Kane Driscol When I wrote about the Cardinal Virtues of Fencing a few weeks, I shared that I was excited to pursue them and what they meant to my fencing. I knew going in that things would get a little fuzzy and it would take some time before I gained a solid foothold in how they worked. … Read More
By my very nature, I like to collect and look out for frameworks. That’s just how I work. If you have a big messy subject and organize it in a way with pillars, categories, connections, and names that pull everything together in an interesting way, I’m in. I like models that optimize the structure of … Read More
This week at practice we’re going to be working on flanking maneuvers. Not just to review them, but to train and improve! Over the years we’ve had several different variations of flanking, but all have had the same purpose: break the enemy line. It’s bread and butter stuff for melees. We’re going to be exploring … Read More
A few different approaches finding where our confidence grows.
It’s easy to forget how interwoven fencing is and how our lessons play into one another.
With the new Training Program this year, a lot more responsibility has been given over to the students on what you want to learn and where you want to focus your training. That’s awesome and it offers so much flexibility and ownership! But it can be challenging to navigate the waters of your own progression … Read More
Enjoy this little diddy as you sit around the fire, staring at your presents, greedily hoping your parents or significant other ordered your fencing gear before next season. You know the present. That one over there behind the tree. That must be a helmet. Some gloves. Maybe even…a rapier! And if you like this one, … Read More
With steel prices going up and the group growing, it’s a good time to buy a sword and start getting your gear together. Once you have your kit, you won’t have to worry if the loaner gear will run out or if you’ll get to train with the same gear every week. You’ll just have … Read More
In my Big Orange Book, I wrote a chapter on Being an Underdog and how that mindset is so beneficial in fencing. Here’s my general stance. I believe one of the strongest positions a fencer can be in is as an underdog. It may seem counter-intuitive, but being an underdog can be incredibly advantageous because … Read More
I’ve been thinking a lot about learning lately. Reviewing the training program and working with Shay to study her style at a high level put my brain on high alert for ideas floating around related to learning. In this case, it was an idea of Exception Bias that come up in one of the RPG … Read More
When we talk about a Fencer’s Physicality instead of Mentality, we often think about the basic skills we are using. Blocks, Attacks, Footwork, etc… That’s all well and good, but I wanted to take a broader look this past week and focus on the building blocks of physicality itself. From there, as always, how could … Read More
I’ve always been a strong believer that you can learn about fencing anywhere. The things you learn at work, at home, at your grandma’s house, or walking down the street may be hiding exciting principles you can apply to your owning fighting or fencing philosophy. A case in point would be what I learned from … Read More
Two experiences this week prompted this train of thought and something that I wanted to share. The first was in Shay’s Thoughts for our upcoming practice (March 19, 2020) and the other was a video Sigmar posted to BAND. Here was Shay’s Thought: “We are going to work on intentional movement. There is so much … Read More
Break the barrier and start doing things on your own! Once you start experimenting and stop looking for someone to tell you what to do, the caliber of conversation that we can have changes dramatically.
Happy Holidays Terrasylvans! We hope you continue to enjoy your holiday season with loved ones and get everything you asked Santa for. But when the festivities end, that’s when you might start feeling the call back to Woodland and you look forward to the most wonderful time of the year!