Swordplay from the Ground: Crossing the Sword in Front and Behind For the Green Spur there are only two ways you need to worry about encountering your opponent's sword: from in front, and from behind. Crossing in Front This is most direct and natural way of preventing your opponent from striking you. As she delivers…
Swordplay from the Ground: Cutting Mechanics & Timing In previous posts I discussed the eight lines and the three points of origin (shoulder, elbow and wrist) of cuts. To make your cuts effective, however, you need proper body mechanics and timing of hand and foot. Timing of Hand and Foot A cut is most powerful…
The Hero Sword A work of art. Any closeup of a sword in Lord of the Rings was a Hero Sword. Hero weapons are frequently made of stainless steel for its shine. Like your cookware, stainless steel will keep an edge well, but it's brittle. That means that hitting them can cause them to shatter…
Hello everyone, better late than never I suppose. We had some technical challenges this week with our longsword video lesson because I was out of control and couldn't stop teaching for 15 minutes, so it's a bit of a monster and delayed our posting this week. And sadly we won't have it in till next…
The evening world., August 17, 1921, Wall Street Final Edition, Page 3. New York, N.Y. Using Jiu Jitsu on Time and Mashers, Mrs. De Hart Tells How to Master Pests In Three-Minute Hot Weather Interview Woman Who Has Laid Low 40 or 50 So-Called "Men" Proves She Is as Clever and Forceful in Speech as…
Swordplay from the Ground: The Four Thrusts of the Sword The knight's sword was not just a cutting weapon. A well-aimed thrust delivered with the impulsion of a moving horse was a deadly combat technique. It was also an effective attack from the ground. There are four basic types of thrust, defined by the orientation…
Today's message: build the support you need before trying things you don't normally do. Green, Blue and Red cords are doing some actions outside of the ones we typically practice: reverse lunges, passing lunges, girati, sbassi, passes below, & unorthodox postures. These are all really cool when seen in action. It's not enough, however…
Welcome to a new year of training and sword fighting! I hope that everyone has enjoyed their holiday and is ready to get back to their physical training regimes with a newly renewed passion. We are starting off this month we three rapier topics: receiving the opponent (for level 1), voids (for level 2), and…
Swordplay from the Ground: Wrist, Elbow & Shoulder Cuts Not only are there eight lines on which to cut, there are three places from which to cut, wrist, shoulder and elbow. For the Green Spur you are required to demonstrate all three types with the sword in one hand, and wrist and elbow cuts with…
It's the time of New Year's Resolutions, have you already set yours? Personally I don't set New Year's Resolutions. Not that I don't like the idea of resolving to do something. What I don't like about New Year's Resolutions is that they only come once per year. So many New Year's Resolutions are forgotten or…
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Every day is boxing day for me. It’s just coincidence that in Canada we also celebrate the day after Christmas by the same name. Is it Boxercize? If you’re not taking some punches, hardening your abs for impact, and feeling your fist contacting an opponent (or a heavy bag to simulate one), then you’re doing…
Victim control. It is an essential element of stage combat, but often misunderstood, and more often performed badly. It means that when there is physical contact between two actors, the apparent victim is in charge. This principle applies to pushes, pulls, grabs, strangulation, hair pulls, and most falls and throws. Tyler Durdan Take a lesson…
Swordplay from the Ground: The Eight Cuts In the last three posts I've covered posture, movement and turns of the body, with or without a sword in hand. Now we'll turn our attention to the sword and look at cutting and thrusting in the next few posts, beginning with the eight cutting lines. Terminology Our…
Because of the holiday our last week of curriculum for the year has come a week early. This week we conclude our work on rapier cuts, sidesword cutting, and the core defences of the longsword. In Longsword Focus we look at cutting to the opponent's hands and next week we'll look more thoroughly at how…
Read More... from Video Lessons: Defenses Against the Cut; Longsword Thrusts; Cutting Hands
Swordplay from the Ground: Turns of the Body Last week's post on the Mounted Combat Green Spur Curriculum covered moving forward, back and side to side. This week we're adding turns to menu. Demonstrate the three turns of the body. 'Volta' is the Italian word for 'turn'. (Dressage riders will recognize it from 'volte', which…
This week we're going to be using the cut to get ourselves out of some challenging situations. With the rapier at level 1 (Green Cord), we're going to be using a cut to regain control of the opponent's sword. At level 2 (Blue Cord) we'll be building our precision and fluidity in sidesword cutting. At…
Brilliant stuff today, great for the novice and experienced fencer alike.Occasionally, when I talk to someone about fencing the conversation turns to applicability outside the salle. "It's just good for killing people with a sword. What are you going to do when you don't have your sword?"There's so much wrong with that (besides the grammar).We…
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Here's an infographic related to my previous post: Concussions R Bad. Created by MastersInHealthcare.com, it is sourced from the following: www.cdc.gov/concussion www.silive.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/10/scary_statistics_about-concuss.html www.mayoclinic.com/health/post-concussion-syndrome/DS01020 usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/story/2012-01-23/costly-concussions/52762290/1 Safety in Training and Reality In class, we avoid striking the head, even when wearing protective gear. To be a good partner, we either move slowly, change the target (do a…