We often do too much from a fear of doing nothing. We don’t give ourselves enough time to think about what we do because that’s when doubt can creep in. The problem with never really embracing this zero state is that often we do too much and never do anything well. If we constantly need to…
Read More... from Zero: How Starting From Nothing Builds Success
This recent inclusion to the HEMA body of common knowledge is very much a 'beer and peer' book. That is to say, you can open the book into most any chapter, and find a statement or assessment that should lead to intelligent debate among your knowledgeable sparring partners. In ‘Cut & Thrust’ Martin Dougherty describes…
Read More... from Book Review: “Cut & Thrust – European Swords and Swordsmanship” by Dougherty
I recently had a discussion on social media about this particular item: They are a kind of cutesy self defense device being marketed to women. Now, these are stupid, illegal, and unlikely to even offer an advantage in a self defense scenario. Not only that, but they are explicitly sold as a weapon, and therefore…
I have made this statement many times, but never in print. But let’s face it, it’s a hard thing to quantify and I can only speak from my observations as a weightlifter, a martial artist, a coach, an ex-nightclub bouncer, and a man who has never really found a place in traditional masculine roles. The…
Say that your car has broken down. You go ask your friends for recommendations of a good mechanic. You don’t ask for recommendations on how to fix it yourself with zero automotive knowledge, and then do your best to follow the instructions on what “worked for them”. Health and fitness are weird. You can do…
No* Sorry to disappoint, but as much as we want to hate on a particular foodstuff, it’s really not, because the fact is food is not good or bad. Nor is it evil, “clean”, healthy or pure. Food is food. A better question than whether something is “good” or “healthy” is does this suit my…
Read More... from Is Sugar The Root of All Evil, Hellbent on Destroying Us All?
Riding Level 4: Forward Movement As we go up in levels, the checkbox summaries on the assessment sheets begin to sound a bit like code. 7. Ability in forward movement. Free walk. Walk, trot on loose rein. In this section, we are looking at your ability to ride the horse with impulsion and some degree…
How long is a workout? A better question is how long do you have? In a conversation with a student this week, the subject of giving 100% came up and how they were training. Due to illness and stress, they were not training at the capacity that they had previously been at. They were happy…
Read More... from Give What You Can Spare; Keep What You Need.
Yes! We may have been snowed out for our regularly scheduled Playday on February 5th, so we've thumbed our noses at the weather and the schedule alike, and will hold it on March 5th instead. No need to register in advance: just show up. Mounted games and mounted sparring right after Mounted Combat Class. Bring…
If you attend the gym a lot, you will see that some people spend their entire time frustrated. They pace back and forth, hassle people about when they will be done with a piece of equipment they need, and just generally don’t seem to be having a good time. They have needs, they have a…
Riding Level 4: the Leg Yield Item 6 of the Level 4 checklist seems quite full: 6. Turns, circles. Trot, canter. Knowledge of canter leads. Leg yield at trot. However, you already know your turns, circles and canter leads, which you can review in previous posts. At this level, we will be looking for accurate…
I am not someone who defers to authority easily, but often the difference between success and failure can be our willingness to trust a professional. We waste a lot of time and a lot of headspace on self-teaching. This is an important and valid part of any process, but most people delay, hinder, or even…
Read More... from Bow to Authority! Seek Professionals to Maximise Success
Happy Valentine's Day, from some of our favourite kissable faces. Photos taken at Red Colt Co-op by Double Exposure Photography (aka Is & El). A reminder that there is no swordplay at the barn this weekend due to VISS. However, Riding & Horsemanship classes are on! Upcoming Classes NEW! Ongoing Mounted Combat Skills Beginning…
Functional training is all the rage but how often do we actually question whether our training is, in fact, functional? Not “Functional™” but functional. Could you lift a log, climb a rope, throw a punch, carry a wounded person or wrestle an assailant to the ground if you needed to do those things in a life…
Read More... from Focus on Disaster: How to Use Impending Doom to Set Training Goals.
Plants grow because the environment is right. Often a seed will sit waiting inert in the ground until the conditions are perfect to give it the best chance of success before it starts to grow. The only difference between you and that seed is that you can change your environment to create the best possible…
Read More... from Changing behaviors: Shape Your Environment to Guarantee Success
When it comes to healthy living, what’s better: 100% or 80%? You probably immediately went with 100%. We all want to stick to the plan 100%, we want to hit the gym 100% of the time we are meant to, and we want to see 100% of the results. In fact, we tend to see…
When we read ‘press’, (yes, the ‘real news’ press), we must remember that any item offered by a newspaper is often restricted by column length … the journalist is only allowed so much space to present their story. And sometimes, these restrictions result in a quotation being taken out of context; misplaced in context; or…
Read More... from Selectively Quotable Sword Press: News for January 2017
Riding Level 4: Position & Balance At Riding Level 1 we are only looking for basic control of the horse and don't mark you on your position. At Level 2 we want to see an adequate basic seat position at walk and trot, but don't mark your canter position, and at Level 3 we are…