"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.
Silver Hair
Silfraharr
Thursday, December 10, 2020
Wednesday, December 9, 2020
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
Tuesday, December 8, 2020
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.
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
Monday, December 7, 2020
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
Sunday, December 6, 2020
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.
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
Friday, December 4, 2020
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.
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.
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.
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