Most useful group training drill

[freiman the minstrel]

To continue the "Best such and such" theme we have had running on this board for a while, I would like to ask what every one feels is the most useful group training drill. I know of one "sort of exercise" where the instructor calls for the all the fighters to drop what they are doing, and form up ranks, as if they were a melee unit that needed to re-form to face a second threat.

Other folks like to have the students gather around and have two fight, and the others talk about it afterwards.

if you have a favorite, please let us know.

frieman the minstrel

[Morgan]

We use several different training exercises. Not sure if I'd call them drills, per se. They are fun, involve fighting, but have structure to teach "stuff." Here are a couple of them.

1) Football. Ok, not really. But we set up a field with a limited front...like a 9' wide bridge. Every 10 or 15 feet we put a stripe. Start "somewhere" depending on what you want to do. When you die, you must back across 2 lines to resurrect. Then rush back to help your team. We usually do like a 100 foot path so there are lots of lines. As your team gets pushed back, you keep crossing different lines, but when you no longer have 2 lines to go across to res, you're just DEAD. This is a fun exercise that can go a good long time if the teams are even. It's fantastic melee conditioning.

2) Odd number drills. We purposely do NOT allow the sides to be the same size. If you have 10 people at practice, do NOT split them up 5 on 5. Drop one person out and do 5 on 4 even go 6 on 4. The reality is that in a melee, when two units from opposite sites run into each other, they numbers are seldome exactly even. Get fighters used to being on both ends...both superior and inferior numerically.

3) If you have a fair number of inexperienced people and just a couple experienced, team up the inexperienced folks together. They face 1 of the experienced people, with the other experienced person hanging back and ready to join in like the caverlry coming in to save the first guy. The first guy's job is to stay alive, and maybe even maneuver the team so they get blindsided by the "hero" and the "hero" should try to let his teammate get into hot water. This teaches unit cohesion for the new guys, and it's a blast for the experienced guys because they're increasingly challenged as the newer folks get better. And regardless of how good you are, fighting 1 on 4 is exhillerating.

Just some of the things we do at our smaller practice.

[Jean Paul de Sens]

We use several different training exercises. Not sure if I'd call them drills, per se. They are fun, involve fighting, but have structure to teach "stuff." Here are a couple of them.

1) Football. Ok, not really. But we set up a field with a limited front...like a 9' wide bridge. Every 10 or 15 feet we put a stripe. Start "somewhere" depending on what you want to do. When you die, you must back across 2 lines to resurrect. Then rush back to help your team. We usually do like a 100 foot path so there are lots of lines. As your team gets pushed back, you keep crossing different lines, but when you no longer have 2 lines to go across to res, you're just DEAD. This is a fun exercise that can go a good long time if the teams are even. It's fantastic melee conditioning.

2) Odd number drills. We purposely do NOT allow the sides to be the same size. If you have 10 people at practice, do NOT split them up 5 on 5. Drop one person out and do 5 on 4 even go 6 on 4. The reality is that in a melee, when two units from opposite sites run into each other, they numbers are seldome exactly even. Get fighters used to being on both ends...both superior and inferior numerically.

3) If you have a fair number of inexperienced people and just a couple experienced, team up the inexperienced folks together. They face 1 of the experienced people, with the other experienced person hanging back and ready to join in like the caverlry coming in to save the first guy. The first guy's job is to stay alive, and maybe even maneuver the team so they get blindsided by the "hero" and the "hero" should try to let his teammate get into hot water. This teaches unit cohesion for the new guys, and it's a blast for the experienced guys because they're increasingly challenged as the newer folks get better. And regardless of how good you are, fighting 1 on 4 is exhillerating.

Just some of the things we do at our smaller practice.

Along the "training add but not a drill" idea...

Spear Tag : The guys at Rhoadd tought me this one... everyone gets spears and you call anything that touches you, but die to normal calibration shots...designed to teach foot and body work to avoid shots...

Variation of Morgan's teams is to play "winner loser a fighter". Go ahead and start out 5 on 5, the team that wins loses a fighter, and the next one is 6 on 4... have had one poor team actually win a 3 on 6 through some amazing shots and strings of good luck, and had to look forward to 2 on 7. When lay out was called, the 2 looked at each other, and hit their teammate in the head... the figured it was the most painless way out of it.

JP

[Grace Dudley]

One of my favourite team drills is "Helmball". We don't really use a helm but a plastic gallon milk jug (with the cap on tight) works just as well. It's played over a standard volleyball net (in a pinch, a rope strung at a comparable height between two trees or posts will also do) by the same rules as the sport. The sides are divided and everyone is armed with a sword and wearing at least a helm for safety. The only thing allowed to touch the "helm" is a weapon. Play continues to an agreed number of points or until everyone falls down from exhaustion.

It was vastly entertaining to watch a Duke play this game on a side all by himself against all his squires. The Duke won. The squires ended the game in a panting heap.

"Helmball" is great for teaching fighters to move while maintaining focus on a target, hitting a moving target, landing shots from all sorts of angles, and making blows go where you mean them to go. It's also a great stamina builder and teaches awareness of where you are while your attention is focused elsewhere. Unsurprisingly, the better a fighter is overall, the better they are at this game.

Grainne

[Prince Of Darkmoor]

Although it was never put into practice with us, one of the ideas I had for making small groups move and work better together was to have the front line all hold onto one big shield. My theory was that if they learned to move as one unit at the command of the General in the back, then they could be more effective. When fighting with small groups, having the frong line guys split 3-4-5-6-10 feet apart gives the enemy a better opportunity to kill you off. But if you can stay shoulder to shoulder and move with some agility, watch out!

[Stefan ap Llewelyn]

Some ideas that we use (non SCA):

Everyone in a circle two people fight. Winner stays on and keeps his injuries, the loser picks the winner's next opponant.
Everyone in a circle two people fight. Loser stays on, the winner's picks the loser's next opponant.

Everyone in a circle - two on two (or whatever numbers are good for you). When someone dies they must crawl to the edge and tag out, they may also do this if injured. The fighter who tags in (they may not refuse except for safety reasons) has the same allies as the fighter who tagged them.

Line fights, one side is secretly told that they are immortal but should role play wounds. Their job is to make the other side fight for as long as possible.

Bulldog. Person in the center has one hit per location, runners have one hit global. If you are killed you become 'on' for the next run.