Teaching Fighting
Friday night, packed and went to Margi’s to stay overnight before going to Stickjox (pdf). Ro/Vandel was also staying there and the Steward, Bad Adam, was visiting when I arrived.
Stayed up late talking, slept in. (Margi made me removed the [not worksafe] wallpaper I had put on her -- work -- laptop on the grounds that it wasn't worksafe: replaced it with the picture of Carl she chose.) After a bit of false turns and missing turn-offs, made it to the Clifford Park Scout camp. Ro/Vandel did his spear/glave/pole-weapon collegium, which was well-attended and lots of fun. Gwynfor and I both put in our two cents (I added to Gwynfor’s demonstration about attacking a poe-weapon with sword-and-shield pointing out it worked even better if started with sword-foot forward). Then potluck lunch feast, which I felt a bit bad about because I hadn’t read the flyer and didn’t realise it was happening, so hadn’t brought anything. Oodles of food.
After lunch, I did my asymmetric fighting collegium for about 15 people. Was fun and I seemed to hold their attention. Used Dafydd as my ‘right-hander’. Gwynfor also contributed.
Gwynfor and Everard then did a collegium on armouring. They made it seem a lot less scary (Gwynfor estimated you could make yourself a suit of armour for about $80 or so). I left as I was beginning to wilt. Had a snooze, missed the training tourney.
Feast was good. Stayed up latish drinking and chatting. Ro/Vandel and dancinggoblin led the singing of the No Holds Bard’s particularly filthy filk. Went to bed and slept mostly pretty badly.
Next day, I didn’t have any mesh for my helm (it was in my own car away at the repairer’s) and it was hot and muggy, so didn’t feel up to armouring up and fighting in the war scenarios. Lots more talking, some drinking. Lunch was Waldo’s sausages, so particularly good. Then home.
The basic notions for my asymmetric fighting collegium are set out below. (Includes adjustment edits as a result of comments.)
Asymmetric fighting
This is [a session] about teaching right-handers to fight lefties and lefties to fight right-handers.
In SCA heavy combat, the most common form is sword and shield (sword-and-board). As most people are right-handed, usually sword and shield are symmetrically opposed. That is, each sword-hand starts directly opposite their opponent’s shield.
This is not the case if a left-hander fights a right-hander. In that case, sword-hand is opposite sword-hand and shield is opposite shield.
Prevalence
Studies suggest that 15-18% of humans are left-handed, a pattern which persists across time and cultures, though the most quoted figure is that 10% of the population is left-handed, with more males than females beings left-handed. Handedness appears to develop in the womb. There is evidence that human populations which are persistently violent select for left-handedness. There is also evidence of a link between lefthandedness and homosexuality. (Good general sets of links are here and here.)
In Lochac’s 48 reigns (5 viceregal reigns, 35 princely reigns, 8 royal reigns) 26* persons have held the throne of Lochac by right of arms. 3 out of 26 persons who have been Viceroy, Prince or King are left-handed:
Baron Sir James the Sinister, Viscount Sir Corin Anderson, Viscount Sir Gui von Oberhausen.
Of the 49 listed Companions of the Order of Chivalry of Lochac, 10 are lefthanded:
Sir Brennan Halfhand, Sir Corin Anderson, Sir Gui von Oberhausen, Sir Hugh the Little, Sir James the Sinister, Sir Jock Mactavish, Sir Loyola Juan Sanchez Mendoza, Sir Philipe du Lac, Sir Sebastian of Ventbarre, Sir Sebastian von dem Schwartzwald.
So, at 12% of Lochac’s Royalty-by-right-of-arms and 18% of the listed Companions of Chivalry, left-handedness among fighters appears to be within the expected range.
Asymmetric fighting is the same for both left-handers and right-handers. The only advantage lefthanders have is an experiential one - they fight right-handers a lot more often than most right-handers fight left-handers.
Stance
Since the combat is asymmetric, stand with rear foot back so a line between sword-side foot and shield-side foot would point straight at enemy in a more “straight on” "flat" "side on" stance so shield blocks opponent’s weapon more effectively. (Put sword-foot forward when facing two-handers.)
When facing off against an opponent, point closer foot towards opponent. Feet parallel slow down shield blocks to legs (for some obscure reason).
(We are talking about beginning stance here - stance clearly changes during combat.)
Remember, at all times. If your knees are straight, you are doing it wrong. If your elbows are straight, you are doing it wrong.
You wrap a lot more
Sir Alaric, when he was king, commented to me during a tourney: Lorenzo, if you learned to wrap, you would be dangerous instead of merely difficult.
I do not practice snaps in my pell work. Snap shots get easily blocked by opponent’s shield. Wrap shots are more likely to get around shield.
Faster person loses arm
There a lot of simultaneous blows in asymmetric combat, because both fighters frequently expose themselves simultaneously. Which means the faster fighter tends to lose their arm (the slower one, their body). Good arm protection is important.
Points of death
Exercise: Get someone to place sword and shield in guard. (They don’t move)
Stand at two 45-degree points. Ask the question: What can I hit of them? What can they hit of me?
The area diagonally to your onside is your onside ‘box of death’. The area diagonally to your offside is your offside ‘box of death’. If you control either of them, you control the fight.
If you move into the onside “box” and plant your shield so your opponent’s shield perpendicularly bisects yours, you can hit your opponent almost anywhere and your opponent can hit you almost nowhere.
If you move into the offside “box” and plant your shield so your opponent’s shield perpendicularly bisects yours (and especially if you hook your opponent’s shield with yours), again you can hit your opponent almost anywhere and your opponent can hit you almost nowhere.
So asymmetric fighting tends to have more manoeuvre. It also tends to be a bit harder on short weapons (mace, axe) as bit of a “reaching” game.
Strongly recommend always move when doing pell work.
Shield interaction
Because shield start directly opposite each other on the “same” side, much more possiblities for shield presses and hooks.
So, what to do about shield-pressing?
What are three points of defence?
1. Not be there.
2. Block with shield.
3. Block with weapon.
Why is each better than the one after it?
Each progressively narrows your options.
Will moving your shield work?
Not properly - that’s why it is being pressed.
So, can you get your weapon across?
So, if you are being shield pressed, move away.
Disadvantage of shield pressing is?
Not using your shield as well for defence. So shield presses have to be very definite moves, cannot be half-hearted about it.
Practice techniques
Which takes more attention, attack or defence?
Defence, so you want your attack to be as automatic as possible.
Point of pell work is to:
get power
make attack automatic.
So look at one spot on pell as do your routine (NOT what you are hitting), hold shield, move around the pell. I recommend a variation of the of Duke Sir Jade pell technique which includes a slot shot in each of the six loops (but not as a seventh loop).
Can’t really practice defence on own. The point of slow work is to:
practice interaction.
Which includes interactions with heads - so ideally wear helmet. Otherwise, one get out of the habit of doing head shots, and defending against them. Yet head shots are the most common kill shots.
*Only 3 of whom did not become knights. 9 have had 31 reigns between them, 17 have had single reigns.
Stayed up late talking, slept in. (Margi made me removed the [not worksafe] wallpaper I had put on her -- work -- laptop on the grounds that it wasn't worksafe: replaced it with the picture of Carl she chose.) After a bit of false turns and missing turn-offs, made it to the Clifford Park Scout camp. Ro/Vandel did his spear/glave/pole-weapon collegium, which was well-attended and lots of fun. Gwynfor and I both put in our two cents (I added to Gwynfor’s demonstration about attacking a poe-weapon with sword-and-shield pointing out it worked even better if started with sword-foot forward). Then potluck lunch feast, which I felt a bit bad about because I hadn’t read the flyer and didn’t realise it was happening, so hadn’t brought anything. Oodles of food.
After lunch, I did my asymmetric fighting collegium for about 15 people. Was fun and I seemed to hold their attention. Used Dafydd as my ‘right-hander’. Gwynfor also contributed.
Gwynfor and Everard then did a collegium on armouring. They made it seem a lot less scary (Gwynfor estimated you could make yourself a suit of armour for about $80 or so). I left as I was beginning to wilt. Had a snooze, missed the training tourney.
Feast was good. Stayed up latish drinking and chatting. Ro/Vandel and dancinggoblin led the singing of the No Holds Bard’s particularly filthy filk. Went to bed and slept mostly pretty badly.
Next day, I didn’t have any mesh for my helm (it was in my own car away at the repairer’s) and it was hot and muggy, so didn’t feel up to armouring up and fighting in the war scenarios. Lots more talking, some drinking. Lunch was Waldo’s sausages, so particularly good. Then home.
The basic notions for my asymmetric fighting collegium are set out below. (Includes adjustment edits as a result of comments.)
Asymmetric fighting
This is [a session] about teaching right-handers to fight lefties and lefties to fight right-handers.
In SCA heavy combat, the most common form is sword and shield (sword-and-board). As most people are right-handed, usually sword and shield are symmetrically opposed. That is, each sword-hand starts directly opposite their opponent’s shield.
This is not the case if a left-hander fights a right-hander. In that case, sword-hand is opposite sword-hand and shield is opposite shield.
Prevalence
Studies suggest that 15-18% of humans are left-handed, a pattern which persists across time and cultures, though the most quoted figure is that 10% of the population is left-handed, with more males than females beings left-handed. Handedness appears to develop in the womb. There is evidence that human populations which are persistently violent select for left-handedness. There is also evidence of a link between lefthandedness and homosexuality. (Good general sets of links are here and here.)
In Lochac’s 48 reigns (5 viceregal reigns, 35 princely reigns, 8 royal reigns) 26* persons have held the throne of Lochac by right of arms. 3 out of 26 persons who have been Viceroy, Prince or King are left-handed:
Baron Sir James the Sinister, Viscount Sir Corin Anderson, Viscount Sir Gui von Oberhausen.
Of the 49 listed Companions of the Order of Chivalry of Lochac, 10 are lefthanded:
Sir Brennan Halfhand, Sir Corin Anderson, Sir Gui von Oberhausen, Sir Hugh the Little, Sir James the Sinister, Sir Jock Mactavish, Sir Loyola Juan Sanchez Mendoza, Sir Philipe du Lac, Sir Sebastian of Ventbarre, Sir Sebastian von dem Schwartzwald.
So, at 12% of Lochac’s Royalty-by-right-of-arms and 18% of the listed Companions of Chivalry, left-handedness among fighters appears to be within the expected range.
Asymmetric fighting is the same for both left-handers and right-handers. The only advantage lefthanders have is an experiential one - they fight right-handers a lot more often than most right-handers fight left-handers.
Stance
Since the combat is asymmetric, stand with rear foot back so a line between sword-side foot and shield-side foot would point straight at enemy in a more “straight on” "flat" "side on" stance so shield blocks opponent’s weapon more effectively. (Put sword-foot forward when facing two-handers.)
When facing off against an opponent, point closer foot towards opponent. Feet parallel slow down shield blocks to legs (for some obscure reason).
(We are talking about beginning stance here - stance clearly changes during combat.)
Remember, at all times. If your knees are straight, you are doing it wrong. If your elbows are straight, you are doing it wrong.
You wrap a lot more
Sir Alaric, when he was king, commented to me during a tourney: Lorenzo, if you learned to wrap, you would be dangerous instead of merely difficult.
I do not practice snaps in my pell work. Snap shots get easily blocked by opponent’s shield. Wrap shots are more likely to get around shield.
Faster person loses arm
There a lot of simultaneous blows in asymmetric combat, because both fighters frequently expose themselves simultaneously. Which means the faster fighter tends to lose their arm (the slower one, their body). Good arm protection is important.
Points of death
Exercise: Get someone to place sword and shield in guard. (They don’t move)
Stand at two 45-degree points. Ask the question: What can I hit of them? What can they hit of me?
The area diagonally to your onside is your onside ‘box of death’. The area diagonally to your offside is your offside ‘box of death’. If you control either of them, you control the fight.
If you move into the onside “box” and plant your shield so your opponent’s shield perpendicularly bisects yours, you can hit your opponent almost anywhere and your opponent can hit you almost nowhere.
If you move into the offside “box” and plant your shield so your opponent’s shield perpendicularly bisects yours (and especially if you hook your opponent’s shield with yours), again you can hit your opponent almost anywhere and your opponent can hit you almost nowhere.
So asymmetric fighting tends to have more manoeuvre. It also tends to be a bit harder on short weapons (mace, axe) as bit of a “reaching” game.
Strongly recommend always move when doing pell work.
Shield interaction
Because shield start directly opposite each other on the “same” side, much more possiblities for shield presses and hooks.
So, what to do about shield-pressing?
What are three points of defence?
1. Not be there.
2. Block with shield.
3. Block with weapon.
Why is each better than the one after it?
Each progressively narrows your options.
Will moving your shield work?
Not properly - that’s why it is being pressed.
So, can you get your weapon across?
So, if you are being shield pressed, move away.
Disadvantage of shield pressing is?
Not using your shield as well for defence. So shield presses have to be very definite moves, cannot be half-hearted about it.
Practice techniques
Which takes more attention, attack or defence?
Defence, so you want your attack to be as automatic as possible.
Point of pell work is to:
get power
make attack automatic.
So look at one spot on pell as do your routine (NOT what you are hitting), hold shield, move around the pell. I recommend a variation of the of Duke Sir Jade pell technique which includes a slot shot in each of the six loops (but not as a seventh loop).
Can’t really practice defence on own. The point of slow work is to:
practice interaction.
Which includes interactions with heads - so ideally wear helmet. Otherwise, one get out of the habit of doing head shots, and defending against them. Yet head shots are the most common kill shots.
*Only 3 of whom did not become knights. 9 have had 31 reigns between them, 17 have had single reigns.