Went to Hawthorne and BAT practice this week. Had a good time at both.
A couple of things stand out. I have lately been working on using Gemeni's 90 degree arm position. Gemeni uses an interesting combination of techniques. His grip is essentially the same as Gendy's, a thumb and fore-finger grip, and he plays on the sword with his fingers in the same way. He holds his forearm at a 90 degree angle to his upper arm, and he uses lots of body mechanics a la Bellatrix. I need to talk to him about direction changes. I am using the thumb/pinky grip but his arm position. So far it is working. My shoulder and body move the sword around to block or to begin a blow and deliver good power. Here is a good example of Gemeni using it:
Note how, whether his sword is behind his head or in front of it blocking, Gemeni tries to keep his arm at a 90 degree angle until he fires the blow.
My very first fight at Hawthorne was my best. i fought Sir Alberecht and I used a classic Bellatrix technique, one that von Dresden uses too, of throwing a snap, moving the right foot directly out to the right, so I am side stepping on a perpendicular to the line of the fight on the return, then throwing the same snap. Worked like a charm.
I had good fights at BAT too, but I was mostly training. My best fight was probably against Timur. I took his leg with a good double thrust fake, then when he was on his knees I used the Gendy version of the butterfly, where you throw a fake offside, step in deep with the right foot, then spin on that foot 180 degrees and drop the sword in a straight line downward across the face.
This was one of the best attended BAT practices we've had in awhile.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
BAT Practice
I didn't. Recovering from work and Pennsic. We had a Beau Geste tournament however, and Fast Eddy came and taught a sword-work clinic, which is always useful.
I'm going to try to get to Hawthorne this week.
I'm going to try to get to Hawthorne this week.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Fighting At Pennsic
Ok, fighting at Pennsic:
I was only there for four nights, so I only got to fight four days. Nonetheless it was a blast. I fought nearly the whole time with an aluminum center-grip kite, the one Jarrod had made, except with my stainless boss on it. It’s a bit heavier than most, the boss is too high, and the handle too small, but it was still good to me.
Sunday was the champions battles and, since I wasn’t chosen, I fought some pickups. Not too bad. Lots of fun. Didn’t really do too much.
Monday was the gate and river battles. I fought with Serpentius and we did great. I got into the scrum a lot, especially in the river battles. I killed a few dudes and the center-grip didn’t really get me killed. In the gate battle I fought spear and got some really good kills, including one on a knight where I bound his spear and slip my point down into his face. Then I fought more pickups. I recall two women from Atlantia, and one of Bedford’s squires, named Cristolf, and a guy from CAID who uses a Greek shield. Had a good time with all of them. And I got munched by a count from Atenvldt.
Tuesday was my favorite: the field battles! I had some fun, although in one of the battles four of us with Serpentius got cold-cocked, full force, from behind. That annoyed me. The only battle I didn’t kill anyone in was the first one, which is when Wolfy (in my own unit) accidentally took my arm with the great sword. I was obviously having trouble generating power, because I had to hit guys four or five times to kill them. Probably the new shield overbalancing me. When we fought the friendship battles I got to follow Alden into the fray, and that was great. I got quite a few good kills and the center-grip kite seemed to work ok. Later it was more pickups, but there were mostly Easterners hanging around, and after one or two bouts I split.
I wasn’t going to fight on Wednesday until I heard about the Known World Chivalry Tournament. Not only was this going to be fun, but it was the first big test for the center-grip kite. It was a soccer-style tournament with two pools. Both pools were tough, but mine was a bit odd as well. We had three right handed sword and shield fighters (including myself) four two sword fighters, two lefties and a polearm fighter. I fought Sir Theron, Duke Aaron, Duke Edmund, Sir Ix, and Federach, Oskgar, Doug, Kendrick, and Yoshi. Interestingly, all of the easterners in my pool I had killed in tournaments within the past couple of years. This meant they were ready for me. It especially showed with Kendrick, who knew exactly where I was going and put his sword in my way, one shotting me. Doug just stayed out of my range. It ended up with me down a hip and him. Standing, down an arm. I pretty much couldn’t reach him, at least not fast enough. But I did feel I was just a hair away from killing Federach and Yoshi. Edmund had me totally beat. He took my leg, then, as I tried to strike his leg he stepped into my shot and used his sword to trap mine against his hip. He wasn’t going to hit me but I looked up and said “well?” at which point he tapped me on the shoulder. It was a classic case of not needing to be struck because I had been so totally bested (which is, after all, the actual point). I killed Ix, Theron (with a hook/thrust, still my best friend), Oskgar, and, believe it or not, Duke Aaron, after having lost my shield arm. I just pretended I had a shield and through the patented William the Lucky pass through combo that works on both lefties and righties (he’s a lefty). It is the same shot I through at Kendrick that he had scoped and was ready for. Hit the shield, step off line with your right foot, doing a little “bob” as though you’re going low, then step around and throw an off-side head. I’d thrown it on Aaron earlier in the fight, but he’d backed out and so I didn’t complete it. This time he stepped in and I hit him in the head. My best fight of the day by far. He is a truly great fighter.
Edmund won the tournament without a loss. The other three finalists were Kendrick, Edward Gray, and Jan Janovich (who won his pool without a loss).
Watching both Richard and Tim fight in the other pool was fantastic. They are both so much fun to watch (and to fight).
I take from this a few things. The center-grip kite is fun and may actually work. I still lose my shield arm more than I should, but it opens some things up too. I can throw a great hook thrust with it (better than with the strapped kite). I can also go defensive with it really well. My spear work is still pretty good. I had some truly great spear fights in that gate battle. Aggression is your friend in the field battles: I knew that but it’s good to be reminded. And I still love fighting along side the West. As usual, the broadsword was too long for most of that fighting. I think next year it will be the Tribal war shield and a short heavy thrusting sword, when I’m not using spear.
I was only there for four nights, so I only got to fight four days. Nonetheless it was a blast. I fought nearly the whole time with an aluminum center-grip kite, the one Jarrod had made, except with my stainless boss on it. It’s a bit heavier than most, the boss is too high, and the handle too small, but it was still good to me.
Sunday was the champions battles and, since I wasn’t chosen, I fought some pickups. Not too bad. Lots of fun. Didn’t really do too much.
Monday was the gate and river battles. I fought with Serpentius and we did great. I got into the scrum a lot, especially in the river battles. I killed a few dudes and the center-grip didn’t really get me killed. In the gate battle I fought spear and got some really good kills, including one on a knight where I bound his spear and slip my point down into his face. Then I fought more pickups. I recall two women from Atlantia, and one of Bedford’s squires, named Cristolf, and a guy from CAID who uses a Greek shield. Had a good time with all of them. And I got munched by a count from Atenvldt.
Tuesday was my favorite: the field battles! I had some fun, although in one of the battles four of us with Serpentius got cold-cocked, full force, from behind. That annoyed me. The only battle I didn’t kill anyone in was the first one, which is when Wolfy (in my own unit) accidentally took my arm with the great sword. I was obviously having trouble generating power, because I had to hit guys four or five times to kill them. Probably the new shield overbalancing me. When we fought the friendship battles I got to follow Alden into the fray, and that was great. I got quite a few good kills and the center-grip kite seemed to work ok. Later it was more pickups, but there were mostly Easterners hanging around, and after one or two bouts I split.
I wasn’t going to fight on Wednesday until I heard about the Known World Chivalry Tournament. Not only was this going to be fun, but it was the first big test for the center-grip kite. It was a soccer-style tournament with two pools. Both pools were tough, but mine was a bit odd as well. We had three right handed sword and shield fighters (including myself) four two sword fighters, two lefties and a polearm fighter. I fought Sir Theron, Duke Aaron, Duke Edmund, Sir Ix, and Federach, Oskgar, Doug, Kendrick, and Yoshi. Interestingly, all of the easterners in my pool I had killed in tournaments within the past couple of years. This meant they were ready for me. It especially showed with Kendrick, who knew exactly where I was going and put his sword in my way, one shotting me. Doug just stayed out of my range. It ended up with me down a hip and him. Standing, down an arm. I pretty much couldn’t reach him, at least not fast enough. But I did feel I was just a hair away from killing Federach and Yoshi. Edmund had me totally beat. He took my leg, then, as I tried to strike his leg he stepped into my shot and used his sword to trap mine against his hip. He wasn’t going to hit me but I looked up and said “well?” at which point he tapped me on the shoulder. It was a classic case of not needing to be struck because I had been so totally bested (which is, after all, the actual point). I killed Ix, Theron (with a hook/thrust, still my best friend), Oskgar, and, believe it or not, Duke Aaron, after having lost my shield arm. I just pretended I had a shield and through the patented William the Lucky pass through combo that works on both lefties and righties (he’s a lefty). It is the same shot I through at Kendrick that he had scoped and was ready for. Hit the shield, step off line with your right foot, doing a little “bob” as though you’re going low, then step around and throw an off-side head. I’d thrown it on Aaron earlier in the fight, but he’d backed out and so I didn’t complete it. This time he stepped in and I hit him in the head. My best fight of the day by far. He is a truly great fighter.
Edmund won the tournament without a loss. The other three finalists were Kendrick, Edward Gray, and Jan Janovich (who won his pool without a loss).
Watching both Richard and Tim fight in the other pool was fantastic. They are both so much fun to watch (and to fight).
I take from this a few things. The center-grip kite is fun and may actually work. I still lose my shield arm more than I should, but it opens some things up too. I can throw a great hook thrust with it (better than with the strapped kite). I can also go defensive with it really well. My spear work is still pretty good. I had some truly great spear fights in that gate battle. Aggression is your friend in the field battles: I knew that but it’s good to be reminded. And I still love fighting along side the West. As usual, the broadsword was too long for most of that fighting. I think next year it will be the Tribal war shield and a short heavy thrusting sword, when I’m not using spear.
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