Well I definitely don't suck
Played for 7 hours straight on Sunday at the rapier practice in Guelph. Nobody touched me more than three in ten, and only two people were close to that. Somebody loaned me a passable main gauche but that was just ridiculous so I put it down.
Almost five years without crossing blades and I think I'm actually a little better overall. My bladework is still a little rusty but tactically and strategically I'm doing very well. My footwork feels great -- I can still fade from the fastest lunge without effort. And my non-linear game continues to improve.
All the theatre improv and contact dancing I've done in the past few years has clearly informed my martial arts. Which I kind of suspected but it's nice to have proof. It's easy to find that still spot where I just act in the moment. I did tend to get sucked into inappropriate aggressive responses but I could really feel the shift in mind-set. Eventually I will stop falling for that trap.
And my knee is doing great, despite repeated lunging and lots of footwork drill and the occasional passata sotto (one lady with a bad knee actually gasped when I did that). I was a bit stiff Monday and Tuesday but nothing like what I expected. Did a lot of pulsed EMF at high power, which helped.
Just finished the first draft of a weight loss script today for a writing contract I picked up on Craigslist. Good solid information piece with a heavy sell. Funny as I could make it. Can't remember when I had that much fun writing for money. Well, serious money -- I made a few bucks writing "Sock to Me" for Asphalt Jungle Shorts, which was clearly a labour of love.
~r
Almost five years without crossing blades and I think I'm actually a little better overall. My bladework is still a little rusty but tactically and strategically I'm doing very well. My footwork feels great -- I can still fade from the fastest lunge without effort. And my non-linear game continues to improve.
All the theatre improv and contact dancing I've done in the past few years has clearly informed my martial arts. Which I kind of suspected but it's nice to have proof. It's easy to find that still spot where I just act in the moment. I did tend to get sucked into inappropriate aggressive responses but I could really feel the shift in mind-set. Eventually I will stop falling for that trap.
And my knee is doing great, despite repeated lunging and lots of footwork drill and the occasional passata sotto (one lady with a bad knee actually gasped when I did that). I was a bit stiff Monday and Tuesday but nothing like what I expected. Did a lot of pulsed EMF at high power, which helped.
Just finished the first draft of a weight loss script today for a writing contract I picked up on Craigslist. Good solid information piece with a heavy sell. Funny as I could make it. Can't remember when I had that much fun writing for money. Well, serious money -- I made a few bucks writing "Sock to Me" for Asphalt Jungle Shorts, which was clearly a labour of love.
~r