Glen Gardner practice was a lot of fun this passed Tuesday.
Master Orlando devised a Tournment of Arms in honor of Halloween; he produced a tarot deck and drew four suits from the Minor Arcana. Each suit representing an off hand weapon:
Coins = Bucklers
Staves = Canes, Batons and Flintlock Pistols
Cups = Capes/Cloaks (That whole flowing thing)
Magician = Wild Card. Master Orlando gets to pick your weapon choice and number of passes.
Each number not only signified who could challenge who (high cards challenge low cards), but the two cards combined equaled the number of passes fought.
I began with rapier and dagger, then drew Staves. I decided to try something new and grabbed one of the replica flintlock pistols. Holding it by the barrel, it became my offhand parry. It was interesting and I took some good wins. Gripping the barrel created a hook of sorts and I found that I was able to catch the blade between it and the trigger guard.
It was also a night of firsts for me; I fought case rapier (two sword) for the first time. The unbalanced pair was a bit off putting and I didn't show as well as I would have liked, definitely more practice there.
When I drew the Magician, Orlando asked what I never fight with. "Cloak", I answered and with a grin he pinted to a couple. This was really fun, and I do believe it is what I want to qualify in next. Using it as a flexible shied and a way to hamper and ensnare the opposing weapon, while not tripping myself up was a challenge, but I was getting a feel for it, taking a few wins.
A real run night!
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