derived from a December 1885 assembly of nearly 100 troops and officers of the U.S. Army’s 1st Regiment of Dragoons at Fort Vancouver in an effort to maintain the peace in the region. The soldiers' weapons included sabers, a single-edged, slightly curved sword.
