Thanks for these reflections, Ivan and @steve.frey

I agree with you both. I got taken out 3 weeks in by a health issue, but I learned so much over the last 6 months and am grateful for the course, experience, and classmates. I came into this not knowing anything about longsword and barely anything about swordfighting in general, and now it…

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Thanks! 😃

I practiced writing it up:

P1: PdD

P2: PdF

P1: mandritto fendente

P2: parry with pass back

P1: cavatzione

P2: volta stabile with pass forward

P1: retreating step, cavatzione

P2: tutta volta, yield with passing step, roverso mezzano

P1: volta stabile, passing step back, expulsion, thrust

P2: retreating step and pass back, tutta volta to end up on top

Daniel and I played around with swords during some beautiful weather we’re having. We haven’t done any playbuilds for a long time (my injury) but can finally do some stuff together again. All the movements felt awkward to me but we had fun!

It doesn’t qualify for the assignment, so I just thought I’d share…

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Oh I like the idea of using tool dip!

Practiced my Gioco Largo and Gioco Stretto forms today, and attended Quintin’s class tonight. We focused on defending via parry’s, deflections and collections. It was lots of fun and great to practice. Learned a cool little whipping motion to collect and shed the sword.

Thank you for both the praise and the suggestions for improvement!

You’re right, making that small change in the last breaking made it much easier.

(I thought I had replied but I must have only thought about it, sorry)

Daniel taught me the Gioco Stretto form today, and we practiced some of the things that Quintin taught. It was fun and productive 🙂

Daniel and I attended Quintin’s beginner longsword class yesterday, and it was great. We worked on how to gain and recover the 3 advantages in the bind. I highly recommend attending his class, we’ll definitely be back next week 🙂

I don’t have any tips or advice, since I’m far away from this form yet, but I just wanted to let you know that it looks beautiful. I love your fluidity and intent, it looks like a dance 🙂

I’ve kept plugging away at things this month, and am currently working through the ‘receiving Gioco Stretto modules”. Slow going but going!

Hahaha this was amazing! I love how you did that.

Primo tempo 😃

Self-assessment:

I’m more aware of my stance throughout the form, and so I’m deeper and wider than I used to be.

I feel like there’s more intention in my movements since I understand a little better what they are for. My movements are also more fluid and there are fewer pauses and stutters.

To work on: my edge alignment isn’t always great, it…

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That makes sense, thanks 🙂

Above I see several people say that a parry and thrust is due tempi, and others that this is contra tempo. If an attack is during the opponent’s attack, is it always contra tempo, even if it involves a pass forward after the parry? In Jade’s video the attack during her recovery is very obvious, so in that case I would say yes to it being…

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I think this is contra tempo

This one looked like mezzo tempo to me, since the dummy looks to be changing guard or at least getting ready for an attack.

I love how you can clearly see how much fun we had making these 😃

Tempo identification video 2: https://youtu.be/evgKkvkp2IE

Tempo identification video 1:

https://youtu.be/Njrb3KIYVXo

I’m on Bowen Island at the moment and so I went outside today and practiced the Gioco Largo defense form in some nice spots. They’re training videos, not assessment (so many mistakes but that’s why we practice 🙂 ) but I just wanted to share the fun locations.

I haven’t been able to do much of anything since the last class because of health issues, but today I picked up a sword seriously again. Still working on week 3, and trying to memorize the Gioco Largo and Gioco Stretto forms. Daniel made me some over the shoulder videos that I can put on repeat and that is really helpful.

I’m not giving up 🙂

Thank you Devon, I really appreciate your message. It helps ☺️

Ive been trying to do little bits here and there, but my health really isn’t good right now so I can do very little. I’m quite disheartened 😔

I love the pizza mnemonic! 😆

A tear drop and a circle, I like that 🙂

In the longsword fundamentals I the mezza volta is explained as “describing a half circle with the point of your sword” and the tutta volta as “a full circle with the point of your sword”. So I focus on what the point does and that helps. Maybe it helps you too?

I said above that I’m learning to go at my own pace and be ok with that, and I’m being tested on whether that’s truly the case: I’ve been suffering from vertigo the last couple days, and so I haven’t been able to do much of anything for any prolonged period of time.

I practiced footwork and basic cuts today, and did some basic…

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For the last two days I’ve been working on redoing my 5 measures assessment, and we started on the unit videos and quizzes for this week.

Next, I have to start memorizing and practicing the Gioco Largo and Gioco Stretto defense forms. I’m basically a week or so behind, but I feel ok about it and I’m going at my own pace.

I kept practicing after the recording I sent in, but then had to stop because, well…the target wasn’t that sturdy…oops

I redid this one, and am happier with it:

Thanks Jen for all your feedback, it’s super helpful!

Hi @GregR ,

The practice session of “Striking with Advantage over the Sword” doesn’t have a completion button at the moment, and we can’t move forward without it 🙂

I hear you, Steve! I’m having the same issue, it’s really hard. Keep plugging away at it, you can do it 🙂

Wow, that’s so extensive and super helpful! Thank you! 🙂

Yesterday I only managed to watch some videos and do some quizzes, and today I’ve had to work all day. So I feel hopelessly behind and overwhelmed about trying to catch up. I’m working on stuff now but I have to focus on writing out all the forms (which I usually do on Monday but just didn’t get around to this week). I haven’t even begun…

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What stood out to you?

Did you have any big “aha moments” in your training?

What was most challenging?

I think these 3 questions can all be answered by the same answer. I realize how much I struggle with anything involving steps, especially when they don’t feel natural. The 5 measures form was so hard for me, I kept wanting to step with a…

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Daniel and I did lots of partner drills today: outside this afternoon an hour or so of cutting and thrusting through longa, a repeat of some tempi work, and tonight inside 2 hrs of defenses from the different quadrants against the different kinds of attacks.

Daniel and I did the Tempi part of the fundamentals today. He’ll upload the videos below. It was good practice for sure. I find that I struggle with a fear of being hit, especially with thrusts. Even though I’m wearing a breastplate, padded jacket, mask, gorget. I used to have this in rapier too, and it did fade over time, but in the meantime…

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My endurance and cardio is very good these days, I’m the fittest I’ve ever been. But I don’t have the arm and upper back strength yet to work with a sword as much as I do now, so this has been causing pain and discomfort. It will get better the more I do it though. Like Daniel, I find my brain gets overwhelmed with all the different movements…

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Self assessment:

I’ve really struggled this week with memorization of the forms. For some reason they just didn’t want to stick. I have to think so hard about every single step. I slept very little last night because of intense neck and upper back pain from training, so I’m very stiff and you can definitely see that. I’m still very happy that…

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