class routines?

[Ryan Ricks]

study group leaders, can you describe your normal class routine for me?

currently, we start out each session with a little test cutting. then, i'll introduce a new concept from the books, everyone will do solo drills with that for a few minutes. then we'll do partner drills, changing partners every so often. the partner drills are medium contact with wasters. we basicaly keep doing partner drills until everyone's shield arms are too tired to move. then we might do the same thing with longsword if there's time/energy.

how does this compare to everyone else's methods?

[Jake_Norwood]

Hi Ryan.

I think the most important thing about a class routine is that you have one. Structure improves all learning in the classroom.

I switch routines regularly, about every two months. Here's my current routine:

-Warm ups (medicine ball and some calisthenics): 10 min.
-Footwork and movement: 10 min.
-Unarmed fundamentals (striking, parrying, joint destruction, throws): 30-45 min.
-Unarmed free play: 10 min.
-Dagger fundamentals (striking and countering): 15 min.
-Dagger Free-play and sparring: 15-30 min.
-Longsword tiprogressions (stances): 10 min.
-Longsword cutting excercises: 10 min.
-Longsword counter excercises and applied theory: 30 min.
-Longsword sparring or free-play: 15-30 minutes.
-Free time with Messer or other weapons: 5-30 min.

Test cutting is introduced as a less common event, mostly due to materials.

This is, of course, for a very long class (our saturday meetings run as long as 4 hours, sometimes. Our tuesday night classes usually elimate material down to about 2 hours worth.

Jake

[Tim Merritt]

We pretty much lack education and experience, but I use the ARMA guide, and then, depending on who shows up, it is basically Jake's schedule without unarmed and dagger (almost exclusively longsword) for 1.5 to 2 hours.

[Patrick Hardin]

Usually what we do here is to start out with some form of aerobic exercise, which is now mostly the footwork exercises we learned in New Orleans. Next we move on to touch drills and press drills, and then cutting exercises. After that, we will either do partner drills on specific techniques, and then free play, or just do free play for the rest of the evening. Our meetings usually run about two hours, give or take.

Patrick Hardin