Not every training day is a brilliant one. Not every tournament is your best. Not every performance shows all that you’re capable of. Sometimes things are just plain crappy. You can’t get in the zone, you’re in your head, or you feel sloppy, flat footed, slow, out of shape, etc. Top performers are not devoid…
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I’ve had many frustrating training and combat encounters. Ones where I have felt suddenly incapable of accomplishing something that may have seemed simple weeks before. It’s easy to jump to a conclusion: “I’m just not practicing enough”, “I’m not learning”, “My opponent is just way better than me.” Yet there are so many factors that…
Read More... from Don't Judge Your Performance Based on One Training Event
In about 1877, Colonel Thomas Hoyer Monstery wrote: “I hold that every gentleman should be able to protect himself from insult and violence, with or without weapons.” [1] Words as true now, as they were more than a century ago! [2] But why listen to Col Monstery? In Self Defense for Gentlemen and Ladies, Ben Miller…
About 18 years ago I took over running a rapier practice and class for the Society for Creative Anachronism. I was new to being in a leadership role and I sought out the advice of one of the senior members in the area about how to run a successful group. He gave me one piece…
There is a fallacy that is often presented in martial arts (and physical culture as a whole) that for people on the outside looking in there is no point to practicing. Why learn to fight with a sword, choke a person out, or lift a heavy weight if those things do not translate to a…
Read More... from Why you should wrestle, and everyone throughout history thought so as well!
Research has shown that we humans use a tremendous amount of our brains in spaces beyond our conscious awareness. Learning is a process that is far broader than simply the conscious practice of new skills. I have found many situations in my personal experience where, after having worked on a problem extensively one day, I…
“Alright, the next drill is even more difficult!” I said to a chorus of groans. It’s accuracy night in line drills and I have been progressively making each drill more challenging. Each target is increasingly smaller, requiring that much more precision. The drills have essentially moved into a realm where even the most experienced students are…
There is an interesting phrase pair I have been hearing from a lot of instructors recently. I hear: “Practice makes perfect." Then an admonishment: “No. Practice makes permanent. So make sure you don’t practice poorly!" The first is a message of hope and resilience. If you practice and stay the course, you can find mastery.…
You’ve just finished a sparring match. You were struck, but what happened? The ability to recall a fight in a useful manner is a different skill than those required to have that fight. Here’s a process you can use to develop fighting recall: Fight a pass. At the conclusion of the pass, pause and ask…
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As I write this, my baby daughter is currently asleep in her crib, beside my bed. Behind her, leaning against the wall, is my longsword. I started swordfighting in February 2014. I wanted to learn, but I also wanted to improve my health. My husband and I had been trying for a baby for almost…
Finding the rhythm of your training and simply enjoying the process is a beautiful state to work toward in your martial endeavours. However, most of us also want to see progress. There’s a natural desire to be able to do a technique more deftly, swing a sword more powerfully, or defeat an opponent you couldn’t even…
If you plan to improve in your martial practice you need outside feedback. Here are three quality sources that you can seek out to get the most of your training time: 1. Well-Designed, Feedback-Oriented Exercises Instead of having to self-observe whether your mechanics are correct, a good exercise and good training partner will give you…
One of the main errors I see people making in solitary practice is over-practicing a single action. Generally this comes in the form of practicing a complex, multi-part action, without the needed external stimulus (meaning an opponent/partner) to give the technique its contextual relevance, timing, and feeling. The negative outcome I have seen, for many,…
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March is underway which means that the Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium is almost upon us. We have a star-studded list of HEMA instructors and lecturers coming in from around the world. One of the guests is particularly near and dear to my heart and that would be Bob Charrette. Not only will Bob be offering…
You’re injured, you’re sick, you’re exhausted. Does this mean that practicing the art you are passionate about is out for today? Not necessarily. There are many ways to explore a physical skill without twitching a muscle… well, perhaps a little muscle twitching. 1. Read Reading a book on swordplay can expand your theoretical knowledge, challenge…
Read More... from Exercise Your Mind When You Can't Exercise Your Body
Last night, a student of mine approached me before class to inform me that his shoulder was bothering him and he might not want to participate. I’m a fan of trying things out, even if you’re not sure if you’re up to them. I often encourage students to try class out for 5 minutes and then make…
Read More... from Eat Like a European - A Metaphor for Awareness
In the Western martial traditions the master of a school was an employee of the student. In an art where a successful instructor was teaching many above his social station, the bowing and scraping went the other way than we may see in other cultures. Having come from an Eastern martial arts background, this is…
I was talking with a student of mine the other night, encouraging them to start pushing themselves toward their next rank at my school. They commented to me that they felt like they were getting worse in their skills, not better. They felt that they were flailing, imprecise, and out of control. I personally had…