some more sparring videos

[Axel Pettersson]

ARMA has posted alot of great sparring clips lately, I thought I would return the favour. I am a firm believer in sharing and discussing HEMA with all groups and people willing to do so.

Feel free and welcome to post any constructive criticism you wish (this is the main reason I post the videos here):

clip 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMQ08SqJBeU

clip 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBnDRpixHnA

clip 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f7ibbrW0tY

clip 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEJu-cufPSE

clip 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dZmCbQmjTw

cheers/Axel

Edit: Oh yes, I almost never practice with sword & dagger, so that sparring is mostly messing around. Please do give some tips if you wish though.

[Jeremiah Backhaus]

Axel,

Thanks for posting the videos! It was very neat to see you guys going at it. Since you said you were putting them up for Constructive Criticism, I will point out two things I noticed.

First, you seem to adopt a much more linear stance when Fighting. This can especially be seen in clip 3 at about :50. I could see this as being detrimental to more dynamic movement, especially in traversing. You may be intending to do that though, so I am just mentioning.

The other thing I noted is that you seem to throw a lot of strikes that are out of range. I would suggest that you would be better served by entering techniques and feints. Probably a little less distance between you and your opponent at the time too. Of course, distance is always on the mind. I have stood across from many an opponent (or more accurately, one opponent many times) and thought that as much space between the two of us as possible is a good idea!

Anyway, those are the two things that I noticed and wanted to comment on. Again, thanks for the videos, they were great!

And now I have the advantage because I have seen you fight (mwa-ha-ha-ha).

-Jeremiah (GFS)

[Axel Pettersson]

Hi Jeremiah,

thanks for the input, the two remarks you gave is something I am aware of, and trying to remedy. That you spot them so easily is a great incentive for me to work on them.

I'm no trying to fish for compliments here, but if anyone sees something in my fencing that you feel is better than other parts, or something like that, please point that out (as well as the parts were I perform not so well of cource!), I learn from that too.

/A

[JeremyDillon]

Hey Axel,
I really enjoyed these. I'd like to say (and I'm really not being condescending here) that you guys have really made some improvements since the last vids, good work! I especially noticed the improved intent in your sparring (especially in the sword and dagger/sword and buckler vid). I do agree with Jeremiah's assessment about the range difficulties, though. Personally, that's been and continues to be the hardest thing to really get right in my training. I recently put some of my own videos on the forums here, and Allen Johnson gave me some really fantastic tips on some drills to try in order to correct this problem. Here's what he told me:

"How to get better? Other than continual sparring there are several drills or games you can use. A common one used in ARMA is to have one person with a weapon "attack" the other person with NO weapon. The unarmed person is to keep just out of range as the armed person advances on them. Keep in mind that it's an exercise and you arent trying to club someone.

Another one is to have a legnth of rope that is as long as is needed to keep proper fencing distance. Each person takes an end of the rope- keeping it taut between you (not tug-of-war taut). You take turns initiating footwork as the non-initiating person strives to counter-step while keeping the rope taut.

Solo work can be done with a simple target. Approach the target with a variety of footwork techniqies and lunge when you think it is in range. If you are too close you arm will be dramatically bent when you hit the target. Too far and your thrust never arrives or you are over lunging and off balance."

Anyway, thanks a lot for posting these, I always enjoying seeing you guys fight .

[Axel Pettersson]

Hi Jeremy,

thank you for your input! The distance issue is spot on, sometimes it is a device for getting a reaction from your opponent without giving him a tempo to work from by staying just outside his reach (but still make him believe he IS in reach, a thin line!), most of the times in the videos your critizism is entirely correct though, and I will work on it. Your practice suggestions will definitely be put to use, they sound great.

Regarding the videos I posted some time ago that I suppose you are referring to;

1 They are not from the same group, I moved to Gothenburg for university and now practice with Gothenburg Historical Fencing School (GHFS), these videos are from practice with that group. The other videos are from my old ARMA group wich leads me into-

2. I should have been more clear in my desription of those videos. The sparring in those ones were strictly an excersize for my benefit. it was the first time I tried out sword and dagger so the sparring was not "free play" but controlled, "X%" sparring so I could get the feel of the weapon combination in a looser way than strict drilling. It was also the first time in about 6 months that any of us did weapon sparring as we had been doing Wallerstein wrestling only for quite some time. My apologies for not making that clear (your comparison is still valid of course, in the sense that the intent in the old videos are not close to the later ones).

[Steven Blakely]

i love arma. just to watch two people honestly trying to study the art is very refreshing to me. when most of the stuff on you tube is just junk.