The Armour Archive

Went to my second practice after a long break(see the post below about getting back in armour). The knights running the practice videotape the fights so we can dissect them after. Man, the tape will show you the truth about your fighting as compared to the picture your brain has. I was fighting axe and sword and getting pasted, I thought because my opponent was much taller than me and I'm not used to that, plus he's a knight. The other knights told me that I was not moving the axe out to the side meet his attacks, but posting it straight in front of me, making a nice fulcrum for wraps. I filed the info and thought I did better against the other unbelted fighter because I was blocking correctly.

Cut to video. Nope, I was doing the same thing, popping a thrust then holding the axe in straight front of myself. I was also beating the crap out of everyone's shields.

Looks like it's back to basics for Fearghus. Sword and board. Drill, baby drill!

Fearghus Macildubh wrote:...
Looks like it's back to basics ...

Funny how often that happens to all of us.

Video is a harsh mistress indeed, that's why I love to utilize it as much as possible. It will see everything and not lie or candy coat it at all. Good luck in getting back into the swing of things.

Thor-

Video makes for all sorts of fun. I have to re-think everything I felt when watching video, cause man oh man can a person look thick.

I find slow work helps alot with foot work and positioning problems.

I have to make a pell where I can better work in the round to practice with angles. I move in a T when I should be moving in a V or M. If I want to improve, I'll have to do more than helm up and go hit things at practice.

Fearghus Macildubh wrote:I have to make a pell where I can better work in the round to practice with angles. I move in a T when I should be moving in a V or M. If I want to improve, I'll have to do more than helm up and go hit things at practice.

Visualize. It's an under utilized tool of amazing power. You can play a fight in your mind, stop action and evaluate what is going to happen next, back up and try a different technique when the first one doesn't work - all without annoying your opponent or getting bruises

If you are having a problem like holding your second weapon straight out in front instead of where it ought to be, you can work on correcting that by replaying the fights where you were holding it wrong, but this time, make the correction. Check it several times as you're going through the replay. And by replay, I'm referring to the mental replay where you visualize the fight.

On one particular occasion, I was training for a Crown tourney. The week before in another tourney I lost a bout to someone who quite neatly handed me my head. Over the intervening week I replayed that fight numerous times, until I found a version where he did everything that had worked so very well, only it got him killed instead of me When we met in Crown, he did what had worked so well the week before - I did what I had visualized. The result was a flawless victory for me.

true true true to the most truest! always try to video all of you fights, then watch them over and over. first, watch the "show". meaning just watch it, dont study it. then pick it apart. i start with watching my opponents reaction to my every move. i do this in slow motion (all studying is in slow motion to being with). then i watch my reaction to their every move. then watch whatever, and watch it again and again picking something new to look at each time (could be shot selection, could be head movement, could be footwork, etc). i spent more time watching my sparring videos in boxing than i actually sparred. trust me, it helps.

and i echo my brother in wishing you the best of luck getting back into the swing of things. having been out from injury for almost three years myself i can tell you when they say "its like riding a bike" makes sense but feels like bs. it really is a never ending learning skill.

regards
logan

Thorstenn wrote:Video is a harsh mistress indeed, that's why I love to utilize it as much as possible. It will see everything and not lie or candy coat it at all. Good luck in getting back into the swing of things.

Thor-

If you think regular video is bad, get ahold of a camera that shoots high framerate slow motion. I filmed myself in slo-mo Doug flat snaps on the Oslo shortly after I got my cast off from breaking my sword arm. It was the ugliest, most awkward thing I had ever seen. Very instructive though.

dukelogan wrote:i spent more time watching my sparring videos in boxing than i actually sparred.

Yeah, but that is because you are narcissistic.