Prefect and visiting instructor: Oscar
Instructors: Douglas and Ben
Attendees: Cooper, Kieran, Jake, Alan
Observers: George and Theresa
Recorded by Cooper
Warm-up:
Medicine ball throwing with 10 pound ball
Paired sit ups with 8 pound medicine ball x35 close, x35 at distance, x35 at double distance.
x50 squats
x50 pushups
Class:
This was a 4 hour class class led by Douglas and Ben covering the basics of abrazare, daga and spada. Oscar observed, helped us polish those bits that needed polishing, revise those bits that needed it, and showed us where we were just plain off base.
We began class with abrazare. We worked the the remedy master of abrazare. Oscar stepped in and pointed out that the text shows the remedy master applied just above the elbow, as opposed to the just below the shoulder (where we have been performing it). By using the bones on either side of the elbow as a guide, and the soft tissue just above, the remedy master lets a smaller opponent influence a larger. We worked with watching for the shoulder to rotate to see that the lock was complete. We also worked with how to deal with a gambeson, beginning the action by physically grabbing the gambeson at the elbow to begin the turn of the arm. Oscar talked about how the first scholar of the remedy master is truly vicious (if done to completion it breaks the elbow and dislocates the shoulder), and how it is often an artifact of training to do it higher up on the arm to protect our training partners. We worked the first play a little. Working with compass stepping around with the right foot to really apply the lock. We talked some about how the image in the book is not necessarily a snapshot, but an compilation of the critical points in the play. After working both sides we moved on to daga work.
We began with the first remedy master of daga. We worked the remedy master for a while before moving on to a play. Oscar made the point that most everybody does the first remedy master of daga as a palm strike, thus raising the possibility of blowing out the patient’s thumb if he is clumsy. We instead we worked with blocking with the edge of the hand (as you would cut into him with a sword edge), and then turning the hand to grab. We worked the first remedy master mostly with stepping into stuff the action, instead of really voiding to the right. Once we had the block down we moved onto the play of the first remedy master of daga (the circular disarm). After making the block, we grabbed the wrist, brought the agent’s hand to our hip (or along our waist in a circle) to create a disarm (either taking the dagger away or having it fly away). We focused on following up the action with the stolen dagger or with the hammer fist. And par Ben’s note we have been working with returning daggers point first. By the end of the drills people were getting both hands and a good level of speed.
We moved on to the second remedy master of dagger. Again we worked the block for a while before moving onto plays. Notes that Oscar brought up included the second remedy master of dagger is done with the lower forearms crossed, not the wrists. There is still a need to void (to either side) a little with this remedy, as coming straight up the middle to stuff the attack can get you stabbed in the face (or so I have heard). We worked the worked the first scholar of the second remedy master (the figure four ligadua soprana). We worked with shifting the arm away from the body, and stepping through with the right foot to dump the agent.
For the third remedy master of daga, we again spoke about using the knife hand to block instead of using the palm of the hand. After drilling the block for a while we worked the second scholar of the third remedy master (the arm bar). Refrenceing what we talked about with the remedy master of abrazare Oscar showed the elbow manipulation. As we have been experiencing in class lately, the point came up about not over rotating the agent’s wrist as it turns his elbow away from you and sets up a bent arm bar. We ran through a drill that touched on the real need to make the final position of the arm bar a good porta di ferro, with hands at relatively the same height. We had the patient set up the agent in am arm bar, and then had the agent try to squat press out of it to make sure the patient had real control. Keeping the hands level was key, as was bringing the right hand (controlling the wrist) a little higher than the left (controlling the elbow), as you want his arm angled down and not up.
Next we worked the first three plays of the novice longsword curriculum starting with the first (void and counter cut). Oscar watched us work the first play (both left and right handed) and then presented us with an interesting concept. The agent presented normally, while the patient stood in posta di donna la senestra. When the agent attacked with a fendente, the patient (following the core concept of the play: void offline and strike) voided to the left and cut fendente behind the agent’s sword (also known as the sneaky Canadian attack, Bernard mauled me with this at the 600). After playing with this for a while we switched sides, the agent attacking from posta di donna la senestra, and the patient reacting from posta di donna. We worked this play for a long time, making sure everyone was voiding well to each side, before starting at the top but working left handed.
For the the second play of the novice longsword curriculum (void and stop thrust) we worked (as it is written) from posta breve (as opposed to porta di ferro mezana as we normally do). Oscar really stressed how this attack can be used to sneak up under the agent’s vision. We focused on thrusts to the head, throat, or chest, as opposed to trying to thrust under the agent’s arms. Again we worked with voiding left, and against the fendente riverso from posta di donna la senestra.
We worked the third play (falso deflection and cut back down the line) as we normally do. Throughout all of this work Oscar was moving throughout the room offering pointers at everybody’s relative skill level (very helpful), and helping us tweak the techniques to get the most out of them. Oscar really stressed how the agent has to make each technique as clean and “real” as possible so the patient can react correctly.
Finally we set up three stations of unarmed, dagger, and sword and buckler and worked the first three plays of the novice curriculum though each of them. Instead of focusing on the exact movements of the plays, we instead looked at how the concepts of void and counter, void and stop thrust, and deflect and attack the same line could be applied to each scenario. While it was different with each pair, for Ben and myself it looked like this. Wrestling: void (perhaps putting up the left hand to block) and hammer fist. Void and strike from below or palm strike the face. And something that looked a lot like the third remedy master of dagger (using dente di zenghiar as opposed to posta longa) followed by something nasty.
Dagger: void and block the incoming shot (first remedy master of daga) followed by a fendente. Void and low thrust. A hook with the dagger while voiding to the left, followed by something nasty.
Sword and buckler: void (while keeping the buckler up to protect yourself) and fendente. Void and stop thrust. And something that looked a lot like a universal perry followed by an attack back down the same line. The sword and buckler presented an interesting variance as we were forced to attack around the buckler.
Overall a great class that really let us reground. If anybody has notes, thoughts, or stuff that I missed please post it.