Not much in the way of narrative this week, instead the new list of things to work on:
Separating Footwork and Bladework
Dom gave this advice to Letia, and some drills to employ to get there. I don’t know that I do a great job of this myself, and could definitely stand to do the same drills. So, let the arms race continue!
Covering with Dagger During Attacks
My survival of my stesso tempo attacks would be greatly increased if I could remember to protect my flank or head with my dagger. Thus shall I be drilling this in my lunge practice (whenever that happens, damn my sloth)
Stealing Tempi
At Drums of War, Dom talked to me about his use of attacks into tempo/stealing tempo from his opponents, and demonstrated a few techniques he employs to achieve this. I’m working on employing this, thinking beyond attacks into line changes or advances into measure (one of his demonstrated techniques is drawing a parry and using that tempo to step into an oblique position from which to attack).
Cavazione/Feints
Fighting Benjamin on Saturday I threw a pretty, pretty double cavazione that walked in on him without his blade ever touching mine. Part of this was because he’s used to me throwing jabs just to break up his rhythm (He’s referred to these as my “not serious attacks”), and since it started as a not-serious attack, he performed his usual parry of my jab (a single, large-ish motion with the flat of his blade), without retreating, leaving him open. Still, it reminded me how little I use real feints and cavaziones in my attacks, instead relying on positioning and stesso tempo attacks.
On Thursday, Percy and I walked through his quarter-half-full lunge attack (feint hand with a quarter lunge, feint arm with an extension to half lunge, strike body with a full lunge). Again, another form of feinting that I need to add to my repertoire.
Footwork
Dom’s tempo theft, and Percy’s lunge feints, all require snappy footwork. Mine is still big and powerful, not quite sharp and fast enough. Time to change that.
Fitness
Still doing the 9 min. of total running stage on Couch-to-5K. I’ve been slack about getting three runs in a week. If I manage it this week (which would be a run on Wed. morning, run on Fri. morning, and run on Saturday) I’ll step up to the 16 min. of total running next week.
So that thing to work towards
I’ve mentioned that the lack of Pennsic or fighting at WoW has given me very little of an external goal to work towards in my fight. But I have that now. At Tournament of the Golden Rose, a tournament held in honor of all the Ladies of the Rose, there will be a tournament of non-White Scarves, for the Roses to review the fighters and select a non-Whitey fighter for their teams, judging on prowess, courtesy, honor, grace, and virtue. While I always strive to conduct myself with courtesy, honor, grace, and virtue, the better the prowess, the less gets in the way of the other four.
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