The kill pocket is a way of keeping your opponents at a choke point and killing them as they try to advance into the open area. You are making a pocket for your enemies to go into where all of your fencers are around to be able to kill them as they enter, since they cannot enter all at once.
Points of safety
The main way to break a kill pocket is to flood it quickly, and push through. This means gauging shots is super important, as well as gauging shots. When you are killed and you have your full team pushing in behind you find the path of least resistance to get out and go rez (that may be going forward through your enemies).
- Your Opponent Isn’t a Shishkabob: They’ll be rushing and closing in fast. Do not skewer them.
- Be Mindful of Your Strikes: You’re in a very tight space with a lot of people. Know where your blade is going. Strikes are intentional.
- Choose the Safest Path of Death: When attacking a kill pocket, your dead body clogs up the maneuver. Shout dead and move away in the safest direction even if that means staying in place.
General Points
Kill pockets are best set up where a choke point opens up to a wide area. Establish your semi-circle around that choke point. Once there, you should establish the point of no return (where if an enemy steps on that point, or past, everyone in the kill pocket can kill them.
Make sure you are wisely placing your fencers in the kill pocket. Just like a line fight you want to space out your experienced fencers to keep the whole kill pocket strong. Also long swords are useful, maybe try having them be a half step back to keep their blades free to snipe the opponents.
- Setting Up a Kill Pocket: Form a semicircle around the choke point.
- Establish the Point of No Return: The point of no return is the area inside the semicircle where all members of the kill pocket can kill incoming opponents.
- Place Fighters Wisely: Align fighters with long swords and short swords according to the terrain.
- Kill Pocket vs Wall of Swords: A Wall of Swords is most effective in extremely tight spaces like at the end of a bridge or a corridor that you don’t want opponents to get through. A Kill Pocket is effective in more open corridors where you want to limit your opponent’s attacking force but allow them into an easily defended space. Something like a doorway or a trailhead in a forest.
- Breaking a Kill Pocket: Sacrifices must be made. Attack weak points of the kill pocket. Use the momentum of your team to punch a gap in their line and break through.
- Defending a Kill Pocket: Let them come to you. Wreckless cowboys ruin the point of a kill pocket.
Training Ideas
Walk around some parts of woodland and discuss where a kill pocket can be effectively used. How would you set it up for the largest benefit. How do you place fencers where in the kill pocket? Practice it, and try different things.
- Terrain Management: Familiarize yourself with locations where kill pockets are effective. Brainstorm how you’d set up using the terrain and when.
- Defend a Kill Pocket: Set up a kill pocket and practice defending it.
- Break a Kill Pocket: Repeatedly attack a kill pocket until you can break it. Emphasize momentum and wise sacrifices.
Assessment
- Kill Pocket Safety: Fencers should be safely gauging, and breaking shots.
- Kill Pocket Basics: Know when they can/should be used. Know how to set up the kill pocket. Know how to fight as a group in the kill pocket.
- Kill Pocket Training: Like most of fencing, the best way to train it, is to do it and to try different things.
