Went up to Warriors Nadam today. Had a blast. It was my last time in armor before Crown next week. There was an "iron man" tourney going on--kind of a Mongol inspired Ithrodhir. There was archery, equestrian, ax throwing, and heavy fighting. The heavy fighting part was a warlord tourney.
They had 13 fighters, not ideal for a warlord tourney, but they had three knights, so they gave us byes into second round, so that we had to fight a two on one, while the remaining two teams fought it out. The result was that by third round team had me, one had Conrad, one had Sir Geofrey, and one was a four-man team that had Oscad and Bill (Pretty formidable). My favorite part of the day was probably winning my two on one fight. Oscad's team beat the team Sir Geofrey was on and Conrad's team beat mine, then we beat Oscad's team, making Conrad the winner.
I had a good day of pickups. I fought Conrad, Sir Geofrey, his squire, and later Bill and Oscad.
Geofrey and I had some really good buckler fights. Every time I was able to take his leg I killed him. Our last fight after I'd taken his leg I flashed my sheild toward his face, intending to thrust low, and he blocked low quickly. Quick as a flash I did the same, he did the same, and I thrust him to the face. That felt good. He got a couple of good ones on me. When we fought sword and shield in our bye fight in the tourney I won pretty handily.
Conrad I dont' think I touched once in five fights. I may have gotten one wrap on him. They were good hard fights though, and I was working him hard.
Geofrey's squire was a good fight because I got to practice some thrusting techniques, but Darius says I was leading witht he thrust too often (He never leads with the thrust).
My fights with Oscad were special. My goal was to neutralize the effective stuff he's been doing against me lately and, while he won some of our fights, I succeeded and I won more. His strategy the last few weeks had been to pressure my corners with fakes, and if I pressed him back out and get right back in. I turned up my tension muscles about ten points and attacked quick and hard but not at a good place for him. If he started throwing fakes I would throw right int he middle of them. I knew he would most likely molinee at that point, so I was ready for him. When I pressed I didn't close all the way because I knew he'd back out, so I tried to pressure him at medium range, where neither of us really likes to play but where I figured if I was initiating it I'd be more comfortable, and i was right. I'd jump in one or two steps and stop. Often he wouldn't even back out. It confused him. If he did back out and come back in I'd step in to meet him, which confused him as well. I was able to keep him off his game that way. If i closed in tight I knew I'd likely loose my leg, which I did once, but that was my best fight because he crowds more than most eastern fihgters and more than any Western fighter I can think of. But I did a falling leg shot on him. That's where I launched myself back and to the side from my knees and hit him in the leg as i was falling off balance. It worked. Then I hook thust him to win the fight.
Because it had been working in my fights with Oscad, and I'd bee paying with it earlier int he day, I worked on explosiveness against Bill. As soon as he'd do anything I'd jump in hard and fast, but with my defense primed. It worked pretty well.
Ok, Crown in a week. no more fighting. Give my shoulders a rest.
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