New Thrust Practise!

[M Wallgren]

We have incoperated a new trusting practise in our training.

It could be used with any trusting weapon.
It goes like this:

Take a shield or buckler, the assistant moves it randomly with his arms outstreched infront of him (for safty distans) and the one training is suppoosed to hit the buckle repetedly (10 to 15 times rapidly). If the one who train his trusts feels very secure and hits often he can start moving at the same time as he trusts. This is a equalent of sparing with Mitzes in boxing.

Martin

[Allen Johnson]

You could also reverse it for buckler training. Have the guy with the sword give random thrusts (or cuts) and the person with the buckler deflets or displaces them. Later the buckler person can add movement.

[GaryGrzybek]

We do almost the same thing in our group but also with cutting. We do both moving and non moving targetting which really helps with focus and accuracy.

[Rod-Thornton]

Well, lacking in training partners during the mid-week, I tried something new (for me at least) to try to develop thrust/point-tip accuracy in my rapier practice.... Here's the thing, and here's the logic behind it.

1. Take a small wooden dowel and a kite string. -I used a pencil. Notch around the dowel about midway down and tie the kite string around it.

2. Take a grapefruit...nice....big....heavy (read the word: inertia here). Feeling confident, try an apple -not so big...not so heavy.

3. Poke the string through the fruit by pushing the pencil all the way through until the whole pencil comes out the other side (like an old log and rope swing over a creek) and hang it from a doorway. Short string for heads, long string for torso. a thumbtack works well.

4. Using your rapier, try to penetrate and hit the target sufficiently to skewer it. Remove your rapier from it (or steady the bouncing and turning string and fruit if you missed) and repeat until either you or the fruit give up.

My thoughts were along the line of
a) the small target, by adjusting the string up and down, simulates a "target" of head or torso,

b) to hit it you need focus and control,

c) to actually penetrate the little sucker, you need explosive punch (or power) and also speed because without it, the string simply swings or the fruit spins.

d) It was fun. I dunno how much value it may be, but it was a darn bit more difficult than the little foam target I've made for doing about 40-50 jabs it. Also, my "grouping" (to borrow a shooters' term) was now a little better as they were simply a "hit" or a miss...and not a wild-stick-in-the-foam.

One thing I noticed, that in terms of aerobic work-out, if you time it to something like, how many valid "sticks" in 30-secs, the follow-up recovery seems to tax your footwork and recovery. Also, a bag of fruit is cheap enough. Again, I am not sure if you could consider it a valid form of rapier-exercise or practice, but the points made above made sense to me.
-Oh yeah, if you decide to try it, don't jump into the wife's onion sack for your first target...

[James Sterrett]

Reminds me of a training device I used to use back when I was learning foil: A raquetball on a string. <img src="/forum/images/icons/smile.gif" alt="" />

We used it as a lunge target, much as you describe, with the ball either stationary or swinging.

In addition, to practice tip control, enter a full extension, and then try to move the tip around the ball faster and faster without touching the ball, again with the ball either stationary or swinging.

I don't know enough about Rennaissance rapier to know if the latter drill would be of use to you.