The Armour Archive

I emphasized primarily, so that you could choose just one answer... Primarily, you do "blank" but you might do "all of the above".

All but the last.
And the last if we have visitors.
Mostly sparing with equal level fighters because that's whats abundant.
2nd would be teaching the newer fighters.

Our practices consist of mainly one on one fights, and everyone there fights a set with every other fighter there at least once. Somestimes we'll do a bear pit style practice, to get maximum hat time. That's fun actually.

My knight does do one on one time with everyone he has time to do it with, so most of us get a good bit of that as well.

I am always working on something. In March and April it was great sword. Now its spear and mace.

I *want* to work on training with more experienced fighters so I can improve my own skill level.

But I end up doing most of the training with less experienced fighters since I'm usually the most experienced fighter at practice.

Not sure if you are trying to capture peoples wants or what the practice reality is.

-Finn

I'd say quite a few of these options are what most of us strive for. Although I have seen the "look pretty guys" at almost every practice. For me the teaching aspect, and the slow work are primary. Unless there is a specific event in the near future I then do melee stuff and unit stuff, and again depending on the tourney I do odd weapons.

For example if there is something coming up with polearms, and great swrods then most surely expect for me to go to Salisbury and see Axel, and Marc.

If its unit stuff im wanting to munch on then look for me in Charlotte.

Depending on what I am working on depends on where I will be. Right now the trips your way are to do slow work and work with less experienced fighters.

Christian

My biggest problem is that I go to several practices, and I have a primary focus, which is different, at each one. LOL At the baronial practice, I spend a lot more time teaching. At my knight's practice, I spend a lot more time learning. When I go to one ofthe other practices, I spend a lot more time sparring and using what I've learned.

Our practice has dramatically improved in the past couple months

We have 4-5 guys playing again.

Our warlord and a knight started fighting again.

Yippie

and it only took 3 years of ranting!

I prefer working on tourney type fighting, but enjoy doing all of the above. One-on-one would be the prime choice, but close behind would be teaching the less experienced and trying new stuff.

What I do at practice is honestly mostly determined by who's there.

I tend to work one-on-one with less experienced fighters, but that's at partially because that's who's been coming to practice (with two notable exceptions). And when we're sparring, I intentionally give myself some handicap (fighting off-handed, only throwing very specific shots or for particular targets, &c), both so my opponent will not feel too frustrated by being so outclassed and so I can practice some specific technique that I know I'm not as proficient with.

I'd like to work with more experienced / better fighters, and while there are some (maybe a half-dozen) locals who are almost always at my level or better, it seems that those guys don't show up at practice much (over the course of a year, maybe once every 6 weeks at best). This may change with summer being here, and the return of a knight who's been away at grad school for a couple of years, though.

I'd also like to do / teach more melee, but given the low numbers and disparite level of fighting skills of those who show up (half knights who've been fighting 20+ years, half newbies, with maybe a couple in the middle), it wouldn't really be teaching much to those who need it most.

<sigh>

Your question was what I want to do at practice, not what I get to do...

I put up a very similar poll on our baronial list-serv... My original intention had been to see if the other local folk were interested in the same stuff I was, and maybe we could try different stuff at our local practice.

I just thought it was a cool poll, so I put it up here too.

I was more focusing on what you "want" to do, as opposed to what you "actually" do...

Teaching fighters, and hopefully getting some sparring in.