Some questions on starting out

[Brandon Bishop]

Well in the time since I posted here last year, I've finally managed to get a couple of people interested in this. They've each gotten their own a waster and we've been practicing with a pell and some very basic drills (more or less moving between guards, foot work, and proper parrying). But since none of us have been involved with anything beyond sport fencing prior to this, we're at a bit of a loss of what to do beyond that and I'd like to ask a few questions on starting out.

Does anyone have any good drills that they've found helpful in developing skills beyond basic footwork and movement?

What protective gear whould you recommend for sparring with wasters(we all have three-weapon fencing masks already and I've already suggested elbow and knee pads)?

In sparring, what exactly consititues a good hit?

How can disarms and other close distance actions be incorperated into sparring with reasonible risks?

Any other advise you can offer would be most welcome.

[Allen Johnson]

more, and probably better advice from others will follow but I'll go ahead and pitch in my two bits:

1) Drills beyond footwork- First off, never NOT do footwork drills, they are essential. Second, as you move into other drills, you will notice that the stuff you just used in your footwork drills will be used and built upon. There are a number of great countering exercizes you can do in pairs. Work on the Mastercuts. If you are a member and have recieved your login info for the members area, there are alot of fantastic drills laid out there.

2)Protective gear- Whatever you feel necessary. Mask is a must, a cup is a pretty good idea, knee and elbow pads are good. Alot of it depends on what you are doing. If Im doing rapier I dont really need knee or elbow pads like I do when I'm doing longsword or broadsword/backsword.

3)What constitutes a good hit.- This is one of those things a little easier shown than said. It's a just a solid impact with the edge of the blade on your opponent (or tip on a thrust). No light tapping or touches. Obviously you shouldnt be smashing full bore into your partner but there does need to be a discernable amount of intent.

4) Disarms ect- This comes from an understanding of the purpose of the activity and being able to maintain control. If I get someone in an arm lock there is no need for me to keep pushing it to the point of hyper extension or worse. Conversley if Im being submitted to an arm lock I need to recognize that it's good and not fight it- knowing that the person could snap me if it were real. It's a mutual respect without being too soft.

hope some of this helps

[Jeff Hansen]

All good advice from Allen, but I 'd like to add a couple of things:

"2)Protective gear- Whatever you feel necessary. Mask is a must, a cup is a pretty good idea, knee and elbow pads are good. Alot of it depends on what you are doing. If Im doing rapier I dont really need knee or elbow pads like I do when I'm doing longsword or broadsword/backsword."

All good equipement to have, but, more than these basics become problematic. Some people start adding forearm pads, gambesons, or what-have-you, to avoid the inevitable bruises. This becomes a problem because people start hitting harder so you can feel it and when it misses the padding you end up injured instead of just bruised. You're better off to live with the bruises and practice control.

"3)What constitutes a good hit."... " discernable amount of intent."

Test cutting is important for learning to judge what was or wasn't a good hit. If you can't get access to a sword, you can use a large kitchen knife or a $10 machete from Walmart. Get some pumpkins or watermellons. Then do some light sword-tag taps and see for yourself how useless they are except as harassment. Gradually work your way up to full arm, full power strikes. After that when you spar it should be pretty easy to judge, if it were a live blade, would your opponent have required a few stitches or a pine box? And always leave your ego at home. It's not how much you win, it's how much you learn. (although winning IS fun. )

My 2 cents,

[Shane Smith]

For intense waster fencing, I've been known to wear little more than a T shirt,cotton martial arts pants and a leather glove on my right hand along with a three-weapon fencing mask. For those just starting out, I recommend forearm pads, knee pad for your lead leg, gloves, mask and common sense.

[Kyro_Lantsberger]

For intense waster fencing, I've been known to wear little more than a T shirt,cotton martial arts pants and a leather glove on my right hand along with a three-weapon fencing mask. For those just starting out, I recommend forearm pads, knee pad for your lead leg, gloves, mask and common sense.

Thanks for the recommendation. Ive found the pads, gloves, and mask on eBay, cant find the search terms for the last one. Should I try Darkwood or MRL?

[Andy Fritz]

Well in the time since I posted here last year, I've finally managed to get a couple of people interested in this. They've each gotten their own a waster and we've been practicing with a pell and some very basic drills (more or less moving between guards, foot work, and proper parrying). But since none of us have been involved with anything beyond sport fencing prior to this, we're at a bit of a loss of what to do beyond that and I'd like to ask a few questions on starting out.

Does anyone have any good drills that they've found helpful in developing skills beyond basic footwork and movement?

What protective gear whould you recommend for sparring with wasters(we all have three-weapon fencing masks already and I've already suggested elbow and knee pads)?

In sparring, what exactly consititues a good hit?

How can disarms and other close distance actions be incorperated into sparring with reasonible risks?

Any other advise you can offer would be most welcome.

You also might want to look up arma member Derek Wassom. He lives in Ft. Collins (which is only about 45 min south of you)