The Armour Archive

Warder Zygmunt wrote:OK, it's been a while, but here are some videos from practice yesterday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW16dvI0MG4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WOK199TkVc

Warder,

I only watched the first two vids. However, one thing I did notice was that there was a shocking lack of combos by the Tall gent in Red. Almost every shot was a single. (I counted 2 combos total between the two videos).

Just some humble feedback . . .

bigfredb wrote:Warder,

I only watched the first two vids. However, one thing I did notice was that there was a shocking lack of combos by the Tall gent in Red. Almost every shot was a single. (I counted 2 combos total between the two videos).

Just some humble feedback . . .

Thanks!

That'd be me....I can do combos, but I much prefer one well placed shot to a series of blows. When you say "combo", I hear "pre-set series of moves". I like to be able to throw any blow after any other blow, so I don't go much for "combos", as most of the time, the shots come in the same order.

That said, I do some combos...I also count feints as part of a combo.

Thanks for the input, love to hear more.

One thing I was always taught and teach was not to consider them 1 2 3 combos but more like 1-87, to not stop, let the muscle memory take over and it will allow you to throw the shot you need based on where you are.

Warder Zygmunt wrote: When you say "combo", I hear "pre-set series of moves".

In a way, yes it is a pre-set series of moves. However, if you have lots of combos, it won't look preset.

I also keep in mind my tendencies and use them to my advantage just like a feints.

I also use combos of combos channelling the force (muscle memory).

Warder Zygmunt wrote:
I like to be able to throw any blow after any other blow, so I don't go much for "combos", as most of the time, the shots come in the same order.

The very reason for pell drills (6 section pell drill, etc.).

Warder Zygmunt wrote:
That said, I do some combos...I also count feints as part of a combo.

But if all of your "combos" are either 1 blow or feint - 1 blow, your opponent will soon realize that he will have a "safe" period after your blow.

Gotta keep 'em guessing!!

Zyg, it kinda looks like rather generic practice bouts. May I ask what it was in particular you were working on?

From what little I could assess, it seemed that you were generous with your opponents and letting the pressure off when you started to apply it. This usually means the general energy or enthusiasm of the fight is low (i.e. NOT a regular tourney bout fight), which is common at practice but pretty rare in tourneys - especially crown.

I'm finding myself watching footwork and base a lot in fights these days, they tell a lot of story. If the footwork in the video is indicative of your regular footwork against high caliber opponents or in tourney fights, then I have two recommendations:
1) Explore oblique movements more. This is also something common with familiar opponents or with ones who don't challenge your ability level, so it may account for what I see. Crossing into an opponent's range moving straight towards him is approaching on a line which will ensure you face his best defense and most dangerous offense. Approaching at angles to either side will make you harder to hit and give you better opportunity to get around his defense. Consider doing a level change too, which is bending your knees to lower your whole upper body. Picture a boxer doing a bob & weave kinda thing. This tightens your defense a great deal, which is important for us tall guys.
2) Get more focus into your footwork. Again, perhaps it was you going easy to follow the mood of the practice, but there were some things to tighten up to give you greater opportunities. First, keep the knees bent. Standing up takes precious time and might mean you miss an opportunity to close range and strike. Second, keep your weight forward and on the balls of your feet. This keeps you on balance and ready to take ground in an instant. It lets you take momentum and apply pressure whenever you want. Third, try moving that back foot up so the toe isn't any farther back than the heel of the front foot. It looks as though you fall into a deep stance, which limits your offense and defense.

Homework term for you: zanshin.

Hope this helps.
Tristan

Sir Tristan wrote:Zyg, it kinda looks like rather generic practice bouts. May I ask what it was in particular you were working on?

Staying at a high intensity level at practice and staying loose simultaneously, feints, and cutting off corners/breaking them down.

From what little I could assess, it seemed that you were generous with your opponents and letting the pressure off when you started to apply it. This usually means the general energy or enthusiasm of the fight is low (i.e. NOT a regular tourney bout fight), which is common at practice but pretty rare in tourneys - especially crown.

Absolutely true. In hindsight, I was trying to treat it as a crown bout, but watching this, obviously I wasn't.

I'm finding myself watching footwork and base a lot in fights these days, they tell a lot of story. If the footwork in the video is indicative of your regular footwork against high caliber opponents or in tourney fights,

Hmmm.....I don't think it is. I know I have better footwork in crown.

then I have two recommendations:
1) Explore oblique movements more. This is also something common with familiar opponents or with ones who don't challenge your ability level, so it may account for what I see. Crossing into an opponent's range moving straight towards him is approaching on a line which will ensure you face his best defense and most dangerous offense. Approaching at angles to either side will make you harder to hit and give you better opportunity to get around his defense. Consider doing a level change too, which is bending your knees to lower your whole upper body. Picture a boxer doing a bob & weave kinda thing. This tightens your defense a great deal, which is important for us tall guys.

2) Get more focus into your footwork. Again, perhaps it was you going easy to follow the mood of the practice, but there were some things to tighten up to give you greater opportunities. First, keep the knees bent. Standing up takes precious time and might mean you miss an opportunity to close range and strike. Second, keep your weight forward and on the balls of your feet. This keeps you on balance and ready to take ground in an instant. It lets you take momentum and apply pressure whenever you want. Third, try moving that back foot up so the toe isn't any farther back than the heel of the front foot. It looks as though you fall into a deep stance, which limits your offense and defense.

Thanks! That deep stancer is a bad habit...my fencing stance. When I realize I'm doing it, I correct it. I don't always remember in the heat of the moment. ;D

Homework term for you: zanshin.

Hope this helps.
Tristan

Thanks again, everyone. [/quote]

Some more from last week:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0wwMYGLqkI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD2xvjUXjhM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGkY2oWF6j4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGieJpYaS_o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBTk95zRiYA

There are more but this is a good selection.

More vids
[html]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmwsSuxpnYQ[/html]

A short one of Duke Dag vs Sgt. Jasen Irenfest
[html]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxDoPTADack[/html]

I've got a bunch of videos over a long period of time on my youtube channel.
http://www.youtube.com/user/SirCorby?feature=mhum

Last fall at my house: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPg-fecsr_I
Sundays at my place are typically me and some tougher unbelts with occasional random visiting knights.

A year or more ago at our regular Thursday practice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R92kr-tQOSI
Thursday practices tend toward a lot of new guys, many of whom aren't authorized yet.

And the #1 SCA fight video on youtube (as far as can tell) with over 100,000 views...: Things Not to Do! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7mWIK6Eizw[/url]
Features some early work by people who know have Sir in front of their names: Aradd, Colin, Christian the German.

Zygmunt Nadratowski wrote:

Skutai wrote:Are you looking for advice or observations?

Yes, as well as a place to collect weekly training videos.

Just commenting the first one titled Talonval practice, 28 Mar 10.

Joshua needs specific instruction on proper wrap technique. He flails attempting them. (But then, many do, and there are a huge number of people who still teach wraps as a "return" blow, which it is not.) This may, in part be due to his using a sword that is at the absolute limit of length before I would say it is plainly too long for him.

Neither of the 1st two combatants seem to have a good leg wrap, which I notice because they both carry their shields very high leaving their legs open. Notably, every successful leg blow I noticed in the video was a forward/onside/snap, never a wrap. Which is related to:

Everyone seems allergic to extreme close range, which is possibly related to the very long swords in use by everyone.

This topic motivates me further to work on some clear, single topic, multiple angle videos demonstrating absolute basics of blow technique. Flat Snap. Offside. Head Wrap. Leg Wrap. This spring and summer!

Thank you for taking the time to reply, Sir!

Part of the problem is that I can't get them to do any homework, and one practice a week isn't enough time. Part of the problem is the loaner shield he's using - it's beastly heavy, something close to 15lbs (it's made out of old 1" siding from Eginolf's house). But that could be alleviated somewhat if he did any of the strength exercises I gave him/them to do to build up the shield arm.

As for the fighting at long range...that's probably my fault. I'm tall and like to fight out at c/b range, and they've likely picked that up from me.

Here's my newest video.

Purposely over the top!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2Py-6vveus

Corby de la Flamme wrote:Here's my newest video.

Purposely over the top!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2Py-6vveus

Now you have gone and done it . . .

You made the trailer, now you need to make the movie . . .

More this week:

Duke Brannos v Count Nigel (AEthelmearc)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HZvix-wfTg

Duke Brannos v Count Quilliam (AEthelmearc)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBji0cAgBG4

Lady Ciara (Kira) v Sir Garraghan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJL18pqv1a4

Myself v Count Nigel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe6-ggEkLuA

I thought Nigel and Quilliam were from Ealdomere.... I mean, I can understand mixing up an "A" kingdom... but

You're right, my mistake. Grr!

Zygmunt Nadratowski wrote:Myself v Count Nigel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe6-ggEkLuA

Almost no combos?

Zygmunt Nadratowski wrote:

bigfredb wrote:Warder,

I only watched the first two vids. However, one thing I did notice was that there was a shocking lack of combos by the Tall gent in Red. Almost every shot was a single. (I counted 2 combos total between the two videos).

Just some humble feedback . . .

Thanks!

That'd be me....I can do combos, but I much prefer one well placed shot to a series of blows. When you say "combo", I hear "pre-set series of moves". I like to be able to throw any blow after any other blow, so I don't go much for "combos", as most of the time, the shots come in the same order.

That said, I do some combos...I also count feints as part of a combo.

Thanks for the input, love to hear more.

Zyg, it's good to be able to follow any blow with any other blow. It's not so good to throw one blow at a time. If you were throwing and following up to the opening created, there would be no comment about "singles". It would be the effect of throwing "combos".

If you do not string shots together, then you don't get the benefits that come from doing that. If you throw the same pre-set combo all the time, sure, you don't get as much benefit as you would if you had multiple variations on it. But you get more from throwing three shots - even if they know which three shots are coming - than by throwing one shot at a time.

Personally, I have no "combos" of more than three strikes, but I can string three strike sets out to 27 or more consecutive blows, without being at all predictable and while being able to adjust to take advantage of what my opponent is giving me.

Warder Zygmunt wrote:OK, it's been a while, but here are some videos from practice yesterday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW16dvI0MG4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WOK199TkVc

Warder,

Try not to let the tip of your shield float up when you strike. You are often open for a leg shot towards the end of your swing.

I agree with Kilkenny, Sir Corby and Big Fred.

Some of the people could throw harder/cleaner if their sword tip was back farther. When a sword blow starts from straight up blocking position, the fighter then has to cock it back to throw very hard, which is a tell.

I didn't see a wide variation in types of shots.

I watched some other east coast fighters, and there definitely some interesting style differences. A lot of people using heaters out our way tend to put our inside top heater corners more at the height of just under your eyeslots or at your nose, rather than over our forehead. Its a long way to block that leg. I personally use sword blocks for many high head shots, which I get a lot because I am short. House Sigurgata has a lot of videos up where you can see the difference: http://www.youtube.com/user/housesigurgata#p/u

Last night's practice. Knocking off the Dust.

Lots of pole arm work!

Hey Zygmunt. I just watched the video of your bouts with Sir Nigel. One thing stood out dramatically to me. You throw a blow and leave your sword hanging out there waaay too long.
Back in ancient times when I was starting out, HG Cariadoc told us to recover the sword faster than we threw it out there. It's good for a number of reasons; it doesn't leave you nearly as open nearly as long; it lets you get the next shot off that much faster.

Even if you're going to try and snipe your way to victory, you need the sword back in the chamber to throw the next shot and you need to recover to guard to keep from getting tagged while you're extended.

Thanks Kilkenny!

Here's our most recent practice.

Shot and block drill - http://youtu.be/IEELy3ls7lg

Knee fighting basics:

1/3 - http://youtu.be/7R6Xnpm7LQ0
2/3 - http://youtu.be/ip50N7QyA_Q
3/3 - http://youtu.be/7fZoVGLcfIU

Zygmunt Nadratowski wrote:
Knee fighting

Is the soda bottle important to dominating my legged opponent?
by

Here is our youtube page of various fighting stuff, including the last Kingdom of Lochac Crown.

http://www.youtube.com/whytecompanie

And yes - we are begging for feedback down here...


Cornelius

Here's the newest video:

Adding movement to the 6-part pell drill.
http://youtu.be/S878_yudsvA