So, I'm in utah, for a wedding. Thought I'd stay over another week so that I could go to saltwars.
I'm getting my brother, who also expresses interest in fighting, and who fights with his housemates, with swords I've provided, to go with me. He's of age, but he's untrained- the fighting with his housemates is a terrible affair. He's still at the stage where they run away. It's kinda awful.

So I'm trying to get him into fighting shape. His instincts and reaction times are good, which I'll blame on genes(we come from a line of killers, all the way back to charlemagne), though as a youngest sibling, he's kinda timid, and definitely runs away too much. So to help him with the urge to run, I'm having him work on block strike with me- while it's good for other things as well, mostly it's about him getting used to standing his ground.

Second, I sat him down, and went over the strategy(but not tactics) involved in ditching and flanking. Not sure how much of it sank in- he was attentive, and trying to get it all down, but it's all theory atm. I'll probably have to repeat it to him again later, once he's seen the reality of things, to firm it up.

Third- I've got him practicing denial guard, and practicing parrying back and forth with it, so he'll have at least some (stationary) defense. Yeah, it'll be little more than a speed bump against the better fighters, but it's something against the weaker ones.

Fourth- I did muscle isolations with him- going over the joints, I identified in this post and having him move each one separately. This actually seemed really helpful- it's helping eliminate the sloppy movement that most new fighters have, and got him to be able to understand how to curve shots around a defense.

Fifth, I've shown him a couple of the best youtube videos- BrennonEH's channel, and a little bit of Peter the quick, though I'm not sure how much of the second will be useful to him atm. He's better than me at understanding what's about to happen(even though he's unable to stop it) so maybe it'll help. Certainly it'll give him what he needs to study later, in order to become awesome.

Finally, I'm showing him a little sword and board- he's been fighting single blue, since that's all he had.

We've got about a week or so, till saltwars happens, so we'll see how it goes, and I'll post more as I teach him more.

New fighter guide, First Practice

Having a good time at the first practice-

Showing up-
First- Check their web site for big events/weather cancellations before you go- it's a bummer to show up, to a canceled practice.

If you are new, in the bay area, the best time to show up is, about a half hour after the practice starts- that way people will be there for sure, (instead of just the person responsible for the practice) but there won't be so many people that they won't have time to go over the rules, and focus on welcoming you. Bay area standard is be an hour late, if you are experienced. 

What the timing is in your area, I don't know. Just keep in mind, if you show up on time,(which you should, to be safe) if there aren't that many people, don't despair- most of the people are just lazy and late- they'll be there.

Introductions-
There will be an area with all sorts of equipment, with people milling about. Either go up and introduce yourself, or wander over to the area, and watch the fighting. Most likely someone will greet you warmly. Say you are interested in trying it, and they will direct you to someone to read you the rules(or read you the rules yourself).  The person who reads you the rules will direct you to loaner equipment, and may fight with you for a little bit, before directing you towards other people to fight with. He or she is using those first fights to size you up, so that he can direct you towards someone of about your skill level, so that hopefully your fighting will be fun, and at a level that you can learn from.

Fight/train-

New fighters fall into two categories- ones that want to get out there and fight, and are fine with learning by trial and error, and those that want to be taught. 

They may or may not be sensitive to this dichotomy. If they are they will probe you to figure out which one you are, and then treat you accordingly. If they don't you'll know if your needs aren't being met, as you'll be frustrated, and won't be having a good time.

There are two types of frustration-

If you want to hit things, being told to drill. Dag tends to be lower on this than other martial arts. Ignore the people drilling, and find someone similarly frustrated, that's about your level, and just go spar with them. 

Similarly, it's frustrating going out to fight when you know you don't know what you are doing. If you want training/advice and they are not giving it to you, ask, and most people will be happy to teach you what they can. However, you need to be aware that some fighters, can't teach. If you can't get what you need, email me, and I'll try to help out- I happen to be a more training oriented fighter, and I can direct you to some great online resources. 

Targets for a first practice-

First of all, don't sweat it, have fun. But if you need more concrete targets, here they are- 

First the things you might expect- learn the rules, get comfortable calling the shots that hit you, and try not to hit people in the head. Do sweat it if you mess up on any/all of the above. They'll correct you. Also, if you've hit someone twice in the head, (or even once really bad) try to move on to fight someone else, as soon as you can without being awkward about it. Head hits happen, especially with new fighters, but it's better not to put the burden all on one person.

Next target is learn to die. To learn to stand and fight, even when that means you'll die- and just concentrate on doing your best. It's unnatural not to fear death, but as a Dag fighter, it's required. First off, you won't really die- this isn't real. Second, it's not a matter of skill- everyone dies, over and over. The best fighters on the field are also the fighters that have died the most. You need to get comfortable with that and stop fearing it.

Final thing to focus on, is get comfortable swinging a sword- Knowing where your body is in space, (Body awareness) is key to this game, and in the first few practices, regardless of what people try to teach you, that's mainly what you'll be learning. That's why it's common to let new people spar, rather than trying to drill them their first couple of practices- until you can tell where your sword is in space, it does no good trying coach you on how to move it.

Oh, and in mass battles, think of it as a strategy game- 

First- spar with whatever, but if you are new, in a large battle, borrow a shield if at all possible. It helps a ton.
Your side may win or lose, but as long as you've done your part to nudge it towards victory, it's all good. You may be the worst fighter on the field (someone has to be), and never survive, but if you focus on trying to trade up, you'll be doing your part. 

Note that trading yourself up, doesn't require killing someone- early on, occupying people is often more important. This works because as you distract people, your buddies will have fewer people to deal with elsewhere(helping them to win there). Every second you spend occupying someone who is better than you, helps your team win. I spend a lot of my time do this in ditches, and I'm quite good at it- it takes a little skill, but is an easy way to multiply your value. (Don't mistake this for running away- if what you are doing doesn't improve your chances of winning, and only extends a battle, it will just annoy people. It is the mark of someone who hasn't yet learned how to die.) 

Also, flanking and getting in a backstab or two on somebody better than you also works ;) There's an art to it, and some people know how to counter flank better than others. If they do, watch and ask. If they don't, make sure you aren't trying to just skirt the edge- go wider and you'll do better.

Also, Have fun!

New fighter guide, Social advice for a female.

A girl I know asked me for advice on joining the Bel/Dag community at her school. I figured I'd blog it.

Bel/Dag is really a cool community of people, that tries to welcome newcomers, and if you are interested in joining a nerd community, it's a great way to do so.

What type of people are they?:

First off, the people they attract are fantasy/Renaissance faire/book nerds type crowd, that also take care of themselves, and stay in decent shape, rather than getting fat, though there are straight jocks as well.  People have a lot of different reasons- historical angle, sports angle, etc... so I couldn't begin to cover them all. There is an undercurrent of student, and a mix of blue collar to white collar, with a little more blue collar than white (or maybe just the blue collar is more vocal- I'm not entirely sure). 

Hopefully this doesn't exist in your area, but down in southern california, while the fighters themselves are multiracial, some of them liked racist jokes. I've never seen a caucasian fighter joking in such a manner- it was mostly the hispanic/black fighters that were making the jokes.  It doesn't exist in the bay area, that's for sure. Nevertheless, it's something to watch out for, and it made me uncomfortable. 

What sort of socializing is offered?

Bel/Dag is really a community. Getting to know people is quite natural- sparring is a one on one activity, and most males bond through shared activities, so you quite naturally start to make friends with those who you spar with. Also, it's very common to chat on the sidelines while resting. They also often go out for drinks or food after, and love to invite people. They really want to socialize- and if you show up, on a regular basis, are friendly, and get good, people will want to socialize with/around you. It's a low pressure environment, full of awesome people, that can be made into friends.

There are events. They'll invite you. These are weekend campouts, normally over a holiday, involving hundreds of people. They are quite similar to gaming conventions, only sans hotel. You normally camp with a group of people that you know(or in a unaffiliated area). The camp fire scene is similar to after hours at a ren fair(or so I hear- haven't done ren fair). There is normally a charge, but it's normally fairly cheap- costing for the whole weekend, what a convention would cost for a day. The fighting there is great- they are inviting you because they know that the fighting at big events is great, and hooks a lot of people's imaginations. 

As You approach:

You'll see people huddled in a staging area, and those off fighting.

Note- none of these terms are widespread jargon.

Staging area:

Often a bench, or picnic table, with people milling about there are 4 types here.

The Host:

It's almost certain that there will be a person greeting you, or the people you first meet will direct you toward someone to read you the rules. This person I'm calling the host, and they may or may not come off the field to do so. 

The host is not an official title, but they will be an experienced fighter- though they may be good or bad, but they are definitely in a position of respect, and probably logistical leadership as well. They may also be a herald (person who referees/directs group battles), and may or may not be interested in training you more over time.

Since they are reading you the rules, they'll also try to make you feel welcome. They'll walk you through the rules, and most likely gently fight with you, so you can get used to it, and get your bearings. They are also a safe person to borrow weapons from, though definately ask.

Bench Bunnies:

Bench bunnies are those that are there to socialize. They are most likely in garb. They may fight occasionally. They seem like good people, but I'm not very good with them, and don't understand them that well, as I'm a battle whore, and spend most of my time fighting. Some of them have leadership/logistical roles, and I definitely show respect to those who organize things.

Resting fighters 

Nuff said. Fighters are covered below. 

Girlfriends:

They are there to watch their boys fight. They are easy to distinguish from bench bunnies, as they'll sit further away, won't dress in garb, and while they seem friendly enough if approached, don't spend much time talking.

Fighters:

The first group of fighters that you will be introduced to will mostly be inexperienced fighters. The person who read you the rules will introduce you to some of them, but others will approach you. Though there might be a few experienced ones in the mix.

They will approach for two reasons- one good, one bad.

Let's get the bad one out of the way first-
Hopefully there will only be a few foolish, and single men. That's the case in the bay area- most Dag fighters are in relationships. However, if you are in a group that's not so fortunate, as a female, you will probably be mobbed a little bit. If it's bad, I apologize on their behalf, as they don't know any better, and want you to know that it settles down with time.

On that note- if you are interested in dating, wait till the mob dies down- the quality single men are the ones who aren't approaching you, because they understand the mobbing dynamic, and are trying to give you space, so you can enjoy yourself, and hopefully stick around.

The second reason inexperienced people are approaching is because they are the sparring partners that you will learn the most from. They are learning, you are learning, it's great. Repeatedly fighting someone who just mows through you doesn't teach you much- you have to be skilled enough to understand why they are able to do so. The inexperienced fighters are bad enough that you might be able to exploit/learn from their weaknesses, and you'll win more often. Yours might be different, but my optimal range for learning is when I'm only winning ~30% of the time.

The few experienced fighters that approach you during this time, are doing so to be friendly, so that they will be approachable when you have questions (also to get your measure). They will tend to be people that like to train others, and will try to fight in a way that will teach you something. This may mean that they will just sit there and block, while you get comfortable attacking someone else. It's often what I do with new fighters. They fight long enough to say hi, then get back to sparring/training with someone else.

This is for three reasons.

The first is, they tend to have figured out the overcrowding problem, and don't want to contribute to it.

The second is, that they know that female fighters separate into two groups- those that care about becomings skilled fighters, and those that aren't interested in doing so. Female fighters can grow into really badass fighters, but only if they want to. Many, for whatever reason, don't. They fight just long enough to try it out, and get to know people, then stick around for the community (and to watch the fighting-- I hear fighting is not an unpleasant thing for a girl to watch). They don't want to waste time trying to help you be something you don't actually want to be.

The third is that what they can teach you at this time is limited. You need to get some basics down, so they can build on them, for the more advanced stuff. And most of the basics aren't things that can be taught- they are things like knowing where your body is in space, and being comfortable dying, and being hit. Those basics are all taught as efficiently(or more) through sparring inexperienced people, as through sparring them, and so while they'd love to help with those things, it'd probably just frustrate you and them, and they'd rather work on improving themselves.

People that haven't approached you:

They tend to be off over there, fighting with sword and board.

Some of them are experienced fighters that just aren't good with new people. They tend to be more grim people, and belong to villain themed units, like the sith, or orcs. They are decent people, they just aren't very tolerant of the inherent incompetence that comes with being new, getting in the way when they are trying to fight/win. You'll gain skill with time, and you'll end up being able to get along just fine- just give them room until then.

Some of them are friendly enough, but are more interested in fighting other people of about their skill level than in training someone new. Part of this may be because they can't train. They may be good enough fighters, but they aren't good at articulating what's going on. They know this, and aren't interested in trying. You can fight against them if you'd like, but keep in mind that fights of unequal skill level are often boring, for both parties(though any fight is better than no fight). There are no formal ranks in Dag, but just like in other martial arts, there are definite skill levels- and you may be fighting the equivalent of a black belt. Afterwards it's ok to ask them what you can improve, but don't be surprised if they have a vague answer- it's because they aren't the articulate type. 

One of the coolest things a new person can do to engage someone of higher skill level, is to not be awkward about fighting with uneven odds- don't be ashamed if they use fewer/different weapons than you(or propose two on one). They don't mind unequal odds, and actually really enjoy fighting with unequal odds- also, don't be surprised if they win(or not). You are doing them a service by going sword and board against their single sword. Try to learn something from the battle.

It's kind of a dance to propose without awkwardness- the smoothest way I've seen is to grab a buddy, and then go over to the vet and ask if they'll help you practice/show you how to fight when there are two against one. Most will willingly fall for it, hook line and sinker.

Good Luck,
Hope you enjoy the cool new people you'll meet!

Finger Update

My finger that got crushed by a red, still hasn't healed all the way- it's no longer swollen, and while it has full range of motion, now has a curious divot, which when pressed, feels like a lump. A divot that is a lump? Sounds like a "What's the sound of one hand clapping?" riddle, but it's true. That divot/lump still hurts when pressed- hence it's not healed all the way. We'll see how it goes.

The name of things- Pell Postwork

So, the problem I ran into with naming your own shots, is what to call them? I should have come up with a standard list, in the prework. Maybe next time.

Instead, I spent my time working through the places you can bend, thinking you could name based on what muscles you are moving, where. Problem is you bend in a lot of places, and it's not feasible to think about them all during fighting, when planning.

Practicing is another matter, and you probably should. So let's try to extract what we should be thinking about when practicing.

Here a couple of references here, though there is nothing that seems complete:
nasa, making sure astronauts reach controls
Some random sports coach

Nasa isn't directly interested in fighting type movements, but is more accurate than the sports coach, who's diagrams aren't as good. Let's condense-

The legs areas are going to be clumped- there is a lot going on down there, and I'm not interested in dissecting it all ATM- I'm actually happy with my footwork(regardless of if I should be or not). So some broad motions you can do are:

Stepping forward or not- this should be a function of ranging. Shouldn't be in the shot itself, most of the time. (Exceptions I can think of- stabs, with stab impacting before the foot lands for power, sequences for changing ranges/initiate grappling, spins). It also generates power.

Pushing up/out off the ground, without stepping- conceivably part of power generation, though I'm not certain where it'd be used.(possibly close quarters, lunges?) I'm pretty sure I'll instinctively do this if necessary.

Spine twist- Looking at the sports coach diagram, this is what people call Torso/hips twist- 

that everyone talks about using these for 'power'. It's very necessary, and very fast. An actual hip twist would either screw with your balance/standing or be part of a step.

Shoulder ab/abduction and flexion/extension together form that wonderful punching motions that's pretty much required for all shots. Not having these muscles activating in a shot would be very weird.
ab/abduction seems mostly aiming, flexion/extension mostly speed there and back.

Next we have shoulder rotation! This is also awesome stuff. It's the shoulder muscles doing the moving, but it rotates your arm, (and therefore moves your elbow, like in these videos-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy92-ooPwkk). As the video points out, great for getting around things!

Elbow and flexion/extension. The final powerhouse for a shot. Actually all that's all a lie. Any movement can be used for either targeting or speed/power(or both). I'm thinking in terms of a straight jab. I'll have to do another post, re-categorizing things. I don't have enough in me tonight though. Maybe next practice

Elbow supination/pronation- this rotates the wrist. It's what does the flip-over necessary for  wraps.

Wrist flexion/extension is mostly used to grip the sword. Don't have to worry about that too much.
Ulnar bend and radial bend(nasa) or ab/abduction(sports coach) is more relevant. It's a potential source of speed(through torque rather than lateral motion), but is fairly weak, and prone to injury. You can't do this well with rigid grips like modified saber or rouge's grip, unless you have Elbow supination/pronation, which is why they include some by default. Even then, it limits you some. I actually use Musashi's grip, which doesn't have that problem.

So this is good, even if I didn't make my naming objective. Things I've learned- most of the time, when we see something move, it's because something further up the chain moves. Rotating the location of the elbow, isn't in the elbow. It's good to be actively thinking about these things again. It's also uncovered my flexion/extension bias, which I should remedy.

You can go with the standard: low/high, sword side/cross, jab/swing/wrap.

The name of things-Pell Prework

Let's talk about what I'm interested in learning.

So, last practice while blocking, I got hit hard with a red, on the last digit of my pinky. Normally not a problem, (though I do try not to punch block), however, the entire red hit just that digit, and I was using a vendor sword with a wooden grip. My finger swelled up like a grape- it's still tender, 4 days later, still a bit swollen, but not quite as big.

Of course I immediately sat the rest of the practice out, and splinted it against it's neighbor in case it was broken(We weren't sure, it was that bad). There are fighters that push through injuries, and there are fighters that last. I'd rather be the latter- means I'll get to fight more.

Sitting through practice, watching, was hard on me. Partly because I'm a battle junky- there are people that go to that practice to socialize, and spend more time doing that than fighting. Some even come and don't fight at all. I'm not one of them. I have a hard time socializing at all. I'm not more awkward than the average, and I think the people are good people- I just like to fight too much. So I did some of that.

The second reason why it was hard, was that it put me smack up one of the problems I need to get through to get at the next level. One of the ones I'm bad at. And that is, associating words with shots.

Now, the reason you want to do so, is so that you can do high level planning, instead of relying on instinct, that way you can f mess with the opponent's instincts. It also helps with analyzing what's happened, so that you can fix things.

However, I'm quite bad at it. Mostly I've gotten along alright to this level, because you don't have to preplan. You don't have to name something to be able to block it. You just have to know how to block, and a direction. Also, there is actually a whole lot to learn, and a whole lot of skill that can be gained that doesn't require thinking about what the opponent is doing.

Now there seems to be two parts to the puzzle- knowing your shots, and knowing his. Obviously with pell work, I'm going to be concentrating on labeling my shots, not his. It seems like the simpler problem, after all. We'll see how it goes

Hello world

Hello world!

I figure I should start off by laying out why I'm starting this blog, what I hope to get out of it, and the time commitments I'm willing to make to it. It'd also be nice if I put down a little bit about me.

I'll start with me.

First off, experience-
I've been fighting since mid 2011, which as I write this, means 3 years. The first 6 months were heavy- 3 practices per week, with up to 30 people on the field, since I was in college. Then I graduated, and moved- after that I've been only able to practice at a sorry rate of about once every two weeks. In that time, I resisted going to events- I've only been to one big event- Battle for the Ring, this last year. I did fence for about a year before that.

Second, skill-
At battle for the ring, I ranked as a solid roadblock in the ditch- there were less than 5% of the people there, that were better than me.  However, that 5% is a tier of fighters I clearly can't touch (without backup). They seem to be mostly from the mysterious land of the east, known as the midwest.

I also did quite well in the group battles there. Oh heck, I'll just say it- I won the second regional battle in the name of Norcalia(Norcalia won the first as well, but that was in no way my doing). The second one definitely was-  In addition to being the last survivor, most of norcal had no idea we still had bodies on the field when I won. I'll write it up in another post sometime.

Finally relative to local opponents-
There are about 2 fighters in the tier above me- One of them is actually not that far above me, (maybe 25% kill rate) is from the midwest. Not sure how long he's been fighting. More than me, for sure. The other one has  ~ 17 years experience with Amtguard(Approximately 10% kill rate).

There are about 6 in the area at about the same tier as me. At any given practice there will be about 2 of them. Kill rate 35-60%, depending on person/day/weapon combo.

Oh yeah, my fighting name is Princess Socrates. Probably should include that too.

So why am I starting this/ what do I want to get out of this?
First I'm interested in using this a training journal. To fix in my mind by recording a head of time, what I hope to work on, and afterwards to record observations about what I learned.

Second, I have some observations about fighting that I'd like to firm up. Half formed ideas that I'd like to record. That way I can both get them out of my head, so they stop teasing me, and so that I can look long and hard at them and see if they have any merit, because some of them are not 'accepted knowledge'.

Third, and the reason I'm starting this blog is that I know that the jump to the next tier is a conceptual leap- it shifts from getting the physics right to getting the right physics. It turns from being a reflexes game to being a chess game. Which quite frankly right now I suck at (as I should- not my tier). I'm interested in using this space to record observations, and progress, in an effort to work out some of the underlying components of the chess game.

Why a blog? Meh. I figure why not? It's a convenient stash- and it's almost more convenient to publish than it is to not publish. Also, sharing information only grows the sport. I figure that a set of blog posts like this is something that I personally would love to pour over. If you know of anyone else chronicling their fighting journey,  I'd love to read it.

Now on to time commitments-
I'm committing to write before and after I practice or work on my swords.

Why I want to keep the time commitment-
If I don't have time to write, I'm not learning anything I'm just exercising. It's fundamentally a waste if I don't. Now, I won't always have time for fighting. That's ok. Just if I make time for one, I should do it right, and do the surrounding 'homework'.

I need this to get to the next level, in any time-frame that's acceptable. While it's possible that I may just end up there if I just go to practice and drift,
(a) It would take being surrounded by more and better fighters .
(b) It will eat up more of my life than it would otherwise require. I'm pretty sure this will actually net save me time (which I may or may not invest in achieving greater skill levels overall).
(c) It's possible that I would age out before ever making it there.
This will help provide a disciplined approach(though I'll never have to personally be disciplined/responsible if I don't wanna) that a chess game requires to do it justice.
This is my way of honoring the game.

What I'll do to help myself keep the time commitment-
I won't let myself burst all of my energy out. Rather than write everything I can think of down today, I'll limit myself. Keep ideas unwritten, not because of time, but so that I pace out the rewards, that way I don't satiate on them. My limits will be, one before, one after. The sandwich in between could be a construction session, a formal practice, or 'pell' work. Pell is in quotes, because it'll probably be a fencepost.

Second, I'll try to do the after practice writeup 'after practice'. Which means that unless I'm with a cute girl, I should be doing them as soon as I get home, same day.

Hope to see you around