Swordplay from the Ground: Wrist, Elbow & Shoulder Cuts Not only are there eight lines on which to cut, there are three places from which to cut, wrist, shoulder and elbow. For the Green Spur you are required to demonstrate all three types with the sword in one hand, and wrist and elbow cuts with…
It's the time of New Year's Resolutions, have you already set yours? Personally I don't set New Year's Resolutions. Not that I don't like the idea of resolving to do something. What I don't like about New Year's Resolutions is that they only come once per year. So many New Year's Resolutions are forgotten or…
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Day 4 was devoted to putting everything back on the floor. It looks beautiful, take a look: And again, but with stuff on it! And our lovely north-facing side And our mirrors with shields. Thanks on Day 4 go to John Manestar (In spirit, he was ill) Devon Boorman Matheus Olmedo Walker Lunsford Greg…
Day 3 was applying additional coats of the finishing compound. We aimed for as many as we could. Here's what the floor looked like after the first application. There are plenty of dry spots: this was a thirsty floor! Applying the final application. Quite a different look from the last photo! Watching "paint" dry. After…
Day two of the flooring was almost entirely sanding. We discovered on Day 1 some uneven sections of the floor where the finish wasn't removed. We needed this stuff gone so it was back to the drum sanders. First, here's the floor at the start of Day 2: To remove the finish without making things…
Over the holidays an intrepid group of volunteers took on the task of re-finishing our well-loved training floor. The floor was installed in late 2009 when we moved in (by another intrepid group of volunteers) so has lasted a good 3 years of almost daily use. With some sections being a little gouged and other…
Good Morning and Happy New Year! (sorry, was that too loud?) Since it is far too soon after last night's indulgences to be practising cutting in a safe and responsible manner, I'll eschew wrist, shoulder and elbow cuts for another week. Instead, sit back in a comfy chair with the hangover remedy of your…
Wondering what we're up to over the holiday? This: Yup that's right we're wrapping Academie Duello in celophane. This is part of a project to refinish the hardwood on our main training floor. Thank you to everyone who has helped contribute to this project financially at our Christmas fundraiser and by lending a hand. We'll…
Well, I can dream, can't I? card and image (c) K Landels 2012 Happy Yuletide, and may all your dreams come true!
Victim control. It is an essential element of stage combat, but often misunderstood, and more often performed badly. It means that when there is physical contact between two actors, the apparent victim is in charge. This principle applies to pushes, pulls, grabs, strangulation, hair pulls, and most falls and throws. Tyler Durdan Take a lesson…
Swordplay from the Ground: The Eight Cuts In the last three posts I've covered posture, movement and turns of the body, with or without a sword in hand. Now we'll turn our attention to the sword and look at cutting and thrusting in the next few posts, beginning with the eight cutting lines. Terminology…
Swordplay from the Ground: Turns of the Body Last week's post on the Mounted Combat Green Spur Curriculum covered moving forward, back and side to side. This week we're adding turns to menu. Demonstrate the three turns of the body. 'Volta' is the Italian word for 'turn'. (Dressage riders will recognize it from 'volte', which…
Swordplay from the Ground: Movement Last week I covered the essentials of a balance and martial stance. Now we need to add mobility, without losing the effectiveness of that grounded posture, for the second item in the mounted combat checklist: Demonstrate methods of movement The movements we are looking for are: 1. Advance: take a…
Last week I gave an overview of the Mounted Combat portion of the Green Spur program, which includes Swordplay from the Ground, Swordplay Knowledge and Mounted Swordplay Knowledge. For the next little while we'll look at each of those checklist items in a bit more detail, starting with Swordplay from the Ground: Stance and Posture…
Like the Mastery program, we have five ranks within the Cavaliere program, denoted by Spurs: Green, Blue, Red, Silver and Gold. To acquire each rank you need to be a triple threat, demonstrating your skill in Horsemanship, Riding and Mounted Combat. Now that we’ve covered all the things you need to know and be able…
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Self defence with a walking stick and its associated skills might seem like a strange choice. Convincing new students to join is sometimes difficult, but my personal story is as good as any sales pitch. So why do I practice and teach the Fighting Style of Sherlock Holmes? Practical First and foremost, I like that…
Or rather, safety with numbers, is this week's topic. In other words, how do you 14. Identify and maintain safe distance in group while riding and halted It's not enough to simply maintain the pace and direction of your own mount in relation to the fixed objects in the ring; you also need to be…
Last week I talked about freeing the sword hand by using the reins in one hand. This week we'll deal with what to do with that free hand as we 12. Safely carry and move a long object (dressage or buggy whip, flag, sword etc) at the walk and trot The purpose of this part…