Drawn to the Dao and Miaodao, but tired of training them like relics
rather than the fighting weapons they are?
Build Real Skill in Chinese Battlefield Swordsmanship
One complete system for the Dao and Miaodao, the weapons soldiers actually carried, taking you from your first cut to facing any weapon.
Unlike traditional sword courses that leave you polishing forms with no fighting context, this is a complete four-phase battlefield system, foundations to advanced freeplay, tested against spears, shields, and armoured opponents.
Chinese Battlefield Swordsmanship. Trained for the Fight, Not the form
You're drawn to the Dao and Miaodao for a reason. These are the weapons soldiers carried into real battles, the practical, effective end of the Chinese sword arts. Not the refined court jian. The fighting blade.
What's hard to find is the fighting application. Plenty of forms and solo drills out there, but far less that shows how the blade actually works against a spear, a shield, an armoured opponent, or another weapon coming back at you with intent. The movements are taught. The fighting context rarely is.
That's the gap this path closes. One complete road from your first cut to using these weapons the way they were meant to be used.
Where You Are Now, and Where This Path Takes You:
Now: Drilling forms with no idea if they'd hold up. Cutting air. Never tested against a resisting opponent, let alone a different weapon. Drawn to the battlefield saber but with no way in.
After: Cutting with real structure and intent. Reading and answering a live attack. Handling a saber, a long saber, and what comes at you from spears, shields, and other weapons. Fighting, not performing.
What This Path Changes for You
From your first session you stop guessing. Every drill has a place in a system that runs all the way from basic cuts to advanced freeplay, so you always know what you're
building and why.
You move from waving the saber to wielding it. From cutting air to cutting with structure and intent. From hoping a technique works to proving it against a resisting opponent, and against the spears, shields, and weapons a real fight throws at you. You get personal correction on your own swordsmanship from instructors who spar, inside a community of people training the same battlefield arts.
By the time you're deep in the path, you won't just know saber forms. You'll be able to fight.
One Complete System, Two Weapons,
Your Route Through It
This is the whole art of the Chinese battlefield saber, built as four phases across two weapons. Take the saber from basics to advanced, take the long saber from basics to advanced, or run the full system end to end. It's one coherent path either way, and you choose the order that suits you.
The Saber (Dao) Track
Foundations — Daofa Basic Skills
The foundation of the Daofa. Grip, structure, the core cuts, footwork and stepping, entering, and your first adaptive deflections. Everything the saber is built on, done properly from the start.
Advanced — Advanced Daofa
Where the saber becomes a fighting weapon. Combinations, neutralisations and responses, close-quarter work, and shield and saber (tengpai). The saber applied against a live, resisting opponent.
The Chinese Long Saber Track
Foundations — Long Saber Basic Skills
The foundation of the Chinese long saber, drawing on the family of long-saber traditions (Miaodao, Dandao, Changdao, Shuangshou Dao) so you build the basics to step into any of them. Grip, the core cuts, tactical stepping, deflections, and chaining your cuts.
Advanced — Advanced Longsword
Where the long saber becomes a fighting weapon. Bridging and entering, half-swording, neutralisations and responses, close-quarter swordplay, and fighting versus other weapons, spears, shields, and armoured opponents.
Whichever Order You Take It, It's One System
Run one weapon through to advanced, then the other. Or follow all four phases in sequence. Either way you're building one complete, coherent skill set in the Chinese battlefield saber, with a weekly live webinar, replays for 30 days, and the Saber & Longsword Lab to train alongside.
JOIN 100's OF PRACTITIONERS AND TEACHERS AROUND THE WORLD.
JOIN 100's OF PRACTITIONERS AND TEACHERS AROUND THE WORLD.
You're Not Alone. Join the Worldwide Revival
The Academy of Chinese Swordsmanship exists to put the martial context back into Chinese swordsmanship.
It's led by Scott M. Rodell, a direct student of the late Wang Yen-nien and one of the few teachers in the world treating the saber as a live battlefield weapon rather than a museum piece.
Every cut, deflection, and tactic on this path is drawn from Ming and Qing military method and tested in real sparring and test cutting, not from theories about how a form might once have worked. This is battlefield tradition pressure-tested and proven, then laid out as a complete path you can actually follow.
Through structured weapon paths, live coaching, in-person seminars, and a global community, the Academy is building something bigger than a course. It's a living martial art being put back together.
You don't need a local teacher. You don't need to figure it out alone. You just need to start.
TESTIMONIALS
Why Hundreds of Students Trust the Saber & Longsword Study Path
Here’s what real students are saying after just weeks of following the Chinese Saber & Longsword Study Path — from complete beginners to experienced martial artists, the results speak for themselves.
"Rodell Laoshi’s focus on practical application and willingness to spar at full speed pushed my skills to a new level. Having the lessons on hand is a huge bonus."
- KYLE F
"Studying at the Academy changed how I think about weapons — from flow to countering, it’s completely reshaped my approach."
- LAURA M.
"This system has streamlined everything we do at our school. The shared blueprint across Academy groups keeps training focused and effective."
- DAVID M
"Joining the Academy helped me re-contextualize everything I thought I knew about the sword, and even inspired me to start my own study group."
- JOHN P
Everything You Get for $39/Month
This isn't a course you finish. It's the complete system for learning to fight with the Dao and Chinese Longsword.
The complete four-phase system — Dao and long saber, basics to advanced freeplay, your route through it
A weekly live webinar — real-time correction and Q&A on your actual swordsmanship
30-day webinar replays — miss one or want to review it, watch back any time within 30 days
Battlefield-tested technique — Ming and Qing military method, proven in real sparring
Fighting versus other weapons — train against spears, shields, and armoured opponents
The foundation for any long-saber tradition — basics that carry into Miaodao, Dandao, Changdao, and Shuangshou Dao
The Saber & Longsword Lab — your community for feedback, training partners, and the accountability to keep going
Frequently Asked Questions
I don't have a saber. How do I start?
Begin with an inexpensive wooden or synthetic practice saber, or even a dowel while you learn grip, structure, and footwork. Inside you'll find a simple starter gear list and safety standards for partner work.
I'm a complete beginner. Is this for me?
Yes. You start at true basics, Phase 1, with a clear path that tells you exactly what to practise next. The system takes you all the way through to advanced freeplay, so you're never left wondering where to go.
Can I genuinely learn swordsmanship online?
Yes. You get a clear path, a weekly live webinar for real-time correction, and replays for 30 days. Progression standards guide you from solo to partner to freeplay, and seminars and retreats follow the same roadmap so skills transfer cleanly.
Do I have to study both weapons?
No. You can take the Dao from basics to advanced, take the long saber from basics to advanced, or run the full four-phase system end to end. It's one coherent path whichever route you choose.
I've practised forms for years. What's in it for me?
The application you've never been taught. The path makes sure your basics are sound, then connects your form work to live cutting, entries, and tactics that hold up against a resisting opponent and against other weapons.
I don't have anyone to spar with locally. Is that a problem?
No. You can start solo and still progress, with solo and partner drills that adapt to what you've got, plus the Saber & Longsword Lab to find partners and get feedback until you can spar in person.
How do the live webinars work?
There's one live webinar each week for real-time correction and Q&A. Can't make it live, or want to review? Every webinar is available to replay for 30 days.
Do I need to be fit or flexible to start?
No. Phase 1 meets you where you are and builds strength, mobility, and conditioning gradually.
What if I change my mind?
Cancel anytime, no hassle.
How does the 7-day free trial work?
Sign up today and get full access immediately. Explore the whole path for 7 days without paying a penny. If it's for you, carry on for $39/month.
Pick Up the Saber and Start
You can keep drilling forms that have never been tested, or you can learn the Dao and Chinese long saber the way they were meant to be used, as fighting weapons, in one complete system, with a lineage that has tested every cut and a community that has your back.
And the path doesn't stop at your screen. When you're ready to train in person, Academy seminars and retreats follow the same roadmap, so your skills transfer cleanly from solo practice to the floor.
Don't let another month pass cutting air. Start your free trial, pick up your saber, and begin the path properly.
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CONTACT US
(703) 846-8222
Academy of Chinese Swordsmanship, 3543 Marvin Street
Annandale, VA 22003
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