Post by KenBelmont on Jul 7, 2014 20:33:43 GMT
"The Secrets of Sword Fighting!"
Yes, now they are revealed for the first time - all the
secret "tournament winning" techniques that have been collected
from sword fighting experts throughout the ages! Learn the
secrets gleaned from massive tomes, dusty files, and aged minds of
old Counts, Dukes, (and an assorted Ninja master or two.) This
knowledge has previously been available to only a select handful
of students (all of whom had to take oaths to keep these
secrets . . . well, you know, . . really, really, SECRET); now it
can all be yours!
Introduction:
OK, you got me. There are no secret sword fighting techniques
passed down by Ninjas warriors, or Dukes in the SCA. There is,
however, some very important information that is so often
overlooked that it might as well be secret. This secret
information is also known as "the basics." We need to learn
certain basic concepts in order to develop to our highest
potential, in SCA combat. Sadly, sometimes the basics are not only
overlooked, but they are also the last thing the new fighter wants
to learn.
Why?
We have all seen it. A new fighter finds some loaner armor and
gets authorized. The next thing they want to do is "learn some
shots!" They will ask, "show me a snap", "show me a wrap", "show me
your `secret shots'." They want to learn them because they see
people deliver them, and win. These techniques appear to work, and
therefore the new fighter wants to learn them all - right away!
There is nothing wrong with learning "the shots," of course, but
without a good grounding in the basics you will not be able to
perform these shots effectively, especially against more experienced
fighters. By concentrating on specific techniques, without first
acquiring the basic skills, the new fighter will probably learn
more about frustration than they will about sword fighting. Even
worse they will develop bad habits that will have to be broken
later, if they are to improve.
Why do experts make it look easy?
When you see someone perform a task that they have mastered they
make it look easy. Their actions seem to flow without effort. But
it only appears to be easy because they have practiced many hours
to reach a level where many things happen automatically. The
experienced fighter senses and reacts to a fight at an intuitive
level. They react without consciously having to attend to each
action. The newer fighter may have to "think too much," especially
when facing more skilled opponent. If you have to stop and think,
the more skilled opponent will likely use that split second to
defeat you.
What sets the truly excellent fighter apart from the beginning, or
even good fighter, is their ability to perform basic techniques very
well. The experienced fighter may throw the same shot as the new
fighter, but they always seem to throw it at just the right time.
When you throw your "killer shot" at them, they manage to block it
and deliver a quick counter that "smacks you up-side the head." The
difference, for the most part, is not the "secret shot" they throw,
but it is the experienced fighters speed, timing, and balance. In
short, the top fighters have a solid grounding in the basics.
The basics are nothing peculiar to SCA sword fighting. Any sport
which involves moving the body in time and space, will have many
similar basics. You can often acquire an understanding of the
basics from other activity and quickly apply that experience to SCA
sword fighting. One reason why some people seem to "be a natural" at
sword fighting is that they have learned these basics playing other
sports, or martial arts. If you have not picked up these basics in
another activity, then you can learn them directly from sword
fighting- and the sooner the better.
Pre-Basics: Get a teacher
One important aspect of learning to sword fight, before you even get
to balance and timing, is finding a good teacher. The most subtle
aspects of a game are often its most important. They often make the
difference between wining and losing, especially at the highest
levels of competition. The difference between timing that is almost
right, and timing which is near perfect can be elusive. The good
teacher can help you deal with these subtleties. The best teacher
is not always the best fighter; the best teacher is the one that is
able to pass on needed information and training, in a manner that
makes sense to the student. Find a teacher that you can learn
from.
Pre-Basics: Be there:
Judo founder, Dr. Jigoro Kano was once asked what the "secret" to
Judo was. His reply was simply, "never miss practice." Being there
is the most important requirement for improvement. If you want to
improve you have to show up, at the fighter practice, with your
gear and fight! You also have to fight people who can challenge
you, if you are to improve. (If they can beat you, and they can
teach you, that's even better.) If you avoid fighting the better
fighters you will not advance.
Not only do you have to "be there" you have to be there when you
are there. When you are at fighter practice you have to concentrate
on fighting. It's fun to talk to people, it's fun to tell stories,
and to listen to them, but this is not sword fighting. You can't
sword fight very well, while your mind is elsewhere. You have to be
there, in the fight, mentally as well as physically.
These are what I call the "pre-basics." Now we can move on to the
basics. I'm sure others may wish to add to or in other ways alter
what I have present here and that is fine. There is no single right
way to learn to sword fight, but there are some basic factors that
must be addressed, in some manner, with any approach.
The Basics:
1. breathing
2. balance
3. timing
4. conditioning
5. equipment
6. the mental game (the most important aspect of all)
Breathing:
Boy, that's pretty silly. What's there to learn about breathing?
We do it all the time.
Yea, we breathe all the time (or else we die) but sometimes we stop
breathing, or stop breathing correctly, in the middle of a sword
fight! Usually this is due to poor concentration (the mental game),
and a lack of training. Clearly the worst time to stop breathing,
or to breathe short, tight hesitant breaths, is when you're wearing
60 pounds of armor, and a big guy trying to smack you with a stick!
It's moments like this that you need all the oxygen you can get.
Unfortunately, the stress of fighting can cause us to actually
breathe less. Breathing less, or shallowly from the upper chest,
tends to produce rigid movements, slow thinking, and poor
reactions.
How do you breath correctly?
You could take some Yoga classes, or practice some of the martial
arts that deal with this issue in depth. Some of these disciplines
do a very good job of teaching us how to breathe, while under
stress. In short, you want to make the act of breathing correctly
so engrained that you don't have to think about it. You don't want
to have to consciously attend to your breathing, but you want to
be aware enough of your own body, that you will become aware when
you start to tighten-up. With training you will be able to change to
deep breathing, without having to consciously attend to it.
Well, "big whoop" you might say, everyone knows when to breath more
heavily, it's when you get "short of breath, right?"
No, actually by then it's probably too late. If you do not switch
to deep breathing before you get oxygen deprived, you may not be
able to bring your oxygen level up enough, fast enough, to continue
fighting effectively. [ Remember this "secret formula": a "good
fighter" minus enough oxygen = a "bad fighter!" ] Once you become
consciously aware of losing focus, you can begin to breath deeply
from your stomach, and not tightly from the chest. That may be
enough to keep you going, but it is better to not lose focus in the
first place.
Becoming more tense physically is a natural response to stress,
but it also takes a lot of energy that can be much better put to
use fighting. When you breath correctly, you will feel your body
loosen up. When your body loosens up you become more efficient.
You can strike, and react to your opponents attacks more
effectively, and your mind will be more clear.
Practice slow, deep, breathing, especially while under stress. It
helps before a confrontation with the boss at work, speaking before
a group of people, or anytime you need to calm your mind and body.
What you are used to doing is what you will most likely do when your
fighting. If you are used to slow breathing, when your body tenses
up, you will probably do so when fighting as well.
Certainly another major factor in breathing is conditioning. The
more you build up your over all stamina by aerobic exercise
(running, biking, walking, swimming) the better your body will be
at keeping useful oxygen levels. But it is important to realize that
these activities are a means to an end, and not the end in its
self. Running, biking, walking, swimming, will help you maintain
your energy levels for sword fighting, but they may do very little
to improve your sword fighting by themselves.
Another aspect of breathing, and fighting, involves "timing" of your
breathing and the best time to attack your opponent. In general,
you will get more power when you throw a shot on the exhale. Just
as in martial arts, your exhale exerts power and focus. You can
exaggerate this into the "Kiai," or loud shout at the moment of
exhale. This helps you focus and may startle your opponent, (if
they are not used to that sort of thing).
Balance:
Yeah, balance, OK, I know, I know, that's real simple too, just
don't fall over!
Balance may be more complicated than just that (though not falling
over is a good start!) Most of us were born with two feet, which,
when fighting, are most often in contact the ground. This means
that we have two points on which to balance and to keep us from
falling over.
With only two points contacting the ground, we are always in danger
of falling over. Watch a baby learn to walk. Think of just how
tricky this whole process is. Walking is a form of controlled
falling. We have to push our limits of balance to the "almost
falling" level and then catch ourselves, with our other foot, to
ambulate.
If you are off balance you will more easily slip, trip, or fall.
Tripping, slipping and falling are seldom wining techniques; so
being balanced is generally preferable. But, there are times when
you may choose to move off balance, to make a shot. The important
thing to consider is whether or not you intended to move off balance
or not. You make this decision based upon experience, intuition and
your perception of the likely hood of being able to make the shot.
There is an element of judgment in the choice to go off balance, but
you only do it for a reason.
So, keep your feet shoulder width apart, and never cross your feet,
or bring them both together, as you move around. It is usually
better to slide your feet an inch or so above the ground, than it
is to pick up your feet and plant them back down. If you get a
shield rush, or are caught off guard just as you are picking up a
foot, you will probably suffer for it. The closer your foot is to
the ground the less likely you are to be off balance for your
opponents attack, and hopefully for your counter attack.
Timing:
Good timing is the most critical factor in your attack. No matter
how fast, or hard the shot, if it is not timed so that it hits your
opponent, it will have no effect. We have all thrown "great shots,"
that we saw harmlessly smack the other guys shield. Timing is
usually what makes the good shot "good."
Timing is also one of the least conscious factors in sword
fighting. Some people are born with faster reaction times, but to a
great extent, the more you sword fight, the better your timing will
become. The more you practice the better your brain is going to be
at to programming your muscles to move in the manner you need for
success.
Timing also includes your ability to read (guess - based on
probabilities calculated from our experience) what the other
fighter intends to do, and then to defend (or better yet attack
them) before they can do it. Sometimes you can "see," or sense an
attack, or a particular type of attack, by the way the fighter
shifts their weight, or drops their shoulder. Such signals do not
have to be obvious (though sometimes they are very obvious).
Sometimes your opponents "telegraphing" of blows is obvious to
everyone except them. (You might help them by pointing it out.) You
want to avoid as much of this as possible. In sword fighting, as in
the game of poker, you don't "show your hand" until you have to.
Hopefully by the time you have to show it, it will be too late for
your opponent to do anything about it.
A word of warning, the better your opponent is the more likely
they will use these subtle telegraphing messages to his advantage.
They might just throw a shot slow enough that you see it, and
start to counter it, when the initial attack turns into something
else and wham, you get it.
With experience you can develop an intuitive sense of movement and
expectations. If you time your attack in such a way as to take
advantage of this process, you will create opportunities. It is
this perception of what's about to happen, that allows your timing
to improve. Just as your opponent beings to think about a shot, you
have already blocked it in your mind, and moved to a counter shot.
If done well your opponent sees the block but doesn't see the
counter, until it rings his helmet.
For proper timing to occur you have to be mentally "in the fight" so
you can be flexible and open for anything that might occur. By
carefully observing your opponent you'll be better able to time your
shot. You can often tell a lot about the other fighter by looking
into their eyes, but you can't focus on them, as you will lose sight
of the rest of the fight. You should work on taking in the whole
fight without looking at any single part of it. Speed is very
important (and you just can't get "too fast" when it comes to
attack) but even great speed is not effective if you don't do it at
the right time.
Conditioning:
Conditioning is essential. Aerobic and strengthening exercises are
important to the sword fighter, but conditioning is not simply
strength. Conditioning includes stamina, flexibility and
endurance. The sword fighter needs all of these. Anyone looking at
the fighting field will see that the best fighters out there are not
always biggest or strongest. In fact sometimes a person who in
excellent physical shape, has trouble learning the game, because
they are lacking other factors (perhaps a certain mental attitude
for example).
Being generally fit is important but it's not always the guy who is
the most physically fit, who wins the tournament. Some fighters
might be fit enough to be able to run a 10K race, but not make it
past the second round in the Crown Lists. Others can be out of
shape physically, and even be carrying some handicaps, and yet they
manage to acquit themselves well each time. The difference is
practice and experience. Remember that cross-training activities are
great, but they can't provide exactly the same benefits as you
achieve by doing more sword fighting.
Equipment:
There are a wide variety of styles of armor available in the SCA.
Not every type of armor is best for every fighter. You have to find
armor that protects you, and works with your body type. The fact
that someone else really likes a particular style does not mean that
it is best for you.
In finding the right SCA harness you have many considerations: 1)
safety, 2) mobility, 3) price, 4) authenticity, 5) and style.
Safety is the most important aspect and it's important to remember
that for the armor to protect you it must also fit you correctly.
[Check the most current version of the Marshal's Handbook, and your
local Knight Marshal, if you have questions regarding fit and
safety.]
Secondly, contrary to the "Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz" image, the
right armor, a set that fits you, should not be confining. You
should have a helmet that you can see, and breathe out of, and legs
that won't bind up, or jam your ankles or your hips. You have to
be able to move your arms, legs and head in your armor and be able
to bend at the waist and get up and down.
Style, authenticity and price is an individual choice when it comes
to armor. Once safety and mobility issues are resolved you can
decide on appearance. A better appearance might not actually make
you a better fighter but it can make you feel more confident, and
therefore, potentially a better fighter.
The mental game:
Shakespeare tells us, [Henry V], that "all things be ready if our
minds be so." This is very true regarding sword fighting. Have you
ever seen someone lose a fight before they even start? I sure
have. Why did they enter the Eric already half-way defeated?
Perhaps they saw the helmet or coat of arms of a famous fighter and
told themselves they couldn't defeat them; perhaps they mentally
placed themselves in a category that they are afraid to move up
from? Who knows, but they have defeated themselves before even
starting.
The mental game is the most difficult to teach. It is intensely
personal and exists inside our heads, but without it nothing else
works. No secret Ninja wraps, no running ten miles everyday, no
amount of conditioning, and no amount of practice will work if you
enter the field mentally defeated.
So what attitude should one have when entering the field? I
suggest "no attitude at all." Don't think. Don't think about the
guy, who he is or what you think is going to happen - because you
don't know. Be confident but not over confident to the point of
letting your guard down. Be open, flexible and ready to act or
react to what ever happens. Don't form preconceived notions about
the event; who is going to win and who is not. No one knows what
will happen, just observe and react. Expectations and assumptions,
about what is supposed to happen in a fight, will get you killed,
especially against the more skilled opponent.
Final Thoughts:
Fighting ability is made up of many things, some we can control and
some we can't. Some people have a better sense of balance than
others, or faster reaction times, just as some others have better
eyesight or hearing. But these differences mean little in the long
run compared to willingness to put forth the effort necessary to
improve. Those who observe carefully, and are willing to put forth
the effort, will improve beyond the gifted athlete who is lazy and
believes they have nothing to learn. In short, it's not what you
were born with but what you do that makes the difference.
Yes, now they are revealed for the first time - all the
secret "tournament winning" techniques that have been collected
from sword fighting experts throughout the ages! Learn the
secrets gleaned from massive tomes, dusty files, and aged minds of
old Counts, Dukes, (and an assorted Ninja master or two.) This
knowledge has previously been available to only a select handful
of students (all of whom had to take oaths to keep these
secrets . . . well, you know, . . really, really, SECRET); now it
can all be yours!
Introduction:
OK, you got me. There are no secret sword fighting techniques
passed down by Ninjas warriors, or Dukes in the SCA. There is,
however, some very important information that is so often
overlooked that it might as well be secret. This secret
information is also known as "the basics." We need to learn
certain basic concepts in order to develop to our highest
potential, in SCA combat. Sadly, sometimes the basics are not only
overlooked, but they are also the last thing the new fighter wants
to learn.
Why?
We have all seen it. A new fighter finds some loaner armor and
gets authorized. The next thing they want to do is "learn some
shots!" They will ask, "show me a snap", "show me a wrap", "show me
your `secret shots'." They want to learn them because they see
people deliver them, and win. These techniques appear to work, and
therefore the new fighter wants to learn them all - right away!
There is nothing wrong with learning "the shots," of course, but
without a good grounding in the basics you will not be able to
perform these shots effectively, especially against more experienced
fighters. By concentrating on specific techniques, without first
acquiring the basic skills, the new fighter will probably learn
more about frustration than they will about sword fighting. Even
worse they will develop bad habits that will have to be broken
later, if they are to improve.
Why do experts make it look easy?
When you see someone perform a task that they have mastered they
make it look easy. Their actions seem to flow without effort. But
it only appears to be easy because they have practiced many hours
to reach a level where many things happen automatically. The
experienced fighter senses and reacts to a fight at an intuitive
level. They react without consciously having to attend to each
action. The newer fighter may have to "think too much," especially
when facing more skilled opponent. If you have to stop and think,
the more skilled opponent will likely use that split second to
defeat you.
What sets the truly excellent fighter apart from the beginning, or
even good fighter, is their ability to perform basic techniques very
well. The experienced fighter may throw the same shot as the new
fighter, but they always seem to throw it at just the right time.
When you throw your "killer shot" at them, they manage to block it
and deliver a quick counter that "smacks you up-side the head." The
difference, for the most part, is not the "secret shot" they throw,
but it is the experienced fighters speed, timing, and balance. In
short, the top fighters have a solid grounding in the basics.
The basics are nothing peculiar to SCA sword fighting. Any sport
which involves moving the body in time and space, will have many
similar basics. You can often acquire an understanding of the
basics from other activity and quickly apply that experience to SCA
sword fighting. One reason why some people seem to "be a natural" at
sword fighting is that they have learned these basics playing other
sports, or martial arts. If you have not picked up these basics in
another activity, then you can learn them directly from sword
fighting- and the sooner the better.
Pre-Basics: Get a teacher
One important aspect of learning to sword fight, before you even get
to balance and timing, is finding a good teacher. The most subtle
aspects of a game are often its most important. They often make the
difference between wining and losing, especially at the highest
levels of competition. The difference between timing that is almost
right, and timing which is near perfect can be elusive. The good
teacher can help you deal with these subtleties. The best teacher
is not always the best fighter; the best teacher is the one that is
able to pass on needed information and training, in a manner that
makes sense to the student. Find a teacher that you can learn
from.
Pre-Basics: Be there:
Judo founder, Dr. Jigoro Kano was once asked what the "secret" to
Judo was. His reply was simply, "never miss practice." Being there
is the most important requirement for improvement. If you want to
improve you have to show up, at the fighter practice, with your
gear and fight! You also have to fight people who can challenge
you, if you are to improve. (If they can beat you, and they can
teach you, that's even better.) If you avoid fighting the better
fighters you will not advance.
Not only do you have to "be there" you have to be there when you
are there. When you are at fighter practice you have to concentrate
on fighting. It's fun to talk to people, it's fun to tell stories,
and to listen to them, but this is not sword fighting. You can't
sword fight very well, while your mind is elsewhere. You have to be
there, in the fight, mentally as well as physically.
These are what I call the "pre-basics." Now we can move on to the
basics. I'm sure others may wish to add to or in other ways alter
what I have present here and that is fine. There is no single right
way to learn to sword fight, but there are some basic factors that
must be addressed, in some manner, with any approach.
The Basics:
1. breathing
2. balance
3. timing
4. conditioning
5. equipment
6. the mental game (the most important aspect of all)
Breathing:
Boy, that's pretty silly. What's there to learn about breathing?
We do it all the time.
Yea, we breathe all the time (or else we die) but sometimes we stop
breathing, or stop breathing correctly, in the middle of a sword
fight! Usually this is due to poor concentration (the mental game),
and a lack of training. Clearly the worst time to stop breathing,
or to breathe short, tight hesitant breaths, is when you're wearing
60 pounds of armor, and a big guy trying to smack you with a stick!
It's moments like this that you need all the oxygen you can get.
Unfortunately, the stress of fighting can cause us to actually
breathe less. Breathing less, or shallowly from the upper chest,
tends to produce rigid movements, slow thinking, and poor
reactions.
How do you breath correctly?
You could take some Yoga classes, or practice some of the martial
arts that deal with this issue in depth. Some of these disciplines
do a very good job of teaching us how to breathe, while under
stress. In short, you want to make the act of breathing correctly
so engrained that you don't have to think about it. You don't want
to have to consciously attend to your breathing, but you want to
be aware enough of your own body, that you will become aware when
you start to tighten-up. With training you will be able to change to
deep breathing, without having to consciously attend to it.
Well, "big whoop" you might say, everyone knows when to breath more
heavily, it's when you get "short of breath, right?"
No, actually by then it's probably too late. If you do not switch
to deep breathing before you get oxygen deprived, you may not be
able to bring your oxygen level up enough, fast enough, to continue
fighting effectively. [ Remember this "secret formula": a "good
fighter" minus enough oxygen = a "bad fighter!" ] Once you become
consciously aware of losing focus, you can begin to breath deeply
from your stomach, and not tightly from the chest. That may be
enough to keep you going, but it is better to not lose focus in the
first place.
Becoming more tense physically is a natural response to stress,
but it also takes a lot of energy that can be much better put to
use fighting. When you breath correctly, you will feel your body
loosen up. When your body loosens up you become more efficient.
You can strike, and react to your opponents attacks more
effectively, and your mind will be more clear.
Practice slow, deep, breathing, especially while under stress. It
helps before a confrontation with the boss at work, speaking before
a group of people, or anytime you need to calm your mind and body.
What you are used to doing is what you will most likely do when your
fighting. If you are used to slow breathing, when your body tenses
up, you will probably do so when fighting as well.
Certainly another major factor in breathing is conditioning. The
more you build up your over all stamina by aerobic exercise
(running, biking, walking, swimming) the better your body will be
at keeping useful oxygen levels. But it is important to realize that
these activities are a means to an end, and not the end in its
self. Running, biking, walking, swimming, will help you maintain
your energy levels for sword fighting, but they may do very little
to improve your sword fighting by themselves.
Another aspect of breathing, and fighting, involves "timing" of your
breathing and the best time to attack your opponent. In general,
you will get more power when you throw a shot on the exhale. Just
as in martial arts, your exhale exerts power and focus. You can
exaggerate this into the "Kiai," or loud shout at the moment of
exhale. This helps you focus and may startle your opponent, (if
they are not used to that sort of thing).
Balance:
Yeah, balance, OK, I know, I know, that's real simple too, just
don't fall over!
Balance may be more complicated than just that (though not falling
over is a good start!) Most of us were born with two feet, which,
when fighting, are most often in contact the ground. This means
that we have two points on which to balance and to keep us from
falling over.
With only two points contacting the ground, we are always in danger
of falling over. Watch a baby learn to walk. Think of just how
tricky this whole process is. Walking is a form of controlled
falling. We have to push our limits of balance to the "almost
falling" level and then catch ourselves, with our other foot, to
ambulate.
If you are off balance you will more easily slip, trip, or fall.
Tripping, slipping and falling are seldom wining techniques; so
being balanced is generally preferable. But, there are times when
you may choose to move off balance, to make a shot. The important
thing to consider is whether or not you intended to move off balance
or not. You make this decision based upon experience, intuition and
your perception of the likely hood of being able to make the shot.
There is an element of judgment in the choice to go off balance, but
you only do it for a reason.
So, keep your feet shoulder width apart, and never cross your feet,
or bring them both together, as you move around. It is usually
better to slide your feet an inch or so above the ground, than it
is to pick up your feet and plant them back down. If you get a
shield rush, or are caught off guard just as you are picking up a
foot, you will probably suffer for it. The closer your foot is to
the ground the less likely you are to be off balance for your
opponents attack, and hopefully for your counter attack.
Timing:
Good timing is the most critical factor in your attack. No matter
how fast, or hard the shot, if it is not timed so that it hits your
opponent, it will have no effect. We have all thrown "great shots,"
that we saw harmlessly smack the other guys shield. Timing is
usually what makes the good shot "good."
Timing is also one of the least conscious factors in sword
fighting. Some people are born with faster reaction times, but to a
great extent, the more you sword fight, the better your timing will
become. The more you practice the better your brain is going to be
at to programming your muscles to move in the manner you need for
success.
Timing also includes your ability to read (guess - based on
probabilities calculated from our experience) what the other
fighter intends to do, and then to defend (or better yet attack
them) before they can do it. Sometimes you can "see," or sense an
attack, or a particular type of attack, by the way the fighter
shifts their weight, or drops their shoulder. Such signals do not
have to be obvious (though sometimes they are very obvious).
Sometimes your opponents "telegraphing" of blows is obvious to
everyone except them. (You might help them by pointing it out.) You
want to avoid as much of this as possible. In sword fighting, as in
the game of poker, you don't "show your hand" until you have to.
Hopefully by the time you have to show it, it will be too late for
your opponent to do anything about it.
A word of warning, the better your opponent is the more likely
they will use these subtle telegraphing messages to his advantage.
They might just throw a shot slow enough that you see it, and
start to counter it, when the initial attack turns into something
else and wham, you get it.
With experience you can develop an intuitive sense of movement and
expectations. If you time your attack in such a way as to take
advantage of this process, you will create opportunities. It is
this perception of what's about to happen, that allows your timing
to improve. Just as your opponent beings to think about a shot, you
have already blocked it in your mind, and moved to a counter shot.
If done well your opponent sees the block but doesn't see the
counter, until it rings his helmet.
For proper timing to occur you have to be mentally "in the fight" so
you can be flexible and open for anything that might occur. By
carefully observing your opponent you'll be better able to time your
shot. You can often tell a lot about the other fighter by looking
into their eyes, but you can't focus on them, as you will lose sight
of the rest of the fight. You should work on taking in the whole
fight without looking at any single part of it. Speed is very
important (and you just can't get "too fast" when it comes to
attack) but even great speed is not effective if you don't do it at
the right time.
Conditioning:
Conditioning is essential. Aerobic and strengthening exercises are
important to the sword fighter, but conditioning is not simply
strength. Conditioning includes stamina, flexibility and
endurance. The sword fighter needs all of these. Anyone looking at
the fighting field will see that the best fighters out there are not
always biggest or strongest. In fact sometimes a person who in
excellent physical shape, has trouble learning the game, because
they are lacking other factors (perhaps a certain mental attitude
for example).
Being generally fit is important but it's not always the guy who is
the most physically fit, who wins the tournament. Some fighters
might be fit enough to be able to run a 10K race, but not make it
past the second round in the Crown Lists. Others can be out of
shape physically, and even be carrying some handicaps, and yet they
manage to acquit themselves well each time. The difference is
practice and experience. Remember that cross-training activities are
great, but they can't provide exactly the same benefits as you
achieve by doing more sword fighting.
Equipment:
There are a wide variety of styles of armor available in the SCA.
Not every type of armor is best for every fighter. You have to find
armor that protects you, and works with your body type. The fact
that someone else really likes a particular style does not mean that
it is best for you.
In finding the right SCA harness you have many considerations: 1)
safety, 2) mobility, 3) price, 4) authenticity, 5) and style.
Safety is the most important aspect and it's important to remember
that for the armor to protect you it must also fit you correctly.
[Check the most current version of the Marshal's Handbook, and your
local Knight Marshal, if you have questions regarding fit and
safety.]
Secondly, contrary to the "Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz" image, the
right armor, a set that fits you, should not be confining. You
should have a helmet that you can see, and breathe out of, and legs
that won't bind up, or jam your ankles or your hips. You have to
be able to move your arms, legs and head in your armor and be able
to bend at the waist and get up and down.
Style, authenticity and price is an individual choice when it comes
to armor. Once safety and mobility issues are resolved you can
decide on appearance. A better appearance might not actually make
you a better fighter but it can make you feel more confident, and
therefore, potentially a better fighter.
The mental game:
Shakespeare tells us, [Henry V], that "all things be ready if our
minds be so." This is very true regarding sword fighting. Have you
ever seen someone lose a fight before they even start? I sure
have. Why did they enter the Eric already half-way defeated?
Perhaps they saw the helmet or coat of arms of a famous fighter and
told themselves they couldn't defeat them; perhaps they mentally
placed themselves in a category that they are afraid to move up
from? Who knows, but they have defeated themselves before even
starting.
The mental game is the most difficult to teach. It is intensely
personal and exists inside our heads, but without it nothing else
works. No secret Ninja wraps, no running ten miles everyday, no
amount of conditioning, and no amount of practice will work if you
enter the field mentally defeated.
So what attitude should one have when entering the field? I
suggest "no attitude at all." Don't think. Don't think about the
guy, who he is or what you think is going to happen - because you
don't know. Be confident but not over confident to the point of
letting your guard down. Be open, flexible and ready to act or
react to what ever happens. Don't form preconceived notions about
the event; who is going to win and who is not. No one knows what
will happen, just observe and react. Expectations and assumptions,
about what is supposed to happen in a fight, will get you killed,
especially against the more skilled opponent.
Final Thoughts:
Fighting ability is made up of many things, some we can control and
some we can't. Some people have a better sense of balance than
others, or faster reaction times, just as some others have better
eyesight or hearing. But these differences mean little in the long
run compared to willingness to put forth the effort necessary to
improve. Those who observe carefully, and are willing to put forth
the effort, will improve beyond the gifted athlete who is lazy and
believes they have nothing to learn. In short, it's not what you
were born with but what you do that makes the difference.