Ursulmas 2015

Driving hundreds of miles to pack into a fairground arena may not be everyone's cup of tea, but when that tournament is Ursulmas you grab your kit and gear up.  Ursulmas is the first large tournament my kingdom holds every year in January.  It is a grueling test of endurance and skill where fighters must make their way through a round robin of around 20-22 fighters per field.  This year the total list was 189 entrants, with fighters representing at least three different kingdoms.  The top two fighters from each field, 8 fields total, fight in a double elimination sweet sixteen.  What I've seen this year and in previous years is that the individuals that make it to these later rounds are a shining example of energy conservation and patient skill.  You are guaranteed to see some excellent fights all around.

This year marked a slight change in the way I prepared myself for the fighting.  I practiced all the techniques of energy conservation my knight had gone over with me, including eating half-way through the tourney and setting down my shield between bouts.  I gave less focus to analyzing everything around me, and more thought to blow efficiency and good foot work in opposition to what my opponents presented me with on the field during the fight.  I also received some excellent feedback from members of the Chivalry on my field, and have been working with my knight to push forward on a new training plan for the year.

The main topics that we are addressing include:

1) Position of lower corner of my shield.  I've increased the size of my shield and am making the minor adjustments to train in the new hand position I need to keep it in the right place.

2) Work on under the shield body shots, (i.e change hand position to hit body rather than the leg.)

3) New ways to fight opponents on their knees

4) Fakes: shoulders, body, hand

5) Head position, keep the head up.


Note: need camera so I can record my tournament fighting for review later.