30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 30

"The Finale!" 

Day 30.

In a few days, we will be saying good bye to 2020; 2021 will not begin any easier but, with luck and a lot of work the winds will finally be at our backs.

Tonight was a combination of two previous drills:

A measure (misura) drill incorporating the thrust (stoccate/punta) and lunge (affondo). It's a timed drill, fitting x-amount of correct thrust and lunges into a set amount of time.

The four measures to cover are:

Strettissima - Point the sword to strike

Stretta - Point the sword and lean the upper body forward to strike

Larga - Point the sword, lean the upper body forward and bend the knee to strike

Largissima - Point the sword, lean the upper body forward and bend the knee and step to strike

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnPK4BeesH0YSrLYARVeakA

A flowing guard drill. Going from one guard to another, it is easy to see where cut and thrusts would fill in those spaces; how an offense becomes a defense that becomes a counter attack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aijGSXbA2nw

This has been rewarding, it has kept me connected to fencing and with other my friends who have not seen or worked with each other since March.

All the stresses are still there and, in February, my District is bringing us back to the classrooms (hybrid); this challenge has put me back in my manuals, giving my brain a chance to just step away from all of this craziness and giving me more to deal and get through it.

This was a good choice.

Day 30!

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 29

"Reengaging the Disengaging"

Tonight was a replay of last night's drills with a focus on small wrist circles and half circles.  My left hand definitely needs some fine motor skills work.

This is the home stretch, tomorrow is my final day.

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 28

"Disengagement"

Disengagement (Cavazione): Moving either over or under your opponent's blade to free your weapon from their (attempted) engagement or parry.

"A successful attack by disengagement needs to be made in an oval motion, such that the disengagement finishes as the lunges finishes-otherwise, you would not arrive in tempo.  If you do as I have described above and you have made the disengagement in tempo the enemy will not be able to parry."

                                                                                                                                    

                                                                                                                                          ~Salvator Fabris

Disengagements are used for attacks and counter attacks by changing the line the sword travels past your opponent's blade.

Tonight's drills were disengagements from terza to seconda, then terza to quarta, accompanied with lunges.

As a variable, terza rolls to prima with a passing lunge.

Repeat of the first set of drills with passing lunges.

Perform on both sides.

Gran Simulacro dell'Arte e dell'Uso della Scherma ("Great Representation of the Art and Use of Fencing"); ~Ridolfo Capo Ferro,1610

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 27

 "The Repeat"

This morning was a repeat of yesterday morning; not too creative, but effective.

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 26

 "Holiday Paces"

Getting in late last night/early this morning from this year's Reindeer Trax Run (See link), I relaxed a while with my wife and our dog.

I was gifted with a new fencing manual "Fundamentals of Italian Rapier" by David Coblentz, Master at Arms and Dori Coblentz, PH.D.

My wife went to sleep, and as I was reading, I decided that My 30 minutes can be done at 2AM.

Silence was required for this, as we are apartment dwellers.

Advance, retreat, lunge, reverse lunge.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

https://www.facebook.com/stories/?card_id=UzpfSVNDOjcyNDAwODU3NTE2MTU1MQ%3D%3D&view_single=true

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 25

"Stand and Move"

After taking Yosei on a half mile walk, I went into my session. The walking was a good way to loosen up and knock the sleep off. His sudden bursts of puppy play energy also leads to a lot of shuffling, stepping and pivoting, regardless of the terrain!

The knee and neck felt better and stance training followed then progressed into footwork.  I do both of these a lot because they are just as, if not more important, than the thrust or cut.

If you have a weak stance, you will not have the proper alignment, balance or power to deliver a proper attack (or defense, for that matter).

If your footwork is clumsy (slow, poor timing, etc.) you will also have bad stances and be more of a threat to yourself than your opponent.

Finally, you will, ultimately, injure yourself with poor body mechanics that can end your ability to train with the sword.

Giovanni dall'Agoccie writes:

                                      "With reason and the art of movement and in finding your adversary in all the guards, and this starting with one or the other foot, for traversing, as with the pushing of one foot or the other forward, according to the time and the need.

Nevertheless, the movement should be with steps that are neither big nor small and the most useful: because going forward and back without disordering the person, accompany always the hand with the foot.  But there is a need to admonish that the leg that is forward is bent a little at the knee and remains strait towards the enemy.  The leg to the rear should be a little curved and the foot always in a traverse; in the manner that every movement is full of grace."
                                                                                     ~Opera Necessaria

                                                                                       Translation: William E. Wilson

While the entire body must be in concert, the foundation for everything is in the stance and footwork.

Artist Unknown

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 24

 "Maintenance"

There have been some frustrations with this challenge, particularly with neck and knee issues.

A large part of this is teaching from home.  Normally, in my classroom, I easily spend 70% of the time on my feet as the lessons are presented and working with my students.

Due to the set up I have at home, I am in my seat the entire time. It's definitely taken its toll.

At any rate, tonight was another stretch routine and looking forward to a better work out tomorrow.

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 23

 "Mio Segno"

After thrust and lung drills, last night's circle training continued.

I incorporated the thrust and lunge drills with the compass and directional steps, along with advance and retreats.

30 Day Squat Challenge: Terminated.

                                                          By Thomas V. Berger (WiP) 

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 22

 "Pieces of Eight"

"This is the segno, where you'll make your students walk, stepping forward as well as back, with weapons in hand, round about, putting their feet in the edges that cross the segno tondi."
~ Achilles Morozzo

Yesterday, I posted about the Four Virtues; one of them being the Tiger that represents speed (Celerity). Earlier in my challenge I wrote about The value of the Circle, angles and circle stepping. ("The System is Offline Tonight!" 12/08/20 and "Round and Round" 05/31/18)

Tonight, I combined them.

Walking the circle, then the first four intersecting paths.

Reversing and the original four become eight.

Applying Tiger (Celerity) getting faster, adding thrusts and parries.

Changing paths in mid direction, turning, forwards and backwards.

Visualizing the motions and steps of the tiger, a real flow came together.

In Nam Siu Lam Hung Ga (Southern Shaolin), there are five animals.  The Dragon, Snake, Tiger, Leopard and Crane were not just technique classifications, but they also represented the Five Elements and Five Emotions. 

We trained to embody the essence of the animals, as an attacker should feel like they were in a fight with a beast.

We were warned, regularly, not to lose our Humanity in such training.

As the European fight manuals seem to leave as much out as they tell us, I often wonder if any philosophies like this in their training.

                                                                  By Thomas V. Berger

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 21

 "Animal"

"For the animals soul is mine
We will be completed right before your eyes"

                                           ~Animal, Disturbed

Animals have always been connected to martial disciplines in one for or another.

The amount of animal systems in Gung Fu is infamous, though they exist (sometimes just in techniques) outside of that system, too.

In 1410, Italian master Fiore dei Liberi (1350 - sometime after 1409) released his famous manuscript "Fiore di Battaglia" (The Flower of Battle). It is a major work of combat covering everything from empty hand combat to swords, spears, batons, daggers and mounted combat.

They are major works of art, as well.

Just as importantly, they cover Martial Philosophy and Virtues.

On a page, known as the Segno in the Getty version of the manuscript, there is an image of the Master with seven swords (Sette Spade) around him to symbolize the seven cuts and there are four animal.; each symbolizing a specific Virtue or philosophy of training.

 

Directly above his head, representing Prudence (Prudenzia) is the Lynx holding a compass:

"No other creature is able to look so clearly as me, the lynx, and by this I ever I ever reckon by compass and measure"

(Meio de mi'louo ceruino non uede creatura , E aquello meto sempre a sesto e mesura.)

On his left, representing Clerity (Celeritas), is the Tiger holding an arrow:

"I am the Tiger, I am very quick to run and turn, that the arrow in the sky cannot approach me."

(Yo tigro tanto son presto a corer e uoltare / Che la sagita del cello non me po auancare.)

On his right, representing Audacity (Audatia), is the Lion holding a heart represents 

"None bears a more ardent heart than me, a lion, and I challenge anyone to battle."

Piu de mi lione non porta cor ardito , pero de bataia faço a zaschaduno inuito.

Directly below, representing Fortitude, (Fortitudo)  is the  Elephant with a tower on his back:

"I am the elephant and I have a castle for a burden, and never do I kneel down nor do I lose my true place."

Ellefant son e uno castello ho per cargho, e non me inçenochio ni perdo uargho.  

Prudence is caution, but it is not fear. It's Situational Awareness and Threat Assessments. It's having the ability to read your opponents' body language and see how they respond to yours.
Fight intelligently

Celerity is speed, but it is also timing. Being fast isn't good enough, you have to know when to use it. Find that opening and know how to exploit it. Know when to advance but also be able to change directions.

Audacity is boldness. Facing off against someone is nothing to do half heartedly. To meet steel to steel, hand to hand; it is impossible to execute any technique without boldness.

Fortitude is courage in the face of adversity and pain. To gain victory, or even survival, we need to be able to move through pain, obstacles and unfair odds.

Our training requires all of this.  The battlefields might be gone, but to attempt to master the sword, these Virtues are paramount.

by Thomas V. Berger

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 20

 "Into the Narrows"

Our dog, Yosei is loving his first snowfall! He is barely two, and around this time last year, he was a stray. Fortunately it was a relatively easy winter.

He's a small boy, a little over twenty pounds, but he hit the snow without fear. Instinctively he knew how to step, how to adjust to run and hop, always keeping his balance. Even when he broke through the surface.

It made me think about how my fight would have to adjust in eight inches of snow.

I've said it many times, an effective martial art should be adaptable to the environment the fighter is in.

Taking the workout into the living room, I rant footwork, thrust and lunge drills between the couch and book case. It's a good reminder to keep elbows in and stepping to shoulder width. 

I've found that throwing in a variation now and then is not only fun, but it does give a certain "keeping it honest" perspective.

30 Day Squat Challenge, Day 20: Rest

30 Minute for 30 Days, the Return: Day 19

 "I Got Static!"

Last night was all about the stretching, but when I closed my gradebook and computer for the weekend, getting out of the chair was still stiff and achy.

So tonight was static stance training.

After

stretching the following sequence was:

Unarmed, 3 minutes each side

Piccolo Passo 

Passo Giusto

Gran Passo

Coda Lunga e Distesa

30 Day Squat Challenge, Day 19: 135

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 18

"Maintenance"

The first snow of the season came, our area got about a foot; overall, it wasn't so bad.

But after a day of teaching remotely, it was time to shovel out both of our vehicles.

Tonight was about stretching and keeping in working order.

Basically, a top to bottom routines with stretchers and some Yoga. (Cat, Cobra, Child's, and Butterfly)
I found stretching to be relaxing tonight. I needed that.

30 Day Squat Challenge, Day 18: 120

                                                      "The Temple" by Thomas V. Berger

                                              

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 17

 "Both Sides of the Road"

In keeping my left side engaged, all my lunges tonight were performed as follows:

1- Right leg and right hand (holding rapier) forward. Medium Stance in Middle Iron Door (Passo Giusto, Porta di Ferro Stretta).

The lunge is performed with the left foot advancing forward (Passare), taking me slightly off line.

2-Mirroring this on the left side.

This was performed for 20 minutes of the half hour.

The balance of time was stretching and squats.

30 Day Squat Challenge, Day 17: 110

                                                           "Order of the Silver Rapier"

                                                     Original design by Bridgette Yvette

                                                  Digital mock up by Thomas V. Berger

                                           

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 16

 "Put Your Left Lunge In, Take Your Left Lunge Out.."

Tonight went much better, work ended well before 11 PM tonight and this 30 minutes was a lot more energetic and focused.

After the initial warm up and first round of squats, I went into left lead footwork drills. Tonight was all left side.

I was in a small area, only six feet by six feet, but this was where the footwork drill happened. This included offline stepping, pivoting and circling.  It was quick work, and balance was challenged, but it was a great way to to figure out how the blades flow best.

Lunges followed. I got to 60.

As a life long Marital Artist, I still enjoy seeing and experiencing similarities in fighting systems that had, seemingly, little to no contact with each other. One instance I am talking about are two stances. One in the Bolognese Tradition, called Coda Longa e Distesa (Literally, Long and Spread Tail) and the other found in Hung Ga (Chinese Southern Gung Fu), called Kei Lung Ma (Dragon Stance)

Both reference some form of serpent, and the body "coils" on itself, bringing the lead shoulder to the rear. It can be used as a method of gaining space or distance as well as an advance while bringing weapons into play.

30 Day Squat Challenge: Day 16 - 105

Coda Longa e Distesa

Kei Lung Ma

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 15

 "The Virtues"

Today is the half way mark! I was hoping fir it to be a bit bigger of a deal, but it was not to be.

Tomorrow, my design students are going to create a Cyberpunk cityscape and it took a lot longer getting all the files they will need together, plus a bilingual PowerPoint.

With a half hour of the day to spare I got my gear and began footwork and lunges, but it was hard to remain focused. Realizing that tonight was not coming together.

Martial Arts are more than physical work, it demands the practitioner engages their mind and be literate in what they do.

Antonio Manciolino wrote in his 1531 manual Opera Nova about the attitude and mental disposition of the Bolognese Swordsman: "How beautiful this art becomes when it is adopted by four chief Virtues, which are courage, cunning, strength and agility!" (coraggio, astuzia, forza e agilità, respectively)

These teachings are echoed by various other Masters and primers such as Fiore dei Liberi who teaches caution, speed, courage and strength (prudenza, velocità, coraggio e forza).

There is commentary about having no humility or mercy. For the time, such mannerisms were important, especially if you were selling your instruction, serving as guard, soldier or duelist; but I truly don't believe that humanity was ever really set aside.

The Martial Arts are Fighting Arts; when you are training people in these methods, the proper psychological training is what keeps the student from harming themselves with improper practice and becoming predators against others.

The Virtues can also guide us in who we are and what choices of action we make.

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 14

"And the dagger came out!"

Spada e pugnale (sword and dagger) is a pretty infamous weapons form, regardless of systems. Having a weapon in the off hand teaches a whole knew awareness of body alignment and guards.

It is pretty common for weapons to drift apart, leaving the fencer vulnerable for attack, or dropping the weapons onto the same plane and getting them bound up and leaving the fencer vulnerable for attack.

I'm mentioning this for a friend..

I repeated the Day 2 workout, which was stance training:

I spent two minutes in the following stances:
Piccolo Passo (Narrow Stance)

Passo Guisto (Medium Stance)

Gran Passo (Wide Stance)

Then added rapier and dagger.

Footwork drills followed then thrusts and lunges.

I will say that performing thrust and lunge drills while listening to "Ram it Down" and "One Shot at Glory" from Judas Priest leads to some rather "spirited" results!

Marozzo1536_Cap036-Spada-e-pugnale

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 13

 "Into the Void!"

Building off a previous post about angles and circles, tonight was an application of them.

Voids.

The best way not to get is to not be there. Every Martial Arts Teacher I ever had said this, Bruce Lee said it, Mr. Miyagi said it, and, I can tell you from experience, it's the truth.

Tonight was practicing disengage then passing step in to the left, or counter clockwise circle step to the right. In both cases, the rear leg is active.

20 on each side.

Thirty lunges on each side

Footwork drills.

30 Day Squat Challenge, Day 13: 100

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 12

 "Back in Motion"

"I'm a wheel, I'm a wheel

I can roll, I can feel
And you can't stop me turning
Cause I'm the sun, I'm the sun
I can move, I can run
But you'll never stop me burning...."

~Man on the Silver Mountain, Ronnie James Dio

Ronnie James Dio was an amazing performer, writer and singer. A highly creative and intelligent man who finished his last world tour with stage 4 stomach cancer.
He finished his days doing what he loved.  He was and is an inspiration right to the end.

This body has definitely been through some things over the last five decades or so, but I keep finding a way back, or through. Each time is a little tougher, but it is what it is.

Tonight was full motion footwork; empty hand at first. Slow, then faster. Advance, retreat, passing and half passing. Linear, off line and circular.

Picking up my sword, I repeated the sequences and included thrusts and lunges. This time I drilled from porta di ferro stretta (narrow iron door) and cinghiara porta di ferro stretta (left leg forward).

30 Day Squat Challenge, Day 12: 95

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 11

 "Stand Fast"

I was still having some issues today, so Day 11 was stance training. 

30 Day Squat Challenge: Day 11- 90  Due to same issues, I revised the challenge to advance in increments of five.

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 10

"Hiccup"

Tonight was less than stellar.  A grinding in my neck and shoulder worked against me tonight. So, listening to my body, I spent the thirty minutes working through a full body stretch sequence.

30 Day Squat Challenge: Day 10- 85

 

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 9

"Second Verse, Same as the First!"

My plans to be asleep by midnight was dashed when around 1am our dog, Yosei, decided that he needed to go out. Thirty minutes later and a small mishap, and it was 3am before getting to bed.

Ughh.

Today was a slog through exhaustion, and I really needed to push for this thirty minutes.

Push I did, repeating last nights session while leading with my off side.

30 Day Squat Challenge, Day 9: 80

Vector Graphic by Thomas V. Berger

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 8

 "The System is Offline Tonight!"

A fight is never strictly linear, regardless of how it starts out. Being able to change angles for either attack or defense (they can be one in the same), or stepping off the center line (off line) can be the difference between winning and losing.

Achille Marozzo was very clear about the advantages of circle or compass stepping as well as using angles. He is shown crossing swords with another while standing on an eight pointed star or compass.

Tonight's drills included offline advances and retreats, circle steps and directional changes. First empty hand, then with rapier.  The space I am working in is pretty tight, which I don't mind; it keeps my motions compact and spatial awareness must be used.

Last night's thrust and lunge drills were repeated.

30 Day Squat Challenge: Rest

Octagram by Thomas V. Berger

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 7

 "One Hundreds"

Tonight, after footwork drills, it was all thrusts and lunges. Cycling from piccolo passo to passo giusto to gran passo (narrow, medium and wide), static thrusts from terza/Coda Longa e Stretta and attacking in Seconda and Quarta.

The sets were broken up 30, 30, 40. The lung was executed from passo giusto into gran passo.

30 Day Squat Challenge: Day 7 - 75

Coda Longa e Stretta

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 6

 "Gettin' a Little Sinister!"

Parolles: "You will find in the regiment of the Spinii

one Captain Spurio, with his cicatrice, an emblem of

war, here on his sinister cheek; it was this

very sword."

~ William Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well, Act II, Scene I, 1623

Sinister- Latin- "on the left side". Somewhere around the 14th century, in the English language it became to mean some sort of evil or foreboding.

Well, the only thing evil happening tonight was replicating last night's (see Day 5) thrust and lunge drills with my left hand.

I can feel the tightness in the tendons from the wrist rotations. I started slow to make sure there was proper connection and alignment. The extra efforts is definitely my own fault for not drilling my left side more regularly.  While I work with off hand weapons, it isn't the same as using the your prime weapon.

From now on, both sides get worked out, every few days, work primarily left and try and balance things out.

30 Day Squat Challenge, Day 6: 75 squats

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day five

 "My Bolognese has a First Name, it's G-i-o-v....."

Today's work out started with a thrust and lunge drill taught by Justin Aucoin, known as Remy Delamontagne de Gascone, Master of Defense in the SCA.

It is a measure (misura) drill incorporating the thrust (stoccate/punta) and lunge (affondo). It's a timed drill, fitting x-amount of correct thrust and lunges into a set amount of time.

The four measures to cover are:

Strettissima - Point the sword to strike

Stretta - Point the sword and lean the upper body forward to strike

Larga - Point the sword, lean the upper body forward and bend the knee to strike

Largissima - Point the sword, lean the upper body forward and bend the knee and step to strike

Sixty seconds for each measure, work both hands. It is is not a race. It means nothing if the attacks are sloppy and incorrect.  In fact, it would be destructive to the fencer for the bad technique.

Justin's You Tube channel "The Tavern Knight's Barracks" is a fantastic resource.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnPK4BeesH0YSrLYARVeakA

From there was combination stepping based on the solo forms of Giovanni dall'Agocchie and Achille Marozzo. 

Ilkka Hartikainen has an excellent You Tube channel, as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POuAddaVSZM&t=560s

Today is also day 5 of the 30 Day Squat Challenge. 70 squats were completed

What I am finding as more of a challenge is pushing through the daily physical and emotional exhaustion. I have gotten used to just crashing after school lets out, getting some things done around the apartment, the watch tv until it's time to go to sleep. Two nights a week we have set for game night with friends of ours, these really do help.

I want this, though. I don't know when it will be safe enough to train with another person, but I want to be ready and better than I currently am when that day does come.

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 4

 (Place Holder for Clever Title)

Parent teacher conferences running until 8 pm after three days of this challenge left my legs really stiff and sore.
Usually during prep, I make it a point to move around and, of course, leave the table for lunch. That didn't really happen today.

More time was spent on stretches.

Footwork drills were done more deliberate until tensions eased up.

I used static stances and went through guards and thrusts working right and left hands

Stretches between sets.

Today was a no squat day.

30 Minutes for 30 Days, The Return: Day 3

 "Drills, Baby, Drills!"

Tonight was adding footwork to stance training. Beginning with piccolo passo (narrow stance) with sword and buckler in Guardia di Faccia (Face Guard). Advance and retreat, holding guard static, at first, then including an thrust.

Next sets ended with a lunge. Retreats ended with reverse lunges.

Repeating this with passo giusto (medium stance) with sword and buckler in Coda Longa e Alta (Long and High Tail), then moving to gran passo (Wide Stance) with sword and buckler in Guardia di Testa (Head Guard).

Final drill was running through the 17 guards.

Sixty squats were divided in three sets of twenty at the ten, twenty and thirty minute mark. Sword and buckler were held during the sets.

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 2

"If a Man Can't Stand, a Man Can't Fight."

It's a line that has been used in books and movies for quite some time and, in truth, any number of Martial Disciplines. (While this is the common line, I have trained with and have been taught by highly skilled people of all genders. Moving forward, "man" will be replaced by "person")

It's a simple truth, but it's a little more complex than most people think.

When people hear "if a person can't stand, a person can't fight", most think of attacking legs and feet with kicks, cuts, stabs, and various strikes.  Of course, these are all effective and correct applications to assault with and also to defend against.

There is another, important risk that people often forget, making sure their own legs do not fail them.

If your legs are not conditioned, fatigue will make sure you won't be standing or fighting.

Tonight, as well as drilling Bolognese guards, I began incorporating stance training.

Any Eastern style I trained in had stance training as a major foundation component.  The formula is simple, but it isn't easy: take your stance, adjust your self so you are correct and you have proper alignment and connection.

Now hold it. Keep your position. Sixty seconds to begin. If you are in good shape, starting with two minutes works.  Move from stance to stance, holding for each.  As time goes on, add more time.

Can you hold for five minutes? Work up to ten and fifteen?

Tonight I spent two minutes in the following stances:
Piccolo Passo (Narrow Stance)

Passo Guisto (Medium Stance)

Gran Passo (Wide Stance)

Pick up your weapons and add your guards.

I've written about this in the past, but it is important enough to repeat. Stance training with strengthen the muscles, tendons and ligaments. With proper position and body alignment, hips, spine, neck and shoulders are also conditioned.

There will also be discomfort and some pain, at times. Learning to work through it and to channel it with keep you focused and stronger. This is as much a mental exercise as it is physical.

I concluded my training with fifty squats.

A Fencer's Thanks

A Fencer's Thanks

 (Original photograph by Thomas V. Berger. CC Photoshop and Illustrator)

30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return: Day 1

 30 Minutes for 30 Days, the Return

Since COVID-19 hit, I've been teaching from home. Like pretty much every teacher, hell, every person working from home, the stress can get to be over the top and I pretty much got swallowed up.
My sword has not been out or in my hand for months, it's not a good feeling.

Time to do something about it.

Back in 2017, I took up the 30 Minutes for 30 Days Challenge. It was a good experience and I got to really put a lot of my techniques under a microscope and made some real improvements.

So, today I begin again.

I've chosen to study the Bolognese School and tonight was all about the guards (guardie). Depending on which Master you look to will dictate the number of guards for their own system.  Dall'Agocchie taught eight guards (four high, four low), Manciolino taught ten and referenced a number of others. Marozzo, himself, taught about a seventeen.

Tonight I used a drill taught by Ilkka Hartikainen (https://marozzo.com/). It's a beautiful flow drill from one guard to the next.  Going from one guard to another, it is easy to see where cut and thrusts would fill in those spaces; how an offense becomes a defense that becomes a counter attack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aijGSXbA2nw

The stances are more forward, similar to the bow stance in my Gung Fu system, as opposed to the more leaned back posture of other Italian systems

It was good to have my sword drawn and moving again. The day was able to quiet down, and the 30 minutes went pretty quick.

I will be closing 2020 out with the thirtieth and final day of this challenge. Somehow, that is very fitting.

One down, twenty nine to go!

Quarantine Solo

"Silent Goddess
Won't you
Conduct my fears away"
- Silent Goddess, Kamelot

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eFc0lRPtfdA

Tonight's practice is brought to you by Kamelot's "The Fourth Legacy".

I like training in the quiet and sometimes I enjoy working with music. This was one of those times.

Footwork and stance conditioning to start, shifting lead right to lead left. Crossing steps, then gathering steps.
Slow, at first.
Break it down:
1- Step with the lead foot
2- bring up the rear foot
 Repeat
1- retreat back with the rear foot
2- follow with the lead.

Don't let the body bounce or rise and fall, control the breath.

And so on.

Tonight I worked rapier and dagger against the ball and target.

After point control against the ball, it was time to go after the target. Putting the ball in motion, I attacked the target while using the dagger to block or redirect the swinging ball.

Keeping covered while attacking isn't always easy. If the off hand/weapon is out of place, it could lead to a double kill or, if the attack misses, then you get hit.
An unpredictable swinging ball made for a good drill!

Online training has helped. Some are live, some posted recordings.  Some are better than others, but they all help.
Checking in with my friends to see how they aare doug and if they're training is definitely spirit lifting.

Some friends have had to get tested and are waiting results, another friend is home, but still on oxygen; our township went from three positive cases and zero fatalities to 280 positive cases and eight fatalities in less than four weeks.

I know we will get through this, but the raid is long and rocky.

COVID-19 Solo

Anyone reading this now knows that, nationwide, we are quarantined and most of us are homebound.
It's a crazy time and it's leaving a lot of us to figure out our jobs remotely, while Essential Personnell must go into work.

In the midst of this, all of our practices are shut down for the foreseeable future.

Does that mean our swords get packed away?

Hell no!

We solo drill and, in some cases, teach classes remotely. We share drills and ideas on Social Media and make sure we check in with each other.

Tonight, I covered a few different things, mostly to get fluid. When my school district shut down, we teachers have been in a "make it up as we go" mode. Things are still coming together, but I was finally able to get some practice time in.

Stance training first.

Static traini is great conditioning. Assume your guard position. Make sure that your body is in proper alignment. Feet are in proper position, your sword in correctly angled for protection, finally, your off hand is in place.

Now hold it. 30 seconds, 46 seconds, 60 seconds.

Switch sides and repeat.  Build on this. Can you hold position for three minutes? Five minutes?

Physically, this conditions your muscles, tendons and ligaments. It is putting proper stance and guard into muscle memory. You learn to relax into your stance, instead of being tense , so it is strong, but natural.

Psychologically, you learn to deal with and overcome discomfort and a certain amount of pain. This is where you begin to learn the attrition game.  There is strength and advantage in stillness.

Next was footwork.

I'm in a small area but it's ok.  Begin slow and deliberate. Advance and retreat. Advance and retreat.

Nothing fancy, but make sure it's right.

Make it quicker, mix up directions.

Add crossing then gathering steps.

Make sure your guard and off hand are on point!

Add thrusts, then lunges.

Finally, I drew a circle into the carpet. It's small, barely three feet across.

A while back, I wrote about the Italian Circle; a boundary that encloses eight directions.

There is only enough room for a thrust or a shallow lunge. The drill is to move into these eight directions without leaving the circle. Attack and move, in guard, to the next quadrant.

It felt good. Next practice will be a bit more structured. Perhaps disengages are on the menu.

Stay healthy and smart. Look out for each other and keep practicing.