Criticism and Judgment
10 years ago
Monday, October 13, 2014
The gradual loss of light and decent temperatures has pushed us to reschedule our mid-week training practice to the weekend. The new time allows us to practice during the day and avoid conflict with other members of the public wanting to utilize the same covered spaces. The idea here is not to engage in open sparring, but focus on armored drills and training. Live action work in a controlled environment to simulate situations encountered on the field.
[Full gear] Here is a list of items we have started to cover:
# Lateral movement during - or in response to - closing situations
# Set up shots, leading to wraps, ending with disengage.
# Feints and shield disruption (hooks/presses)
# Maintaining shield position, or shield blocking during strikes
# Sequential striking
# Video review: Practices, Events, and Trainings
There is a plan to travel at least two weekends a month, including smaller fighting events, if our schedule allows. This way we can put into practice what we've learned against fighters that we don't spar against often; as well as receive critique from Knights in different regions of the Kingdom.
[Full gear] Here is a list of items we have started to cover:
# Lateral movement during - or in response to - closing situations
# Set up shots, leading to wraps, ending with disengage.
# Feints and shield disruption (hooks/presses)
# Maintaining shield position, or shield blocking during strikes
# Sequential striking
# Video review: Practices, Events, and Trainings
There is a plan to travel at least two weekends a month, including smaller fighting events, if our schedule allows. This way we can put into practice what we've learned against fighters that we don't spar against often; as well as receive critique from Knights in different regions of the Kingdom.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
The process of upgrading armor is a tedious task, but finding the right shoes can be tricky. Trying to find women's shoes that don't cost a fortune, for fighting, can be almost impossible. Much like our clothing, a grand majority of our shoes are useless for anything outside. Having worn quite a variety of shoes, let me break down my experiences for you.
Slip on Merrells: Did just that and would merrily fly off my feet during fights. Great shoe, nearly indestructible, but terrible for sparring.
Raichle hiking boots: Good leather and stitching with absolutely crap for soles. Lightly used on trails before I decided to wear them twice for fighting, in the rain. Mid-fight one of the soles tore halfway off....from the wet grass.
Grey Keen Boots: Not the actual boot but close enough. Wore out the toe in about 4 months and the insole in about 3. The ankle support was misleading with this boot insofar as much that there was none. This shade of grey is also a mighty eyesore when the rest of your kit is a nice brown.
Grey Minimalist Merrells: By far the most comfortable shoes I've run in and fought in. However, again with the eyesore. If you ever plan to fight in these keep in mind they are considered barefoot shoes. If you have not worn them before, DO NOT put them on for the first time and go for a long run or to fight you will injure you feet. You need to walk around in them normally for a spell to adjust your muscles and body to a non-cushioned sole.
Keen Delancey Boot WP CNX: My newest acquisition via Nordstrom's Rack. As an FYI, not only does this store have designer shoes but often carries a nice selection of well made outdoor boots. Full grain, waterproof leather and a contoured arch for added mid-foot support. I'm excited about these. The pass the 10 foot rule, and pass it well. With the greaves on they look remarkably like period Rus boots. Can't wait to show them off.
COMPARISON!!
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| Pic from Merrell website |
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| Pic from Google images |
Raichle hiking boots: Good leather and stitching with absolutely crap for soles. Lightly used on trails before I decided to wear them twice for fighting, in the rain. Mid-fight one of the soles tore halfway off....from the wet grass.
 |
| Pic from Google images |
 |
| My Pic! |
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| My Pic! |
COMPARISON!!
Friday, September 19, 2014
Heading to Crown solo was both a beautiful and terrible experience for me.
The veil was pulled back for me this event, and the weight of what a peerage is, does, and represents struck home more than it ever had previously. I saw the expectations. In a single moment it felt like the world turned its eye to focus on me, and said "Yes, continue."
For the first time ever I fought for someone else besides my significant other and I felt much more self conscience about my fights and actions because of it. I had a wonderful time, but it had a distinctively different feel to it. I see why some fighters opt out of fighting in larger tournaments when their partners are not present. When the heart strives hard to achieve greatness and pride, it's difficult to muster the drive for another person when your love is tucked so neatly against your bosom.
The intensity and frequency of fighting was high, as can be expected at Crown level events. I took greater lengths to take care of myself over the course of the weekend, since no one else was going to, and discovered that lovely balance between food/hydration I needed to keep myself going. I forced myself to slow down and pace, as well as managed my mind set better to handle fighting that spanned the course of a day.
Fighting Notes from the event:
Better and more active returns that combine a sweeping defense with movement to prevent my sword from getting tangled up.
How to create space when on my knees.
Stepping into blows to cut the striking distance. Choosing the correct direction.
Better gear checks before events: helmet strap broke, the leather was weak. Fixed on site with much thanks to Sir Davin.
Field Presence, turn it on sooner.
The veil was pulled back for me this event, and the weight of what a peerage is, does, and represents struck home more than it ever had previously. I saw the expectations. In a single moment it felt like the world turned its eye to focus on me, and said "Yes, continue."
For the first time ever I fought for someone else besides my significant other and I felt much more self conscience about my fights and actions because of it. I had a wonderful time, but it had a distinctively different feel to it. I see why some fighters opt out of fighting in larger tournaments when their partners are not present. When the heart strives hard to achieve greatness and pride, it's difficult to muster the drive for another person when your love is tucked so neatly against your bosom.
The intensity and frequency of fighting was high, as can be expected at Crown level events. I took greater lengths to take care of myself over the course of the weekend, since no one else was going to, and discovered that lovely balance between food/hydration I needed to keep myself going. I forced myself to slow down and pace, as well as managed my mind set better to handle fighting that spanned the course of a day.
Fighting Notes from the event:
Better and more active returns that combine a sweeping defense with movement to prevent my sword from getting tangled up.
How to create space when on my knees.
Stepping into blows to cut the striking distance. Choosing the correct direction.
Better gear checks before events: helmet strap broke, the leather was weak. Fixed on site with much thanks to Sir Davin.
Field Presence, turn it on sooner.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Duke Sean recently posted his thoughts on "Aggressive" fighting on Facebook and I felt the need today to re-post it here. Passing along the insights of an individual who has had such great success in our sport is important to me, and I want those who haven't had the opportunity to read them yet to take the time to process his thoughts.
"I often hear people talking about how they need to become more ‘Aggressive’ in their fighting. I find that the use of this word comes with an indiscriminant component that I think does not create the proper focus in a fight. To me, being more aggressive means putting more lead down range. Aggressiveness in our fight involves throwing more blows with the hope that eventually you will get ahead of your opponent and wear them down with the shear ferocity of your fight.
When you fight with pure aggression you are trying to force your will into the fight. You are trying to make the fight go to certain targets, at a certain tempo and often to a pre-determined outcome. I find this type of fight to be mentally and physically exhausting. And with much less positive end results than one would hope for.
The Offensive Mindset is a razor-thin balance between Passive and Aggressive. It is a state of mind where you are comfortable enough to allow the fight to develop organically as it is intended to, without having the fight to happen *to* you. This is a mindset where you are more prepared to attack your opponent than you are simply to defend against their blows.
When you function with an offensive mindset you can allow targets to show up anywhere because you are not expecting targets to be at any particular location. Your body is in a position where you can throw any of your blows. You don’t worry about where a target will be because you know that a target has to present itself. And by allowing the possibility that those targets can come from anywhere, you are better able to respond to those targets as they develop.
The calm, comforted approach of the offensive mindset allows you to make better decisions about the blows that you are throwing because you are responding to what is actually happening in the fight. Rather than what you want to happen. Or what you wish would happen.
Martial combat between two free-thinking individuals is a very fluid process. You certainly can influence the flow of the fight. But, it is always easier to get your opponent to do what *they* want to do then it is to get them to do what *you* want them to do. With the offensive mindset you are always prepared to take advantage of the opportunities provided by your opponent. But, you are settled enough and calm enough to have the vision to see those opportunities.
Razor thin edge between passive and aggressive."
"I often hear people talking about how they need to become more ‘Aggressive’ in their fighting. I find that the use of this word comes with an indiscriminant component that I think does not create the proper focus in a fight. To me, being more aggressive means putting more lead down range. Aggressiveness in our fight involves throwing more blows with the hope that eventually you will get ahead of your opponent and wear them down with the shear ferocity of your fight.
When you fight with pure aggression you are trying to force your will into the fight. You are trying to make the fight go to certain targets, at a certain tempo and often to a pre-determined outcome. I find this type of fight to be mentally and physically exhausting. And with much less positive end results than one would hope for.
The Offensive Mindset is a razor-thin balance between Passive and Aggressive. It is a state of mind where you are comfortable enough to allow the fight to develop organically as it is intended to, without having the fight to happen *to* you. This is a mindset where you are more prepared to attack your opponent than you are simply to defend against their blows.
When you function with an offensive mindset you can allow targets to show up anywhere because you are not expecting targets to be at any particular location. Your body is in a position where you can throw any of your blows. You don’t worry about where a target will be because you know that a target has to present itself. And by allowing the possibility that those targets can come from anywhere, you are better able to respond to those targets as they develop.
The calm, comforted approach of the offensive mindset allows you to make better decisions about the blows that you are throwing because you are responding to what is actually happening in the fight. Rather than what you want to happen. Or what you wish would happen.
Martial combat between two free-thinking individuals is a very fluid process. You certainly can influence the flow of the fight. But, it is always easier to get your opponent to do what *they* want to do then it is to get them to do what *you* want them to do. With the offensive mindset you are always prepared to take advantage of the opportunities provided by your opponent. But, you are settled enough and calm enough to have the vision to see those opportunities.
Razor thin edge between passive and aggressive."
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
So a few moths ago I went to a local armorer and had him take measurements of my elbows with the padding on. What I received was a pair of perfectly fitted elbow cops, made of stainless steel, that wear like a dream. I honestly would recommend doing this if you can. Strapping a piece of gear into place and having it feel completely natural, leaves you free to focus on fighting and not on the frustration of being uncomfortable. Plus they match my greeves....
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
One night a week my squire brothers and I train with my knight. His manifesto for this weeks practice is as follows:
This practice is focusing on developing and perfecting execution of a form for SCA armored skills (in the spirit of eastern martial arts). To accomplish this there must be some discussion or focus on execution of a single element of the form, or what we classically call working on technique.
I expect modifications, or evolution, as we go along. I am trying to build this in stages and hope to have each stage reach stability as we add more stages.
This practice is focusing on developing and perfecting execution of a form for SCA armored skills (in the spirit of eastern martial arts). To accomplish this there must be some discussion or focus on execution of a single element of the form, or what we classically call working on technique.
I expect modifications, or evolution, as we go along. I am trying to build this in stages and hope to have each stage reach stability as we add more stages.
It should be obvious that I am basing my direction on my background and
on my perceptions of areas where you collectively might benefit. While I
want this to be collaborative, I do not want it to be argumentative, so
I reserve the right to decide the direction.
To keep this focused on the form the only required equipment is sword and shield. You may wear some additional gear if you wish, but this is not an armored activity, as such. Other forms for other weapons are future development.
Finally this is not a cerebral endeavor, completed with an understanding of concept. It is about execution, and perfecting execution is not optional - there is no good enough. On the other side of the token, perfection is not a barrier to progression. My goal is to advance in developing new stages, while continually revisiting earlier stages. Your goal should be perfecting all stages.
To keep this focused on the form the only required equipment is sword and shield. You may wear some additional gear if you wish, but this is not an armored activity, as such. Other forms for other weapons are future development.
Finally this is not a cerebral endeavor, completed with an understanding of concept. It is about execution, and perfecting execution is not optional - there is no good enough. On the other side of the token, perfection is not a barrier to progression. My goal is to advance in developing new stages, while continually revisiting earlier stages. Your goal should be perfecting all stages.
I took a weekend to myself. A real shocker let me tell you, but it served a true and ready purpose. I simply took the time to think.
Becoming a squire is a step to becoming a knight. It signifies the choice to begin the journey to knighthood by swearing fealty to a knight who will teach you, train you, and guide you on and off of the field. When I wear my squires belt, it represents my desire to become a knight. It does not only carry my honor but the honor of my knight, my squire brothers, my lineage, and my kingdom. It is mine and I am theirs.
When I look at my knight, I succeed
When I look at my brothers, I pull them up beside me
When I look at my lineage, I stand beside them
When I look at my kingdom, I fight with a fierce pride
A view of some of the questions I asked myself and discussed with my knight later in the week.
"Do I want this? Do I actually want to be knighted?"
"Can I represent my kingdom, can I represent my royalty, can I represent my self and my peers with honor?"
"Would I want squires of my own some day?"
"Can I teach other fighters?"
"Besides prowess what else can I offer? Skills? Community? Household?"
"Am I a part of the community? how can I integrate more? What can I offer?"
"What does this belt, my squires belt, mean to me? What will having a white belt mean to me?"
"Do I want the responsibilities knighthood comes with?"
Becoming a squire is a step to becoming a knight. It signifies the choice to begin the journey to knighthood by swearing fealty to a knight who will teach you, train you, and guide you on and off of the field. When I wear my squires belt, it represents my desire to become a knight. It does not only carry my honor but the honor of my knight, my squire brothers, my lineage, and my kingdom. It is mine and I am theirs.
When I look at my knight, I succeed
When I look at my brothers, I pull them up beside me
When I look at my lineage, I stand beside them
When I look at my kingdom, I fight with a fierce pride
A view of some of the questions I asked myself and discussed with my knight later in the week.
"Do I want this? Do I actually want to be knighted?"
"Can I represent my kingdom, can I represent my royalty, can I represent my self and my peers with honor?"
"Would I want squires of my own some day?"
"Can I teach other fighters?"
"Besides prowess what else can I offer? Skills? Community? Household?"
"Am I a part of the community? how can I integrate more? What can I offer?"
"What does this belt, my squires belt, mean to me? What will having a white belt mean to me?"
"Do I want the responsibilities knighthood comes with?"
Monday, March 24, 2014
I had not thought of this previously but when my Knight talks to us about plans in a fight he is talking about the OODA loop This theory was developed by Colonel John Richard Boyd,
(January 23, 1927 – March 9, 1997), a United States Air Force fighter
pilot and later Pentagon consultant, whose theories have been highly
influential in the military, sports, business, and litigation . According to Boyd, decision
making occurs in a recurring cycle of observe-orient-decide-act. If
an individual or organization can process this cycle quickly, by
observing and reacting to unfolding events more rapidly than an
opponent, they can thereby "get inside" the opponent's decision cycle
and gain the advantage(1).
Since
decision-making occurs in a recurring OODA loop cycle, this strategy
allows you to continuously move from one loop to the next. Recognition
of an evolving situation and by quick adaption of a strategy along with
an obscuring of your intentions, by making them unpredictable to your
adversary, will allow you to operate at a faster tempo. This enables
you to generate some element of confusion and disorder which forces your
adversary to clarify his intentions, (i.e forces them into an offensive
maneuver). By allowing some chaos and confusion to enter the
situation, the use of this strategy throws chaos in the direction of
your adversary thereby giving you control of the encounter.
A notable piece of advice:
Fear comes from not being in the moment of here and now.
It is thinking too much of the past and extrapolating it into the
future, that creates fear and distorts reality. There is no room for
fear or deception in the immediacy of here and now. You either deal with what is coming at you or accept it.
References
(1) Osinga, Frans. Science Strategy and War, The Strategic Theory of John Boyd. Abingdon, UK: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-37103-1.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Two years ago I made a Quick pair of greaves and decided recently to construct a new pair to match my new set of armor currently under construction. As with all things armor they ended up taking much longer to build than expected, but the results were well worth the extra time.
The construction process was a series of small steps and meticulous measurements. Fortunately a picture is worth a thousand words and my tiny digital camera captured the series of steps as follows.
Step One: Leather blank cut from 15oz, 1/4" thick, cow hide. Measured the length of my shin and determined that 10" slats would provide the greatest area of coverage for my lower leg. My good friend, who works in a metal shop, was kind enough to make the slats for me. I took a pattern from my previous set of greaves, from two years ago, and tweeked it to fit the slats evenly. In the bottom picture, everything measured out together to make sure the plates are evenly spaced. At this stage I marked the position of the holes on the top and bottom.
Step Two: All-in-one brown leather dye to colour and protect the leather. I also conditioned them with Lexol leather conditioner.
From the back of the product: Lexol protects old and new leather from cracking and premature aging by providing the lubrication necessary to keep it strong and supple. It is made with the finest tanning oils which are emulsified into microscopic droplets.
The picture on the bottom is a dry run before setting the rivets to make sure everything was lined up and ready to go. As it turned out some of the holes needed to be drilled out again since the rivet width varied slightly.
Step Three: A goal of mine is to step away from modern buckles and use replicas where I can. These buckles were purchased from Bronzehammer and I have put them to good use to secure the greaves to my lower legs. On the left you see the various stages of completion while setting the size 14 copper rivets. To the right the
tape is holding the rivets down. A nice little solution to the
frustration of keeping the whole mess together while setting the rivets
one by one. Also a nice close up of the bronze buckles.
And at last after setting all 30 of the rivets to secure the slats, buckles and straps. Completion!!
The construction process was a series of small steps and meticulous measurements. Fortunately a picture is worth a thousand words and my tiny digital camera captured the series of steps as follows.
Step One: Leather blank cut from 15oz, 1/4" thick, cow hide. Measured the length of my shin and determined that 10" slats would provide the greatest area of coverage for my lower leg. My good friend, who works in a metal shop, was kind enough to make the slats for me. I took a pattern from my previous set of greaves, from two years ago, and tweeked it to fit the slats evenly. In the bottom picture, everything measured out together to make sure the plates are evenly spaced. At this stage I marked the position of the holes on the top and bottom.
Step Two: All-in-one brown leather dye to colour and protect the leather. I also conditioned them with Lexol leather conditioner.
From the back of the product: Lexol protects old and new leather from cracking and premature aging by providing the lubrication necessary to keep it strong and supple. It is made with the finest tanning oils which are emulsified into microscopic droplets.
The picture on the bottom is a dry run before setting the rivets to make sure everything was lined up and ready to go. As it turned out some of the holes needed to be drilled out again since the rivet width varied slightly.
And at last after setting all 30 of the rivets to secure the slats, buckles and straps. Completion!!
Friday, March 22, 2013
As quoted by my squire brother: "Guess I should stop smiling before and during fights."
This article is a valid read for everyone that ends up on the field primarily because it goes to show that nonverbal behavior is powerful simply because it affects people on a subconscious level. While this study focuses on the cause and effect of facial expressions and their predetermination of fight outcomes, it brings into question how serious a competitor needs to be to find success on the tournament field.
http://www.krauslab.com/UFC.Emotion.inpress.pdf
Naturally some discussion started, so here is the break down. Human behavior/psychology is a wide field, please add in if you have something to contribute
- U: I think this paragraph is more pertinent, "Consistent with the researchers' predictions, fighters who smiled more intensely prior to a fight were more likely to lose, to be knocked down in the clash, to be hit more times, and to be wrestled to the ground by their opponent (statistically speaking, the effect sizes here were small to medium). On the other hand, fighters with neutral facial expressions pre-match were more likely to excel and dominate in the fight the next day, including being more likely to win by knock-out or submission."
because I believe either smiling or snarling probably indicates a bit of inability to focus or lack of training to focus the mind.
Also, this study makes a false cause and effect relationship. All they established is there may be a correlation between facial expression and success rate. - K: I scanned the PDF of their study. It seemed to me they correlated smile intensity to not only win/lose, but also effectiveness of their fighting. They even make a note that the fighter who smiled less actually ended up preforming better. Possibly because they perceive their chances as better against a less aggressive opponent. I thought their win/loss chart would show only a slight change, but it looked to me to be significant.
The nice thing about the way this study was conducted is it used data (pictures and statistics) that were already available. They only needed to rate the fighter's smile. The sample size of 152 fighters seems small.
So even if you like to smile in front of an opponent, doing so may end up giving them a real advantage you don't really intend.
http://www.krauslab.com/UFC.Emotion.inpress.pdf - U: I still don't think the cause and effect is shown, based on your description. I think it much more likely that losing and smiling are symptoms of a root cause. So as a indicator for chance of success it may be fine, and as a tool for training it may indicate an issue with the trainees confidence, and it may be as you say a bad subliminal queue to the opponent but that is pure speculation and not indicated by the information. If I am correct and one falsely believes it is all about the smile and not about a root cause one is likely to lose anyway.
- U: This covers all the bases I think. People respond to smiles and smiles could indicate many things other than "Hi, glad to see you."
6. People smile when they're happy. People smile for all sorts of reasons, only one of which is to signal happiness. Ekman describes many kinds of smiles, from the "felt" or true smile to the fear smile, the contempt smile, the dampened smile, the miserable smile, and a number of others. Daniel McNeill, author of The Face: A Natural History, says, "Smiling is innate and appears in infants almost from birth....The first smiles appear two to twelve hours after birth and seem void of content. Infants simply issue them, and they help parents bond. We respond; they don't know what they're doing. The second phase of smiling begins sometime between the fifth week and fourth month. It is the "social smile," in which the infant smiles while fixing its gaze on a person's face."
Whatever their origin or motivation, smiles have a powerful effect on us humans. As McNeill points out, "Though courtroom judges are equally likely to find smilers and nonsmilers guilty, they give smilers lighter penalties, a phenomenon called the 'smile-leniency effect.'"
-- http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/3123.html
So we need to knock the smile out of you, not just get you to focus on not smiling.
I think a study would also show that the person who is concerned about their opponents well fare, apologizing for illegal shots, or stopping to chat during competition is even more likely to lose.
M: Throwing in some basics from animal behavioral and human physiology courses I’ve taken over the past few years.People try to assert their dominance in many different ways; their nonverbal behavior is powerful simply because it affects people on a subconscious level. It is not resisted as much because it’s less noticed than verbal aggression. Primate behavior is a good indicator of how human hierarchical structures work as well, which is why that study that dealt with multiple chimps attacking an alpha leader was such an odd behavior for a wild primate group. By this I mean there is no gain to attacking in groups because it injures all the most dominant, group protecting males. Though it does show a nice dichotomy between instinct and intelligence, in relation to adaptive behavior.I know the study focused on facial expressions, by I’m curious about the individual’s body postures as well. Common dominant human behavior includes physical positions that take up a lot of space or make a person look bigger. For instance, stretching arms out to one’s sides or placing your hands on your hips; extending legs or widening knees in standing or seated positions; and standing or sitting on a table while other people sit lower down. Also to tie it back to facial expressions, angry like eyebrows drawn across the face in a long, thick line. Think of military recruitment posters and the serious faces of the soldiers in gear. Do the fighters in this study tend toward any of these postures pre-fight or are they all staged, making the fighter respond to other stimulus and thus respond unintentionally to non-verbal behavior from other sources rather than their opponent.Submissive displays vary from head tilting, bowing, and nodding to demurely crossing ankles or pressing knees together are also an awesome look at expected female behavior. The dichotomy here is that it’s not a dominant move for women to sit with their legs wide. When men display these traits it incites more aggressive dominant behavior from other males. Weirdly enough crosses arms isn’t always a good behavior either since depending on the situation arm crossing is perceived as submissive because it makes a person look smaller and self-protective. I’m not sure on this one because it does make you look smaller and less outwardly aggressive, but I guess this is also where the facial expression would definitely matter.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Distance, Time and Line
Sir Gemini from the West Kingdom taught a class this weekend that focused on three core points: Distance, Time, and Line. In other words, Distance from your opponent, the Time it takes to reach your optimal range for throwing a blow, and your relative position to your opponents center Line.
Drills: pair up, one defends and one attacks. stay in your optimal range and be able to throw with one small half step a blow that can kill your opponent. This helps build memory for range during a fight.
Line: relative location to the opponents center line. keep shield/fist angled at opponents weapon/hand, basically beating the angle before the blow is thrown at you.
Other points:
There was quite a bit of information past on during this class and I found myself getting a bit over-whelmed trying to process everything. My knight and I ran through the topics a second time, the week following the class, to figure out how this knowledge could be integrated into my fighting. While the underlying concepts are similar to what I am learning right now, it was the exchange of explanations for fighting actions and positions into common terminology that was a huge take away from the class.
Movement, never be stationary unless you want to let your opponent kill you. Patience ties into timing. There is no reason to jump right in belly to belly, this may be a poor strati gum if your opponent is larger and heavier than you. Considering my size, movement and timing are my best friends.
Monday, February 4, 2013
"I'll find strength in pain and will change my ways
I know my name and it's called again."
It's about the bigger picture.
Look at the kingdom as a whole. You'll see a collective of arts, sciences, and martial skills integrated and run by officers, volunteers, and participants. Building relationships within the kingdom and community extends the longevity of the society and aids in self-advocacy. It promotes a bond between people and a strong sense of belonging. This is the unity that holds the fighters of our kingdom together. It stirs pride in our hearts, and makes us fierce with the knowledge that our actions prove our deep desire to keep this kingdom great.
Thus is it with great importance that a fighter looks within themselves and reflects on this question.
Why do I fight?
Sunday, November 18, 2012
The fury of a fight is dominated by adaptation, flow, and technique. It is the opponent who can maintain his calm
within a flurry of blows that most often finds success against his opposition
on the field. Commitment and focus are the driving forces that bring these things together.
Also, this quick checklist:
- Never turn your back on an opponent
- Keep your arms up and ready to block
- Keep arms in tight to block
- Be wary of your range
- Don't cover up too much. Block and return blows
- Don't telegraph your blows
- Don't lean back to "dip" incoming shots. Use good footwork and motion.
- Never cross your feet it puts you off balance.
- Keep your shoes tied tight
- Keep your head up, chin tucked, and eyes on your opponent.
- Throw blows straight, not hay-maker style. It telegraphs and damages your shoulder.
- No sloppy shots. Use technique, step in with your leading leg and keep your head up.
- Don't hesitate.
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