Cloak and No Dagger

"That I may continue in the weapons which are most unusual and most commonly worn: After the Dagger, I come to the Cloak: The use whereof was first found by chance and reduced into Art."

-Giacommo di Grassi, 1570 (Translation by Norman White)

Might as well do a quick follow up.

Last night I went to practice with my dagger sitting home and a full length wool cloak in its place.  Good fights were had that night as I began my "single rapier/cloak only " trek.

I began studying this form a couple of months ago but, as discussed previously, the dagger was a huge distraction.

Cloak is an interesting parry tool.  It gets wrapped around the forearm and the rest drapes.  In its use, it can mask your own sword and footwork as well as deflect and redirect the opponent's weapon(s).  It also requires a certain amount of conditioning as its a constant weight hangi from an outstretched arm.

The arm and hand are at risk, so situational awareness and position of the guards is paramount.

I'm really enjoying this challenge and after a series of bouts, I was able to qualify in its basic proficiency.

Time Keeps on Slippin'!

Wow, has it really been two months?  Yea, there's reasons, but never great ones, that's the bad part.  The good part is that I have been fencing all of this time, so..cool.

Last weekend, I joined 174 other fencers in Milton, PA for an SCA event called AEdult Swim 2017. Two days of fighting and classes with people from all different parts of the country,  and at least one from a whole other country, as we tested our skills against each other, shared advice and encouragement, laughed a whole lot and sweated even more.

There was a great class on Tempo and Measure that I took.  It was a good thing, going back to basics, though there is nothing simple about becoming skilled in either of these things and we all worked hard to grasp as much information as we could before heading back into the fight floor.

I was lucky enough to go against some very skilled men and women.  Each tested me and challenged me in different ways; every victory I had was hard earned, every loss was a good lesson.

My fencing received a couple of really encouraging compliments and some solid advice from people who I knew, but had not seen in quite some time.

My arms and legs were like jelly by the time my friends and I hit the road for the three hour ride home, and it was totally worth it!

I learned something else, as well; I have become a bit too reliant on my dagger as an off hand weapon.  So much so that single rapier had begun feeling foreign when I was fighting in that form.

I decided to put myself on a "dagger moratorium" for the next month, and dedicate my time to the use of cloak and single rapier.

Getting too comfortable is never a good thing, I have to keep learning.