Fencing Practice: June 4, 2021

Practice in a Nutshell

Type of Practice: Dueling

Sweet, sweet dueling practice this week! All night our challenge is to do no bear pits! No bear pits! We are going to focus on different ways of learning and having fun.

Students, lessons at 6. Check out the lessons linked, and read them before you come.

Swordsmen, you have Open Workshop, and as per request, here is your challenge: for 20 minutes, specifically work on using your feet to beat your opponent. This can take many forms. It could look like fast maneuvering, circling, range, stepping in at angles, keeping that forward toe pointed at your opponent, retreating, or advancing better. Maybe studying a person whose footwork inspires you. Whatever it is, 20 minutes on using your feet to beat your opponent. Then if you’re interested, we would like your awesomeness to help Students to implement their lessons. (Read Shay’s Thoughts on Swordsmen Awesomeness.)

After lessons, we are going to run a dueling-focused practice with the goal of having no bear pits all night long. All of our games and activities will focus on the depth of dueling. We are going to take real-time with each other and work on deepening our well and honing specific skills. Get your thinking brains on, increase your endurance. It’s going to be a good challenge!

Lessons

Announcements

Fees

New month, please pay your fees. Especially if you haven’t renewed your Shire Membership. Thank you!

Stag Tourney & Bake Sale

It’s finally here! Gents get a favor and come compete Saturday, June 5, 2021, at 10 AM. Ladies dress up. All who will bring treats, please let Miren know if you’re bringing something. All, all, bring your cash for the bake sale. Let’s play!

Swordsman Planned Practice

Hey Swordsmen, our next Swordsmen led practice is coming up on June 18. If you are interested in being involved in that please contact Shay.

Masters School

June 19, 2021, 9-11 AM. Damian mentioned a few weeks ago the difference between a fencing company and a school of defense. A company’s main focus is working together as a team, predominantly on the melee field. We are the Company of the Order of the Rose. So naturally, much of our focus falls on melee and team skills. A school of defense focuses on individuals and improving their skills on a personal level. Master’s School has a very great potential to become the School of Defense for our Company. Come join us as we strive towards that goal. Thanks! We hope to see you there.

Shay’s Thoughts

Swordsmen need to feel awesome. I’ve been thinking about this all weekend. It’s hard to stay passionate about what you’re doing if you’re never allowed or encouraged to shine. Kane was highlighting this principle for me last time we talked. He used the example of how Swordsmen are being used as pincushions for students in the Student Assist portion of lessons.

We all need a good pincushion, every now and then, to really hone in on a skill. But our good-natured Swordsmen are pincushions 2 out of 3 practices. Consequently, they don’t get as many chances as they should to feel awesome. That leads to them not being interested in Student Assisting, which means students have less to practice and less enthusiasm and we are all getting more and more uninterested in this amazing hobby of ours.

So let’s change how we approach that. There are two needs that need to be met. Students need to practice with more experienced fencers and Swordsmen need to feel awesome. These can work together. Students what we need from you is an enthusiastic willingness to practice the skills you learn in your lessons. We want you to read them, work with your teacher, ask questions and try things. Then when Swordsmen join you, give them your very best. Listen to them, and ask more questions. Try to emulate their skills. Swordsmen, what we need from you is your awesomeness. When you come to assist don’t be a passive pincushion. Bring your passion, bring your amazing skill, fight your best in these assisting situations. That way you feel amazing and Students get to see what the skill they are learning really looks like. Obviously, it’s not a good idea to bowl over a newcomer, but when you’re fighting other Swordsmen give it your all. Be Awesome! Be you.

For example, this week Initiates are learning 2 on 1 Tactics. If we could bring Students and Swordsmen together for just 20 minutes and really push this with games, passion, and energy, we could have a bunch of Initiates who really get the skill, and can execute it. And Swordsmen, if you do your best, they will have fun, and improve themselves, all while you feel awesome! If you Swordsmen aren’t interested in 2 on 1, we also have Novices learning, Buckler, and Case. You can own your own journey and choose how you want to assist. So think, what of these skills are your favorite? What are you awesome at, and could help infuse a passion for in the next generation of Swordsmen? And maybe you suck at all of these. That’s ok too. Come show how a Swordsman learns. With the right Attitude, this could be so good for everyone.

So for Student Assist time lets stop treating the Swordsmen as pincushions. Instead lets tap into that Swordsmen Awesomeness. Let’s fall in love with our sport all over again. Thanks all, you’re amazing! Be SHASy!