Belegarth

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Ok, in order as I noticed:

Your footwork is abysmal. You're fast, and you throw decent high-percentage shots for the most part, but you just kinda stand in one place and let him control the range and pace. Get those feet moving, slip into and out of range more. Step for angles and lines better. Quit reaching for shots, and step into range instead.

Your guard is way too high. As a lefty, keeping your hand at about belly button height is a must. Every time your thumb drifts up to your nipples, he should be bruising your ribs for you.

You throw with poor mechanics. This isn't as huge a deal as the first two, but I notice that you kinda wing shots in with your arm, and don't keep your body mechanics in line. I'd suggest some pell work with rebar or something to help clean that up. It'll make your shots faster and meaner. Maybe look up some videos from the SCA or SKBC to get you pointed in the right direction.

Edit: That came off sounding really harsh. Didn't mean it to. Watched both of 'em twice, and jotted down notes. They don't sound so bad one at a time, I guess. :p

Seeing as how I fought you at this event I'll chime in:

1)I'll second that your guard is too high. You also need to tighten up that guard, and use your elbow less. Next time we meet I can show you how to power block. My guess is you just need to rotate your fist like 20*

2) (at least when I fought you) You were always reactionary, every time we fought, you allowed me to dictate the speed, and the direction of the fight.

3) This ties back into #1, your stance is crooked, you need to align that **** if you ever want to get that footwork up to snuff. Again, I can help you work on this if you'd like.

Edit/Also: I notice your leading with your left foot, as you fight lefty. This is the same as fighting right foot forward as a righty. This means you have a more advanced selection of shots, and better reach, but are inherently less defensive. I only encourage people to practice opposite-stance fighting once they are more advanced. I was fighting lefty flo that practice, did you notice that everything I did was a mirrored opposite of my righty stance? Really, 90% of understanding/fighting lefty is grasping this "mirror" concept.

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For SCA stuff, my personal favorite is Duke Gaston and his contributions through House Asgard. I'm also lefty, as is he, so lots of what he teaches fits well for me. His Duke U stuff is all over Youtube, and some of his older (but still really good) stuff can be found on the house asgard website.

http://houseasgard.com/files.php

Good luck, man. Hope some of this is useful for ya.

Edit/Also: I notice your leading with your left foot, as you fight lefty. This is the same as fighting right foot forward as a righty. This means you have a more advanced selection of shots, and better reach, but are inherently less defensive.

The bolded part isn't true. Presenting your sword in an "offensive" stance limits your opponent's options and helps to control the pace of the fight and the returns you want to draw out of your opponent. Standing goofy foot actually presents target areas that you can't defend well and that rest in a range in which they can be hit without retribution.

Dangus wrote:90% of understanding/fighting lefty is grasping this "mirror" concept.

This is very, very true. I've talked with some of the best fighters I've ever met or heard of a ton about 'mirror' fighting and what/how to adjust for it. Also where the tagline on my sig banner comes from.

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Dane; I agree with you, tho I think I'd be better off learning both styles to allow for more versatility on the field; combined with an increase in foot-work it'd help for approaching different angles of attack not to mention baiting and footwork lures.

For single sword, you should only go goofy foot if you're screwing with an opponent that can't make that adjustment. When using a board, it opens up some different shots and angles, but your vids are single sword.

For two-stick, you want to hand and foot match because your matched hand is in charge of killing and suppressing your opponent's offense. If it's set back in an off-side stance, it can't accomplish those goals. Your off hand is for crossing to overextended arms, taking the opponent's off-side leg when it drifts too close, and wrapping shoulders that get revealed by poor shieldwork.

Here's some specifics:

1. Your sword tip is all over the place. For where you're at, you should take a denial guard and close off the inside or the outside. When you block, you have a tendency to turn your sword perpendicular to the ground and move its length left or right to meet your opponent's attack with a vertical plane.

a. When blocking, the sword tip shouldn't move that much. Let it be the fulcrum around which your sword moves. Your blocks to either side should swing like a pendulum, the sword tip largely stationary.

b. Going vertical makes you more susceptible to wraps and puts you out of position for your return. With this style, your returns are reliant on hip, elbow, and forearm rotation. When you go straight up, you're compromising all three.

2. Every time your opponent throws, your sword shoots up and your hips shoot back. That's a bad habit of most single bluers: avoid and drop shot. Instead, your sword should rotate to intercept the attack while your hips rotate toward the side that's being attacked. Your first impulse needs to be to block, not to avoid.

a. The alignment of sword and hip when blocking properly enables strong, varied returns.

b. Keeping your sword home makes you much less vulnerable to second and third swings. The idea is to kill without getting wounded. Not keeping your sword in your box is high risk, and an opponent that steps when he throws will murder you every time you do this.

3. As said before, the footwork is blech. Your side-to-side is pretty much nonexistent, and your feet come way too close together when you close, retreat, and attempt to move off the centerline.

a. Feet should be at least shoulder width apart, more is usually better.

b. Step every time you throw. Basic stuff is move right to throw right, left to throw left. Then try moving right to throw left, left to throw right, see what opens for you.

good advise here.

you need to move laterally. the rest has been said.

Dane- I have heard several people now referring to a philosophy of "step when you throw". Is this referring to stepping forward, like a shuffle or step through, or are you referring to making lateral movements like moving up the circle, or tracing a 7?

Either/or/any. I don't recommend throwing while in the middle of a passing step, but stepping while you throw (usually shuffling), whether moving forward or to a side, makes the shot come in at an angle your opponent wasn't set for, helps get the hips involved for power, and keeps you moving/alive. Stationary fighters are dead fighters.

Slagar wrote:For SCA stuff, my personal favorite is Duke Gaston and his contributions through House Asgard. I'm also lefty, as is he, so lots of what he teaches fits well for me. His Duke U stuff is all over Youtube, and some of his older (but still really good) stuff can be found on the house asgard website.

http://houseasgard.com/files.php

Good luck, man. Hope some of this is useful for ya.

His body mechanics vids are here. They really are the best body mechanic vids I've ever seen (and I've seen quite alot.)

viewtopic.php?f=135&t=36887

i've gotten to this thread a little bit late but i'll add my voice for you remy.

the first thing i'm going to point out is that you are using a baiting guard, but you aren't really using it. to you it seems to be just a starting position for your sword. the baiting guard should let you predict and have answers for your opponent's openers. kanon opens with a safe opener most of the time throwing to your hand. and once he throws to his target area you throw out of time on him, sliding your hips back and trying to chop over him.

Now your baiting guard is the main reason he is throwing low, which is fine, let him throw low. but rather then hop-en-popping (jumping back with your hips and throwing over top his second swing) you should block his shot out then return. throw down his inside lane when you block him out and throw ouside when he throws inside, the beauty of hand-matching. and always think defense before offense.

Now i have some guesses why you have so little movement, do you play alot of block-strike? there are a few more drills you can work like A B A and B A B which you can see in my class notes from 2010's SKBC. Also there is a great appeal to being able to stand and grind all comers down. i understand this, i fall victim to it as well. dane's stepping and swinging is a very important point. you can grind people while stepping, its ok. =)

my last advice for the day is to work more then your primary return. think of other options. and work on methods to control range on people like kanon who seem to have more energy then your average fighter. (when he closes step back make him chase you rather then chasing him, or step forward into his range to convince him to retreat or to swing then step back allowing him to follow and walk into your trap. just a few ideas)

It looks like your left hand is progressing pretty well. keep up the good work! teaching your left hand to fight is no easy feat.

here are my class notes i was talking about

http://www.swordknight.com/2010/notes/B ... 202010.pdf

:3

what are some names of people that gave you advice?

out that way there are only a few warlords, that i know are still active, Robin, Dogboy, and Cyric (grats to cyric for his recent warlord).

also to block a hand matched hip you are probably failing to dip in your knees. I believe i talked about that a long time ago in my block-strike video on the belegarth site.

Dogboy is probably the coolest Amtgard fighter I've met lol

cool, i'm not real familiar with alot of those guys but i know tristen and alexi (if its the bel alexi, if he's amt i don't think i know him) Tristen is a pretty good source, he did take several of my classes last SKBC =P and he hangs out with alot of the alliance guys.

listen to dogboy, robin, and cyric. there is a reason they teach at SKBC

Never met the others, but Dogboy can hang. Dude knows his way around a foam stick real * well.

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It is very cool to see so much good advices :p

I have so much things to say and ask but with my bad english it's hard ^^
So yes this post isn't usefull but just to say that's cool !:p

Just to know, when you guys shot, it's seems that you are trying to "cut" like with a real knife. But in larp you just have to touch, it can be intersting for you if you watch some video of fencing sabre.
To me the closest/adaptable/efficient way of fighting with single sword.

Forgeting the priority's, the mindset of touching without being touched is to me the first step to be a good fighter.
'Cause here in belgium we have a lot of guys who "sacrifize" a leg to hit the opponent's head. It works because he "win" but to me it's a big mistake on the way to improvement.

:3

Ok, a lot of things to say.
But first, sorry for my poor english, maybe i misunderstand you but if not excuse me if i seems rude, it's because i don't have a big vocabulary :/

1) What i understand from you: I fight to kill you. (but not really i understand)

The point is, the same as you, i see larp fighting as a sport. I train myself twice a week at the fencing sabre club and 2 times larp fighting where I train and teach.
It's a passion, i began training since four year from now and my masters were ones of the best’s fighters we have in europe. As everyone i was a true noobs when i've started, but with my mindset i wanted to become good as them. All of that to tell you I know what’s the competitive mind.
But and that's why i explain you all of that, we never want's to "win" or "kill" we just want to have the more fun as we can, enjoying the sparring with all of our abilities and try to improve our skills during the fight.
You can see it only as a sport if you want, but in sport, only stupid guys have plaisir only by winning. Honnestly (and yes that change with time, it was not true when i began) but now I don’t even count who win. Just try things, improve myself and see what my opponents do for block my technics.
You play with foam sword, it’s a game, physical as a true sport (and I repeat it, to me it is) but you are not trying to survive or kill you opponent to survive.
This way of thinking I is to me very dangerous and not only for the guys who train with you ^^

I know and it’s normal that we have a different point of view but I totally disagree with your explanation of “hitting” if you touch with enough strength to be “feel” by your opponent, you don’t need more. And more, you become more efficient because you loose less time in one attack, then you win time to parry and/or attack again.
We fight with weapon who hurt more than yours, but we control it to hurt the less as we can. Without being slower than the guys on the dagorhir or skbc videos. 

You misunderstand good sir. We have a rule which states "sufficient" force is required to score a hit. We do not count light taps or something simply felt as a hit. It must strike with enough force to have caused significant damage in the real world. ( yes, this is subjective) We also make our weapons to protect us from said heavy hitting strikes. Our gear is much more forgiving than even the nicest LARP swords. We are a full contact combat game, not a LARP per se'. While we have many LARP type aspects, like characterization and fantasy races, the combat is skill based and requires a decent amount of force in attacks.

:3

After looking at your website, http://www.riddleofsteel.be I realized just exactly where you're coming from.
I would literally murder everyone in those pics if I tried using your weapons.

Soo Ma Tai wrote:You misunderstand good sir. We have a rule which states "sufficient" force is required to score a hit. We do not count light taps or something simply felt as a hit. It must strike with enough force to have caused significant damage in the real world. ( yes, this is subjective)

That's the thing, its subjective and i think no one of us had never kill in the real world with a sword :p
But, why you don't craft weapon "more like ours", it's hurt more then you need less strengh to be count by your oppononent, no? :p

So yes it's maybe one of the big difference with our rules and yours. We are not in a full contact game, so we cant kick shields or things like that, only hit by our weapon, not with shields even if they are made with foam too.

>:l
...literally murder...

Remy the Wroth wrote:After looking at your website, http://www.riddleofsteel.be I realized just exactly where you're coming from.
I would literally murder everyone in those pics if I tried using your weapons.

LOOOL yeah that's the first step with student, tought them how to DON'T kill others :p

Thanks for the PM but actually i speak French ^^

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I stand by what I said above lol

Don't blame yourself, in belgium we have 3 officials language... Yes for a country not bigger than New york it's very stupid :p

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Rayzen: Look up your local SCA group and see if you can get in loaner gear and try out their style of fighting; it should be pretty eye-opening.


Remy: Shake the haters off. Go to Amtgard events and lay WASTE. Hit as hard as you always do and laugh when they *. They're the evolutionary throwbacks if they complain. GOOD Amtgard fighters hit at least sufficiently hard at least most of the time and don't whine when they get hit right.

Re: vids: Looks like you don't use your left hand enough. Left hand is murder hand, man. Let it do the hard work.

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Arrakis: I'm not sure that's a open eyeing problem. Just mindset and cultural difference :-)

What I'm saying is that you do not appear to understand how we hit or why and how fast we are and how we are able to be faster than anyone who pulls their shots (this is provable from dynamics/physics).

It is not something that can be adequately explained via an internet discussion; it would be better to witness firsthand.

You totally right, very hard to talk about that by internet.

But just 2 things to say :
1) The speed is also a question of distance and movement. The line you use to attack.
2) I'm not saying that "touching" is the universal best way to, we do it because we think it's better for our fighting style. I'm sorry if I wound you by my words. I don't speak very good ^^

:3

And that's how good ditches happen, folks.

You beat the punks out of it.

Arrakis wrote:And that's how good ditches happen, folks.

You beat the punks out of it.

In BS, ditches go like this:

Everyone has fun until Moonshine puts on his mean mug, decides to start cheating then waves the least legitimate Warlord in PNW history in your face when you call him out on it. Oregon Amtgard is ruled by the "Good 'ol boys" mentaility. If you wear Black/Yellow you can do pretty much whatever you want, whenever you want to. If you aren't (assuming you pose some kind of threat to them, say like... trying to play the game the way it's meant to be in the 21st century, not like they did in '95) then you will invariably be treated like a second class citizen by a buch of ex-tweaker white trash. #Annihalus.

(Lock, I know you read these boards; I'm just saying what everyone else already thinks)

I'm not sure I'm following you on this distinction between quick and fast.
Could you please clarify your idea? ^^

Let me put like Postal said; You are WWII-era Poland: running around on horses waving your lil' swords around and getting drunk. We are WWII-era Germany: blitzkrieg-ing thru your country with **** Panzer tanks.

This isn't GenMay. Clean that **** up, guys. You're better than that.

We've got a whole section of these forums dedicated to bad grammar and keyboard cowboying. This sandbox is for useful ****, like critiquing Remy's left hand and footwork.

And great ditches are made by fighting under lights, when all the punks are off drinking and telling each other how good they are. Everyone knows that. :p

Remy the Wroth wrote:Let me put it this way. You are WWII-era Poland: running around on horses waving your lil' swords around and getting drunk. We are WWII-era Germany: blitzkrieging thru your country with **** Panzer tanks.

sig'd

Honnestly, i cannot understand why you over react like that. Yes I don't have a good english, but i see nowhere a post (here, on dagorhir, on facebook or anywhere) where i said : I'm the best and what we do is the best style on the world.
I really know there's a cultural differences between country's and mindsets and i never juge it. To me, the only one rules is to have fun and enjoying what we do.

I'm actually really interested to share with different people coming from different country, cause yes, one day i hope i can come in Usa to try one of your battles games. With your rules, yours stuffs, juste try something new to improve my vision, my technics and of course, my fun.

If you are angry because I posted on your thread, i truely appologize because i don't think it's not agree with the subject.

So if i'm not welcome here, i will not try to speak with belegarth anymore... I never wanted to wound anybody or tell that the Riddle style is the best.

Dangus wrote:

Arrakis wrote: then you will invariably be treated like a second class citizen by a buch of ex-tweaker white trash. #Annihalus.

Black Spire; You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.