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.