Like Sir Menken I have read your three posts with interest. I plan to take away your tools and use them to my own ends. Some of these have I have used before but they have grown dusty.
I do want to add my own two cents worth. Each SCA fight should be approached as a fight unto its self. How you did in the previous fight or the upcoming fights have no bearing on what is before you now. (That is not to say one does not learn from prior experience). That can be further broken down to each pass in a fight is independent of prior or future passes. The analogy to this, given to me by my squire brother hereward is that of golf. Each hole and each stroke is independent of before and after even if the prior stroke set up the current stroke. That approach I have found is very useful for dealing with fighting nerves.
One item that I find is useful and yet very lacking in SCA combat, at least in Ealdormere, is coaching both at practice and at tournaments. I have done my best at tournaments when I get feedback from a coach on the sideline. Information before I go into the fight, feedback immediately when coming off the field and preparations for the next fight. A coach is also useful to help with resource matters such as getting things and making sure the fighter is properly hydrated. Sometimes Consorts do this but in my experience the specific coaching activity is best done by a third party. One last item for tournament fighting is to warm up (light exercise) and then have some sparring to get the body flowing for fighting. Going into a tournament cold usually results in a poor fight for me. YMMV.
Re: the pure joy of combat is its own reward
Date: 2010-03-18 02:05 am (UTC)I do want to add my own two cents worth. Each SCA fight should be approached as a fight unto its self. How you did in the previous fight or the upcoming fights have no bearing on what is before you now. (That is not to say one does not learn from prior experience). That can be further broken down to each pass in a fight is independent of prior or future passes. The analogy to this, given to me by my squire brother
One item that I find is useful and yet very lacking in SCA combat, at least in Ealdormere, is coaching both at practice and at tournaments. I have done my best at tournaments when I get feedback from a coach on the sideline. Information before I go into the fight, feedback immediately when coming off the field and preparations for the next fight. A coach is also useful to help with resource matters such as getting things and making sure the fighter is properly hydrated. Sometimes Consorts do this but in my experience the specific coaching activity is best done by a third party.
One last item for tournament fighting is to warm up (light exercise) and then have some sparring to get the body flowing for fighting. Going into a tournament cold usually results in a poor fight for me. YMMV.