Devon
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Week 5
My focus this week has been on staying consistent on running, meditating, and minimum practice on y travel days.
Day 1
Got in a run, plus morning meditation and trianing.
Day 2
Travel day but still got in my training at the outset of the day.
Day 3
Running and martial meditation at the start of the day.
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Day 4
Just a short training session. Got some staff time in at my parents house before heading back to Vancouver.
Day 5
An hour of training at two-sword in prep for Sundays workshop
Day 6
Longsword practice as part of my martial meditation in the morning.
Day 7
So much two sword! 2.5 hours in the morning for the workshop then 2.5 hours for the afternoon workshop that was live at Duello. Then I did an additional hour and a half of rapier and sidesword sparring with some of my senior students.
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Week 3 and Week 4
September has been a super full month and I have managed to keep up my training throughout.
The Armizare Academy week I got up every morning and did my martial meditation in my pre-event and post-event visiting to Chicago. It really helps that my host, Nicole Allen, has a fencing studio on the top floor of her house. I would sneak up there before anyone knew I was awake and do my practice.
I also got myself out running several times during my trip, which was great even though it was pretty hot and humid in Chicago.
At Armizare Academy I taught a ton and got in sparring time with at least 3 fencing partners each day, some days more. It was almost all longsword except for a bit of sidesword bouting on the last day. It was grand.
In Week 4 I finished up in Chicago (some training in Nicole’s salle and runs in the humid heat) and then in Vancouver headed out to Carosella mounted combat symposium.
More sparring every day and also lots of time sword and spear in hand doing solo training.
Highlight here was spending some time fencing folks from the local Gatka (an indian/sikh martial art) federation at sword in two hands and sword and buckler. It was great stuff.
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Week 3
Focus: Keep up my rhythm during travel then get in as much fencing as possible at Armizare Academy.
Plan: Minimum 10 minute practices between now and Thursday then at least an hour of fencing practice with others outside of my classes each day at the event. (I’m teaching 14 hours of classes)
Contingency: Get some more time in reading the Anonimo Riccardiano
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Day 1:
10 minutes meditation, 10 minutes of sword practice before bed. Got in the minimum today.
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Week 1
Focus: My plan this week is to keep up my running and get in some more in person training with my students and compatriots here in Vancouver.
Plan: Tues-Thurs 1 hour training sessions with others. 3 Runs. All non sword days at least 20 mins martial meditation.
Contingency: Back to my translation projects.
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Day 4
Nice full day. Training in the morning for an hour with the team. Splits training followed by rapier training
An hour of training in the evening on Sword and Rotella.
A 45 minute run along the seawall.
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Day 1 – Martial Meditation
Day 2 – Hour of rapier sparring and coaching with my student Adrian — great to be sparring!
Day 3 – Workout with Ben and Nicky. India clubs, steel mace, and two sword practice.
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August has been a bit of a challenge for me in staying on top of everything. My mother has had a series of health challenges that landed her in hospital and have me caring for her and my father a lot over the last few weeks.
In spite of that I have managed to maintain a connection to my training and practice. Keeping at least a 10 minute practice in every day. I’m proud of myself for that. I have not been as regular in my morning practices — in fact it has been hard some times to get out of bed when I need to.
I have managed to meditate every day as well that has been really essential to keeping going. It has also been essential to be flexible but still resolute in keeping some aspect of practice going. It has been an island “for me” in the midst of this challenging time.
I have managed to shoot videos — about 20 in August — so not bad.
One thing I lost for a couple weeks was my running discipline but I’m two days back into it now and both have felt great. At the end of each run I have been doing some unarmed practice. Tonight I really dug into the postures and worked up a sweat and made my thighs ache.
Nice to know that even if I haven’t run in a few weeks I can return to it. Running a less aggressive program but that doesn’t really matter, just that i’m doing it.
Hope you’re all fairing well out there and holding up under your own stresses.
Devon
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Week 2
Focus: Continue shooting videos everyday. No matter how gonzo!
Plan: Martial meditation each morning and then some time in hand at the school each day that I can.
Schedule: Mornings
Contingency: Marozzo interpretation time.
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Day 3-7
Got in good daily training sets these days.
Special notes were that I shot videos everyday including 3 days of practicing and shooting videos for a new sidesword assault with rapier and dagger. Spent about an hour or so per day on that.
Today (day 7) I spent a couple hours in the mini masterclass, which was definitely some good sword time, but then spent 3 hours shooting videos with Mike for Wednesday’s part 2. We spent that whole time playing all different sorts of sparring games and documenting them. Was great fun and a good sweaty workout!
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Day 2
Got in small practice in the morning, not nearly as much as I’d like. Was a hard day to get going to be honest. Later on though I spent some time practicing counter cuts and some drilling cuing with Ben for a video on that subject. My video for the day.
I also posted a video from some of my practice last week that you can check out here on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/599797107/videos/317800093417816/I shot some gonzo footage last night of an unarmed striking pattern — was good to shoot. The intensity of my eyes made it too scary to post though. 😛
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Day 1
Today’s training technically started at midnight. I did an online video interview about polearms that took place between 11pm and 1am (the morning in Germany). Lots of time swinging around polaxes, spears, bills, and partisans.
Also got up and did my martial meditation and spent some time this morning working on Marozzo’s first and second assault in both hands.
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Loving seeing the vids Bob!
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Slowness is often about visually identifying the attack. When you get hit, get your partner to repeat the action and drill it. Then you’ll get more exposure to what the attack looks like and you’ll get “faster” and responding to it.