Parry Repost: Issue #2
“Don’t let a sudden betrayal surprise you!”
Welcome back to Parry Repost! It’s already been a week and I’m super excited for this second issue. The main reason for spinning up this newsletter was to document the research and videos I was already doing (some of which may or may not have been happening while attending “important” business meetings during the day job) and then sharing it.
What I’ve noticed is that over this last week, having a more formalized approach has changed the way I’m taking in all of these goodies. They’re on my mind a lot more and I’ve gone back to each piece multiple times to review and study. Even at practice, I was seeing things in new ways based on what I’ve been studying. This note kind of summed up what I was feeling.
✨ Featured Cut
Anatomy of a Sword: European Sword Terminology – James Colton
James Colton breaks down the key elements of a sword and I absolutely love it. It’s the kind of glossary I wish I had when I was a new fencer, especially the blade portion. The forte, foible, and true edge get mentioned all the time but diving into all of those pieces made me immediately grab my blade for some close examination. I even used referenced the article during our Friday night lessons!
🗡 Take Action: Look over the glossary and compare how you would define each piece. Consider how you would describe each element to a newcomer versus a more veteran fencer. Is there anything you would change between the two?
📜 Treatise Spotlight
Becoming Better Through Fencing in Rules of Many Knightly Exercises by Federico Ghisliero
This line stood out to me and incited a moment of reflection on my own fencing journey…
“I should also like you to know that in imagining those things we have a great deal of hope, and good company, in whose such honourable members footsteps we can walk, to force, through the art of fencing and its practice, bend these emotions to our will and claim victory over them.”
This popped up just after a discussion on man being made of the four primal elements of earth, water, air, fire, and what that meant. I’m guessing Federico would have liked Avatar the Last Airbender, but the idea that through fencing we can claim victory over our own primal selves is one I relate to a lot.
Fencing is a discipline and it challenges the body, mind, and soul at times. I’ve experienced it and have seen it’s influence on my own life since I started fencing as a 15 year old just coming into high school. Looking back, the road has been filled with a great deal of hope and good company, learning from those who have come before me. What has your journey been like since you started fencing?
🗡 Drill Idea: Reflection can bring new light to things long since past. Grab a partner and revisit some old lessons and techniques you learned in your early years of fencing. What techniques did you learn first? How would you approach them now with your added experience? Grab someone and train them on a “oldie, but a goodie”.
One of the first drills my instructor taught me was the “8 Basic Blocks” as he called them. We would run through them in sequence. Then run through them again with a reset to basic stance between each one. Then run them again with a strike and a reset after each block. By the end of it, my arm was ready to fall off!
⚔️ Melee Scenario: “Tag”
Setup: A trio of fencers and an open space. Assign one fencer to be “it”, and the other two are on a team.
Objective: The two fighters are facing off against the one “it” fencer. The “it” player is attempting to defeat the duo and vice versa.
Rules:
Respawns: None. One life each.
Twist: The moment one of the duo eliminates the “it” fighter, they immediately become “it” and face off against the other two.
The twist is the aspect of Tag that turns this from a simple two-on-one fight to some serious quick thinking. You might be able to make a quick strike, or a swift retreat. Either way, you’ve got to pay attention to what is happening so you can respond.
🗡 Battle Note: With the changing of allegiances happening so quickly, make sure to keep the mood light and fun. Don’t let a sudden, but inevitable betrayal surprise you!
🎯 Practice Pointers
This video was shared by a fellow fencer after a discussion about timing and “true time”. It’s a great overview of the concept and I really appreciated the explanation and differences between “Foot > Body > Hand” and “Hand > Body > Foot”. In particular, calling out that moving your body first before the hand places your opponent’s target into position before the threat is engaged was a lightbulb moment for me. I’d be silly to hand that target over on a silver platter!
For Individuals:
Review the video and run through your standard set of strikes, paying attention to the order in which you make those actions. Does the foot move before the hand or vice versa? Explore what happens if you order everything in “True Time”.
For Club Leaders:
Run your group through the same demonstration as presented in the video (I’m sorry but you may get slapped). Initiate the conversation and analysis of whether or not your fencers are moving in “True Time” or “False Time”.
🔗 Quick Hits
Some Words About Italian Swordplay wrote a fantastic article, Northern Italian Rapier and the OODA Loop. The structure and framework of the OODA Loop is really clean for fencers who need to conceptualize the thought process that is going on mid-fight. In my local group, we are constantly helping young fencers learn how to “think” through a fight, even while it’s happening, rather than just operating on pure instinct or reflexes. I shared it with a few fencers during practice and I could tell something clicked!
You want to know what really impressed me from this clip on HEMA TV? The duels were excellent, but it was the calls made by the referees (I would have said marshals). Hearing them recount not only the victor, but the quick exchanges and series of events that led up to each. Masterful!
💬 Final Riposte
In two issues, I’ve already learned and gathered so much stuff that I can’t hope to fit it all into this week’s practice. It’s going to take time to distill each new piece bit by bit, but that’s what I love about fencing. It does have to be distilled. It has to be refined and integrated into the body and soul. I hope you have a chance to distill a little this week as you pick up your sword and fight in good company.
Keep your edge.
— Rowan Gray