If I had to sum up this week’s class in one word that word would be ‘drills.’ We went through two drills that we need to all do regularly, as in daily, to help us commit to muscle memory the different attacks and defenses that we learned the week before AND with that to improve and work on our footwork.
When you watch the Knights perform, carefully watch their movement and you’ll see that it’s a dance of steel and sweat. Feet and weapon move in tandem. What may seem like chaos, isn’t. They know how to read their opponent and respond in kind. The different basic ‘steps’ of that dance is what we’re working on right now.
In order for us to get as smooth and fluid as the Knights, we pages (as our rank currently is while in the Academy), are now learning the drill work needed to help us commit the movements of attacks, defenses, and the footwork to muscle memory. We need to be able to move without second guessing ourselves and know that when we make a move that it’s the move that we intend to make AND it looks good.
That’s one other thing that is being stressed too: We’re not learning how to fight so we can do PvP combat, but actors learning to fight and do a degree of stunt work so we can put on a good show. The Seattle Knights aren’t a Western Martial Arts (WMA) or Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) group. They’re a group of actors that do stage combat fighting and stunts to put on a show.
Despite doing some WMA/HEMA stuff in my past, I’ve realized that I prefer, instead, to have more fun playing a character than getting anal retentive about historic accuracy and technique in WMA/HEMA. I’d rather play a character that, while it might be inspired by history, is of my own creation and imagination. I think that’s because while I enjoy history, I also enjoyed the chance to enjoy a form of dress-up make-believe when I did Live-Action Role-Play (LARP) back in my college and just post-college days. This for me feels a lot more like LARP that has grown up.
The other thing to share is that like last week, I’m reminded of muscle groups that I don’t use near enough or use enough in the way I do in class. Just a bit sore and stiff today from a good, solid hour-and-a-half of sword and foot work yesterday. I told myself I wanted to get back into shape, and well … let’s just say that’s happening at a metaphorical sword point.
As with last week, I’d love to hear your question and thoughts weather left as a comment or sent to me via the contact form to the left. If you wish to ask a question, but remain anonymous then you can use the Ask Me Anything (AMA) question box to the right.
Next week’s post will be rather short as I’ll be out of town, however keep watch as I do plan to take any questions asked and answer them then.
Until later!