INTENT
There is a difference between training and competing. This may seem like an obvious fact, but the distinction can get a little blurry sometimes - especially in the world of swordplay. There is often a misconception that as soon as the fencing masks go on then both combatants are trying to win at all costs. This is not always the case, however. At Valkyrie we use the term 'sparring' very deliberately. The free time we have at the end of the night is still part of class, and part of the learning process. Sometimes we run competitive mini-tournaments, but those are arranged deliberately. Most of the time what our students are trying to achieve is not victory, but a greater understanding. We rarely utilize our full speed and we avoid using risky tricks or easy flinch shots. It's the same as two boxers training in the ring. They aren't trying to knock each other out every time they go into the gym. (After all, why risk a concussion when you're not getting paid for it.) There is an understanding that they are still working together for a goal. The purpose is to get a sense of what you can do safely, and to work angles and lines of deception until an attack can be made from a position of superiority. In class time there is really no excuse for a double kill; that would imply that one or more of the players was trying to get a touch through speed or luck. Personally I do this the most when I'm working with knives. I do what I jokingly call Gurney Halleck sparring; fast on defense slow on attack. I'll move freely and defend quickly, but when I attack I never go beyond 3/4 of my speed. I want to see if the opening I was chasing was as safe as I thought, and I want to see what kind of counter my partner has in store for me. In other words, I want to learn more. It's an extension of slow work experimentation. We do run classes on competition and practical self defense, but that's not what we're doing in our regular sessions. When we work together on the floor were not trying to beat each other, we're trying to make each other better.
