Corey's Personal Progress Page

Brief introductory remarks about yourself, your goals in the class, your persona, etc...

Novicius Concepts: The Seven Deadly Virtues, Integrated Fighting Framework

These all seem familiar from my training in other things.

Class One: Breathing, Stance, Movement

Compass steps are a new concept for me, and it will take a while to intigrate it with what I am already trained to do.  I understand the concept, and it does open new options, I'll just need to work a little more on it to make it a trained and automatic skill.

Class Two: Zero Stem, Rotation Blocks

Zero stem is a new concept of distance for me, but I believe that I am becoming familiar with it.  I need rote practice though, pell-work &c., to be able to throw those blows with killing power without needing to concentrate.  As with all the new skills I'm learning, then fore-brain understands, but the lizard-brain needs to be trained enough to make it an automatic response to make it effective in a fight.

0524 1900 Yes, its the emphasis on circular rotation, you would be more familiar with something that aligns the hips to just forward. However, the short and zero stem and their fighting distance require a blow that rotates into the target more than goes straight into it.  Your current development would be best for long stems and some of the methods we have not taught yet.  The ham sandwich with these is more or less closed throughout the blow development.  Its more judo than aiki.  With historical fighting, these short and zero stems would be the things leading to ringem am schwert or ringen.  Steve

The rotations around the Turn (foot) axis and the Rotation (hip) axis generate much more powerful than the vertical and horizontal rotation of the shoulder axis (or even the smoother rotation of the Extension/elbow axis vs the explosive Extension that we use) that is the traditional rotation of swinging blows from the forms you are familiar with.  However, you *can* move laterally forward with a half-pass or full-pass while only rotating in the Rotation (hip) axis.  Remember that components of your body are rotating -- and that you may or may not need to rotate your movement and that you may or may not need to significantly rotate (swing) your sword -- Max

Class Three: Short-Stem

As with zero-stem, short stem is understood but needs practice, practice, prctice.  Time to get a pell.

Class Four: Long-Stem

Same as zero- and short-stem, I understand but need to practice.

Class Five: Striking Blows

Personal notes about class five...

Class Six: Baselines, Evade, Legs

Personal notes about class six...

Class Seven: Leg Combo, Inside Angle Change, Unit Maneuvers

Personal notes about class seven...

Class Eight: Onside Wraparound, Offside Jam, Uppercut Thrust

Personal notes about class eight...

Class Nine: Offside Jam, Zero-Stem Swordblock, Thumb-Turn Wraparound

Personal notes about class nine...

Class Ten: Melee Concepts, Melee Drills, and Unit Scenarios

Personal notes about class ten...

Class Eleven: Shield Blocks -- Flat Blocks and Corner Blocks

Personal notes about class eleven...

Class Twelve: Hanging-Guard Drop-Shot, Hanging-Guard Moulinet

Personal notes about class twelve...

Novicius 101,102,103: Beginner Basics (101), Continuing Refresh (102), Advanced Practicum (103)

Personal notes about continuing progress in class thirteen+...

Self-diagnosis: I need to a. work on generating powerful, aimed blows in the actual fight, so rote training is indicated; b. get armor into comfortable fighting trim, so advice of senior fighters is sought as to which modifications are needed.

Of course, I ask that if the lanista advises some other means of improving my ability to participate effectively on the field, he inform me as he sees fit. (Culled from posting to yahoo group)

0524 1828 This fits with a need of Cunian's, although the causes may be different, if she is there, we should find someone arm them with a polearm and gauntlets (the focus glove) and have the two of you run through some different variations of movement, distance and angle using some variations of our standard plays, like the 6 step drill.  I would do it, but while I am better, the running around on uneven ground is not in the cards for me, tomorrow.  You already have some of the answer; it is just a matter of transferring it into the new context. The problem with fighting versus drill is that you or your opponent are not in abstracted perfect position, to have the fight be as close to these conditions is a goal, but another is to have technique that is designed to be, and is capable of being, effective under less than optimum conditions. More advanced "drills" would allow for a more dynamic exchange among the players. We have not crystallized these for the 1XX series; in fact, they are more 2XX or 3XX material. Steve

Actually, I believe you have no problem with armor-sense.  In fact, you're kicking-butt in melee basics.  It's in putting together the basic bio-mechanics past a single shot that I believe we need to focus.  You still have a tendency to want to hold your arm high, you still have a tendency to slice blows focusing on arm extension (rotation around the elbow/shoulder axes), and you tend to throw single shots without rapid recovery or a series of two-blows instead of the bam-bam explosive combination based on the spring-like tension of the Turn/Rotation and Elbow flip lever-type action.  Things like speed drills on the pell and hundred-shot pell drills can work on this -- Max