grauwulf | Dec. 14th, 2009

Dec. 14th, 2009

my sca fencing blog is moving to LJ. Fencing posts will be public and tagged, and will continue to be embedded into http://fencing.houseblueheron.com

I don't post to it all of the time, but if you want to block them they will be on my FencingBlog list and tag.

ciao,

So I had lots. and lots. of really useless posts in my sca fencing blog that I've decided not to migrate over here. Some were worth keeping around for one reason or another and here they are for your reading pleasure.

( Selected Blogs Back-up '04-'07 )

Preparing a Heavy Rapier Tip
Monday, July 30, 2007, 12:10 AM Fencing Talk
So I was thinking about it and I realized that although we tell everybody that they need to have a properly constructed tip on their heavy rapiers nobody has ever really spelled out exactly what that is (at least not to my knowledge) so this may grow into a full page how to but for now here is the skinny.

start with a standard archery bird blunt. these can be found at hunting supply stores for about a dollar +/- a piece and usually come in packs of five or ten.

next you're going to need the metal disc to prevent blow through. galvanized steel flat washers are my weapon of choice. you're looking for something that will snugly fit into the bird blunt so size is an issue. as a basic guide you're looking for a washer with about a 5/16" external diameter and the smallest internal diameter possible. I use a #6 metric washer which is available from most home improvement stores at about $2 for a hundred.

Now use a screwdriver or whatever else you have handy to push the washer to the bottom. A large Phillips head seems to work the best for me. Now here is the really really REALLY important part. MAKE SURE IT IS ALL THE WAY DOWN AND _FLAT_FLAT_FLAT_

Okay got that? now to finish it off I recommend using a first wrap of strapping tape to affix the tip then a good heavy layer of colored electrical or some other durable colored tape. Be sure to tape from the edge of the face of the tip (don't cover the face) to at least two inches below the tip onto the blade. give is a few layers to assure your self that it is well in place.

Thats it, see told you there was nothing to it.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007, 10:36 AM Fencing Talk
Well the fencing world has been kind of quiet for me these past few weeks. I've been getting back into the swing of school (bummer) and dealing with some really fun (sarcasm) mundane life issues. But I did want to leave you all with a little nugget that recently was gifted to me by the ether:
"Leadership is the reduction of uncertainty."

Have you been put in charge of a unit at Pennsic?
Are you MIC for an event?
Are you in a 'political' position which requires you to 'lead'?

be prepared, be informed, be ready, and when the time comes act with certainty and conviction. Even if you "don't" have the answer, have a way to get the answer.

F1: that draw cut was a pull, then, a push, so the draw doesn't count!
F2: yes it does you got cut, deal with it. Marshal resolve this issue!
M1: _____________________ ?

lets assume that you don't know what to do here. (obvious misuse of rules to gain a technical advantage, big no no.) Instead of saying "well I don't know, work it out for your selves." you should be firm and consice. "my ruleing is that you're being a dumb-head. the rules say treat the blade like a real blade. if it was would you be disenclined? after the fight today we'll sit down and review the rules together if you wish. you may refight the bout if you both wish to do so, with the understanding that 'tiggering' is bad, don't do it."

you don't have to always be right, but you do have to be confident and willing to seek out the answers.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009, 11:25 AM Fencing Talk

Keep It Simple
I keep talking to people, in particular people trying to "ramp up" for Pennsic, and hearing the most crazy notions of practice and drilling (which be honest, you don't really do). Knowing the difference between imbrocatta and sotcatta won't help you if you have a badly balanced stance, lame blade control or no parries. These are the simple things.

Practice your point control. Refine your range. Stand in an en guard stance every day. Pick up your sword everyday. Think about fencing. Think about the things you know how to do and try to work out the things that you don't.

The lunge is the most basic and most elusive skill that you can perfect.

Simplicity
Efficiency
Speed
Economy of Motion

Wednesday, July 29, 2009, 09:12 AM Fencing Talk

OK let's ignore that fact that the Rapier is not a melee weapon. At all. Not even a little bit.

Melee's are big confusing, loud, and if you're not used to it it can be a bit overwhelming. It's not terribly uncommon to get separated from your unit, get conflicting orders from two different runners, or (some times even worse) to receive orders so confusing and obscure that you have to run them through the Spidey-Decoder Ring to figure out that you need to be holding the left edge so a flanking unit can skirt you at high noon to sneakup on the enemy! ~this is Mel looking at you skeptically~

Here are some tips to help the rank and file get the most out of the melee experience.

Weapon Choice and use:
Leave the daggers out. Case and ridged parry are the weapons of choice. Why? That's a good question. Fact: melee fighting is different than tourney fighting. you will not be throwing deep lunges or planning deeply complicated actions & blade density is important. A killing cup works because there are a LOT of points all in one direction. So if you're fighting in the line you want the most points you can bring or an effective defensive item (shield) that your friends can use to get a good shot.

more points on the line = better odds for team success

you having better defense = you staying alive longer = better odds for team success

So what else do I need to know?
COMMUNICATION. If the next person in your team/line/unit can not hear you issue a command, they are too far away. If your unit can not decipher the commands they are given those commands are worse than useless, they are detrimental because they keep those fighters out of the fight (or in the wrong one) while they run the newest set of orders through the enigma machine. Keep it simple "Left Edge! Reinforce!" is far better than "Hey! they are coming in on the left and I can't hold them!" Short, Simple, Effective.

Don't be clever, be effective

If you're a grunt: LISTEN TO YOUR ORDERS
If you're in charge: ISSUE CLEAR ORDERS

go out and stab something!

Thursday, July 30, 2009, 10:41 AM Fencing Talk
Let's take a minute to talk about blade length.

In period it seemed that every fencing master had their own particular psydoscientifical formula for determining weapon length and construction. One of the prevailing notions, and the one I personally think makes "sense", is that when dualist and weapon are both perpendicular to the ground the weapon should come to the base of the sternum (solar plexus). This seems to be a pretty good ratio that actually "works". This is not to say that different lengths of blade are bad, not at all. This ratio is just a good indicator of what a nice all purpose weapon should be sized at for you. Weight is a completely different beast altogether and will be discussed after Pennsic in a follow up blog. I like a heavy pommel because I like to use short distribution angulation in my parries to maintain point aggression. Sometimes I need a "quicker" blade and so I keep a variety of pommel weights on hand everything from a ~1lb basic lock to a 3.5lbs block. On it's own that is a fair topic and we'll get back to it... promise :)

Ok, the previous paragraph is not secret knowledge that was passed down to me in the super-secret-white-scarf-meeting-caverns (oh noes, I've said too much). If you think about it, it's really just a good common sense.

I imagine that right now some of you are starting to think about those 40"+ blades you have lurking in your gear bags, or maybe you're thinking about my 28" katzbalger... "Hypocrite!" you name me, but not so fast! First let's break down what the blade length buys you (advantage) and where then we'll look at the basic size groups. As a disclaimer, these groupings are "my" groupings you will almost certainly run into others.

Right then, lets talk geometry for a minute. 9th grade math class taught us that the area of a sector at any given degree is proportional to the length of the radius. Another way to think about is that you fight in 360 degrees, right? And your opponent is also fighting in 360 degrees, right. the point at which these two circles touch is the sector of potential danger. As you move closer to each other the size of the sector increases as the radius decreases. Sector of overlap increases as the intersection of the opposing arcs increases. In simple terms, the closer you get to each other the shorter the functional radius(sword) length within a arc(places you can stab). By increasing the distance between the centers of the two circles you reduce/eliminate the intersection of those circles. when the distance between the two centers is greater than the combined length of the radius' then you are effectively out of target range. So increasing your circle's radius(sword length) gives you a greater arc length and thereby more available intersection(you're able to extend your range and you can cover more of the same opposing arc). So if you get close, a shorter blade is to your advantage and if you stay far back a longer blade is to your advantage. Got it? See, math is power!

Average (optimal) Weapons
These are the weapons we have been talking about already. This is, what I would consider to be, a must have. This is your all around use weapon. This is the one you should know and love. Not ~LOVE~ but really love. Got it? But Melchior! I don't like my 'optimal' length weapon. That's fair, but I would not exceed .05 +/- of the optimal length.
40" * (+.05/-.05) = 38-42"
So generally speaking, obviously depending on your personal tastes and abilities, you should be looking for a weapon that has a blade length of 38-42"

Short Weapons
I consider anything "short" that is less than or equal to 85% of the optimal blade length. So for the sake of discussion lets say that a generic weapon has a 40" blade.
40" x .85 = 34"
So, for somebody that would normally fight with a weapon that has a 40" blade: any weapon that is 34" or shorter would be considered "short".

Long Weapons
Technically speaking, I consider any blade to be "long" that exceeds .05 of the optimal length.
40" x .05 = 42"
Practically, it is prohibitively difficult to use a weapon that is more than .15 of the optimal length.
40" x .15 = 46"

This is getting a little more long winded than I originally wanted it to. Hopefully you now have a better understanding of the differences between "Long", "Short" & an ideal weapon length.

Thursday, August 6, 2009, 12:40 PM Fencing Talk
Pennsic was short but fun for me this year. I didn't do as well as I had hoped to but I didn't horribly disgrace myself either (no wins but I did go pretty deep into each list *sigh*shrug*).

Moving on.

I'll try to get a nice full post on recapping pennsic but I just want to quickly touch on one thing.

Attitude.

Attitude is everything. I had a fight the other day with a particular Cadet from Ansteorra who I was fighting; when I offered a suggestion on a manner in which she could close the opening I had been exploiting in her guard of case. She responded rather excitedly that "Oh I think I know what I'm doing, if I needed advice I'd have asked for it."
...
So I hit her in the mask on the next three passes. After that she rather, rather nicely too, if I could offer any ideas for improvement.

not a bad person, she just had a bad attitude

If this was a matter of "ego" she would not have been able to admit to herself that maybe yes she could use a few pointers. It was attitude. She approached our simple pickup fight as if lowly me (an Atlantian White Scarf) simply had nothing to offer her in the way of instruction. ... *sigh* Mels Rules of Fencing (see link to left)

#1 There is always something you can learn, from anybody.

Do not expect defeat, do no anticipate failure, and do not for one minute think that you are unbeatable. We are all constantly learning and to think that you are beyond that is to set yourself up for a world of disappointment. I have been taken to school by the newest of newbs, and I have executed with precision the best of the best. That is the way of life. Learn from both and move on.

I was knocked out of two consecutive tourneys by the same guy this Pennsic. Because I suck? No. I can hold my own just fine. Because I did something wrong? Maybe. Hind sight 20/20 and all that but in the end on those days on those lists, he was better, and having experienced those fights which he executed with such deft prowess I would like to think I am a little better too.

Come into the game with the right attitude and you won't need it adjusted.

So to sum up, relax. You took up this activity for fun. If that fun is found in winning 500 Tourneys, or if it is found in executing 1 single *perfect* lunge. Remember that attitude is everything.