Last week we began looking at cold performance as part of our training. Your cold performance is the immediate starting level of your body and mind when you first move from a non-martial to martial state. This week we’re looking at the ideas you should consider to prepare your body for high functioning and safe cold performances. Training the Body Read More …
If you want to imagine your ability to fence as a rating out of 100, it would be impossible to pinpoint an exact score in any kind of meaningful way. To be able to say I’m a 75 and they’re a 70, thus I should be able to defeat them isn’t relevant because its impossible to say where you are Read More …
Warming up has innumerable benefits. It prepares the body for movement, increases your range of motion which helps prevent injury and increases performance, mentally prepares your technical repertoire, and can be used to set the right psychology for performance. Yet we do not always have the opportunity to warm up before we need to perform and potentially at a very Read More …
Anna’s arms extended out into the cut, the point of her sword wavering her body ever so slightly withdrawn, the extension of her arms slightly slack. The motion was essentially correct but every part of it was executed with doubt as if she were exacting over every detail and wondering if she was doing it right. I have often found Read More …
It’s easy in learning to live in a space that moves between the lesson and the performance and thus never truly explore and internalize technique. The dance floor is not the environment that is conducive to building foundational ownership of technique. You need somewhere that is open to active dialog with yourself and your partner. In a few weeks time Read More …
I am going to be in Europe in the month of May from the 1st to the 28th travelling and teaching swordplay at a few different schools and connecting with others as I travel. I’m also planning to connect with the dance scene while I’m on that side of the water. If you know anyone I should stop in on, Read More …
Last week Academie Duello and I participated in an event for Anti-Bullying day. This day happens on February 26th and focuses on bringing awareness to the challenges of bullying. The event at Academie Duello surrounded a book launch of a young adult novel called Verity which has anti-bullying themes and featured several speakers as well as readings from the authour. Read More …
Anna’s arms extended out into the cut, the point of her sword wavering her body ever so slightly withdrawn, the extension of her arms slightly slack. The motion was essentially correct but every part of it was made with doubt as if she were exacting over every detail and wondering if she was doing it right. I have often found Read More …
One of the primary challenges that I see my students face and that I have personally faced over years of practice is boredom. Most techniques take hours of focused time to improve and hone. Yet the mental discipline it takes to put in these hours does not come naturally, certainly not to our rapid fire lives in the modern world. Read More …
Practicing does not always mean ‘working on’. It’s important to give yourself time with passions and skills in your life to just simply indulge in the activity. You don’t always need to practice. However I recommend if you’re not going to practice that you also don’t judge. Turn your judgemental brain off and switch gears to a state of being Read More …