#10000lunges

[fencingmarie]

Day 33

Last night I went to UWF fencing practice and did 100 lunges and the around the clock drill before gearing up. I fenced one on one with most of the students and had what I hope was one piece of useful feedback for each one.

Then we did a team melee and an every man for himself melee. I hadn’t done the latter in ages, and it showed. That’s on me. In the team melee, we went in with a solid plan, and I think it was a good one, but I don’t think it was the right one for that situation. I’ll need to think about tactics a bit more before Gulf Wars.

[fencingmarie]

Day 31

Today Nik and I held SCA rapier practice. I did 100 lunges and the around the clock drill before free sparring. I worked on feints with my long blade and getting in close with my shorter one. I was really pleased with my execution of things I’ve been practicing recently, and my point control was consistent with both hands. I am a happy fighter today.

[fencingmarie]

Day 28

Today was my first SCA rapier practice of the new year. One of the ladies who used to fence with us is back, and I’m super stoked to have another day of practice each week. Some of the students from UWF joined us as well, and we had a new(ish) face - or maybe old-new faces, people who used to fence and are coming back.

I started with a review of hand positions and footwork, and then I did 100 lunges. It was a good way to talk about the mechanics of a lunge, hand placement, and recovery.

I spent about an hour and a half drilling, reviewing, and fencing, and then I put on my armor for the first time and tried out armored combat. I’m completely out of my element, but I like trying new things, so I’ll keep at it until it makes more sense. Everything I know about blade mechanics is irrelevant since we’re using rattan simulators. The pedagogy is also totally different - you learn by trying it out and figuring out what works. There isn’t a lot of instruction, so I have my homework cut out for me in the meantime.

[fencingmarie]

Day 27

Tonight I went to my first fencing practice of the new year. It was nice to see my students again. One of them was excited to break in her new sword. I showed them the around the clock drill I learned from a nice Atlantian man at Castle Wars. The students seemed to dig it. We did a warm up and a couple of drills, and then we did some free sparring. I stepped aside and did 100 lunges. I thought I was going slowly, but my friend commented on how quickly I did them, so I think I need to slow down some more next time.

[fencingmarie]

Day 26

Today I did 100 lunges. More importantly, I went to UWF fencing practice and fenced almost everyone there. I worked with some young men who missed a lot of practice time and then had some fun with the usual group. I have a fencer with something weird going on. I think it's biomechanical. It seems like no matter how her sword is balanced or how heavy her sword is, there's a weakness in her wrists. Her attacks are super wide. If you've seen anything like this, please hit me up. I'm at a loss here. Yesterday I went to SCA practice in Birmingham. I got to fence with people I don't see a lot. After practice, Nik and I talked about ways to offer advice to someone who has been doing this longer than you have without being condescending. Everyone received us well, but it's hard to offer help if you're worried you'll come across as a jerk. Again, if you have any insight, please send it my way. I love fencing, and I don't want to piss anyone off or chase anyone away. I'm really looking forward to this weekend.

[fencingmarie]

Day 25

I'm going back to the lunge drill, but I'm not following the drill pattern in the document. My back and shoulders were angry with me almost immediately. I'll devote more time to stretching and warming up tomorrow.

[fencingmarie]

This weekend I went to Castle Wars. The only one-on-one fighting I did aside from the prize fight consisted of pickups. Most of what we did was melee fencing.

My friend received the highest level rapier award one can get in the SCA (Master of the Order of Defense). I missed the vigil, but I was happy to fence with him in his prize. He told me he’s seen my “murder face.” I feel like that’s a step in the right direction.

I had the chance to lead a small army in several bridge battles. When we weren’t doing organized fencing events, I did pickups with several fencers I don’t see very often.

I’ve decided to revisit the lunge challenge since someone pointed out that I don’t commit to lunges. I’d rather that be a choice, not a limitation. I’ve always felt like I shouldn’t play the distance game because I’m short, but I know plenty of short people who do killer lunges, so I should adjust that mind set.

[fencingmarie]

Day 24

Doing the advance-lunges at home is difficult in the space I'm in, but I did it. I'm having a lot of trouble with this exercise from a pedagogical standpoint. I'm going to keep doing it while I'm looking into how exercises like these help people. However, I'll be modifying each day's routine into a paired drill.