David
Forum Replies Created
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Today has mostly been taken up by putting my sword dummy together. Pics attached. Now dinner and then today’s other goal, which is to actually do the entire daily drill set.
(This was simple to throw together, if anyone is wondering.)
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I may have just posted this three times.
Three videos from today. Happy with three days’ progress.
I want to make the poste flow more smoothly in the transitions.
I have the sequence in the LS form, but the transitions from sottano to mezzano are still hitch-y. My stances are still too high and inconsistent. And I’m reaching some, still, from the shoulders.
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Video link: https://youtu.be/8zhR-PK_Cvk
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Downward X drill as part of the Longsword Fundamentals course. I think it looks okay. Space is an issue; tomorrow I’m going to film the cutting drill out in the driveway. In this I think my shoulders are whack. I’m reaching really far for each cut, I think as a kind of extension of projecting the sword forward. Footwork is okay, not consistent enough for my liking. I bounce up and down between cuts a bit. Cuts are fluid, edge alignment and sequence are good.
Happy to read any and all feedback!
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Write down your blocks<div>
My primary blocks are lifelong struggles, and I’m not willing to inflict such a voluminous thing on the group. One that I don’t mind sharing is that all my life I have failed to achieve much success in anything despite apparently having all the tools necessary. This has led me to the unfortunate, cyclical, repetitive, and discouraging conclusion that I never will, so practicing is a thing that doesn’t really matter. For this block, I am relying on a whole bunch of tools that have served me more or less at times, and looking forward to learning any pearls along the way as part of this course.
Make a Block Plan for each block
I have two friends who are willingly and enthusiastically engaged in this journey with me. One is an old, very close friend who is a serious aikidoka and has a smattering of other martial arts experience. He will be joining me on the 30 for 30 challenge, using jo and boken in his own practice. We’ll do daily checkins.
Second is my wife, who has the patience of a saint as I describe to her yet again what it’s like to live in my brain and is incredibly supportive of the whole endeavor. She is well aware of the pitfalls of encouraging me, and is excellent at being unconditional.
Additionally, I have enough sheer willpower to simply stand up and swing a sword around once a day. Once I start swinging it, I generally don’t want to stop.
I also intend to set up a standing weekly fencing session with the lead instructor of my local club. He is excited to dive into the Italian side of things as the club seems to have gone full German, so I get to try Fiore against some German stuff.
Write a list of your supporters
Above, as well as many, many HEMA and martial arts and other skillset teachers and students.
Engage one or more supporters in your block plan
Done, 30 for 30, my buddy Joe.
Share your blocks here or journal about them
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I’ve been struggling with this, and decided to keep it very, very simple.
What are your training goals for this course? (Feel free to share your longer term training goals if you’d like as well.)
For the course: participate fully, complete all assignments, develop a practice I can sustain long term by learning how to train alone effectively. Longer term, achieve a measureable level of technical proficiency and make strides toward mastery.
What is your time budget for your training during the course?
I will train an hour a day, more if it’s rewarding or I want to keep going for whatever reason.
How are you structuring your week? I.e. when are you training and for how long?Do you have a daily routine or a routine for those specific days? If so, what is it?
I haven’t created a rigid schedule yet. Still juggling a few balls into place.
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Got outside in the cold just now for some flow drill action without a glass bookcase and a cat in the way. No video as it’s after dark here. I noticed I was having a real hitch in my flow in the transition from the ending sottano to the beginning fendente, so I worked that in slow motion and increased the speed to somewhere around AD training speed (what is the abbreviation for that? Do I just say “speed 3?”) 3+ with 4-ish moments. I think I was turning the sword to false edge too late. I was also unconvinced by the effectiveness of my false edge fendente cuts so I took it to the pell and did some playful targeted cuts on a tetherball, which was great for edge alignment and a sense of real time footwork.
Yesterday, I tried the flow with a montante trainer, around six feet and five pounds. I find that if I’m careful not to power through anything with it, it can give me kind of …louder feedback. Everything is exaggerated, so if you’re off balance you tend to notice it more dramatically. Might be worth trying if anyone is stuck on something.
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Just worked on the iron butterfly drill a bit. My biggest takeaway from watching is that I feel super constrained in my living room. I’m launching fendente cuts from my ribs or waist, straight forward, to avoid the ceiling, and such. Thankfully, I should be able to get outside a little over the next few days. Glad to have any feedback!
Here’s a Youtube link, best I could do.
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Still in progress, but I’ll be using my living room as an indoor training space. I spent some time decluttering it today, and it allows me to make a couple passing steps or a lunge and a half. Nine foot ceilings, so not complete extensions overhead, but I can throw a fendente from my shoulder without sacrificing any heirlooms or cats. I mounted a thing on the wall that’s called a “Tiki Toss.” I bought it at a large sports chain store, the kind that sells high school hockey and baseball stuff. Wilsons? Anyway, it’s an oval wood plaque with a telescoping metal rod that’s designed to hold a string, and it works beautifully as a target, collapses easily, and the metal rod lifts out. I included a couple pics, and you can buy the thing here: https://playtikitoss.com/?variant=396334366739 As in the pics, I copied the Meyer Square onto it. This thing travels well, too, and makes an excellent cat toy. (It also extends past the overflow piles of books nicely.)
Outside, I have a driveway and a yard with the pictured pell like object in it. This has been great fun! It’s just a couple eight inch posts, one nailed on the other to make a cross, and then a smaller one to make a third arm. I usually have an adjustable shelf for cutting targets on the fourth side, but they get beat up fast. The attachments I find I use most are 1. a vertical four foot post wrapped with indoor-outdoor floor mat, an idea I stole from a tomahawk teacher; 2. a horizontal stick with a tether ball attached in the middle, and sometimes with a second rubber ball for a head; and a simple round piece of wood hung like a target. I’ve experimented with attaching blades to it for bind work, but haven’t got that quite right yet. I’ll post some more recent pics if people want to see them. (I’m not a carpenter. You could do this easily.) Parts all came from Home Depot, maybe a hundred bucks or so and an afternoon.
I do intend to tweak a design I tried out a couple years ago. I used an old rapier fencing blade with a pommel, hung it with a pair of cords, and tied a piece of bungee cord to the pommel, the other end to the wall. The point tended to stay on line when I bound with it, though not with much presence at all.
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Those answers have worked for me as well, but I’d like to have a name for specifically what Devon is doing at Academie Duello. Italian Martial Arts is what I hear, mostly.
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Hey, Kevin, just found this in the email announcing the first session. You might have to rsvp/register.
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Cheers, Greg, and please always be picky!
