Pro-Tips: Common Errors

[Yaga Malark]

As advice from vets to newer fighters, what are the main mistakes that greenhorns make? What could they do to work on their shieldwork? Footwork? Shot placement?

[Vak]

Don't forget to have fun.

[Hakan]

No Vak, No one has fun.

(Always have fun, kids!)

[Sir Anastasia]

Don't forget learning how to take hits is also a learned skill. Expectation dictates perception. Just because you didn't feel it, doesn't mean it didn't happen, and learning the timing of multiple hits or being tuned to what is a good hit has to be learned over time. Good honor is developed when you know that hit taking is learned.

and HAVE FUN!

[Azgarehta]

Here's how I train our new people, and take this with a grain of salt as I'm just regurgitating what I see on the Internet, videos, and hear from other fighters and I'm nowhere near a great swordfighter (I'm a spearman), but enough of a step up from newbies to give them these tips:

These are also with single blue sword. It's the simplest way to teach someone the absolute basics without complicating it.

1. A fighter is built from the Ground up. Teach them stance first, how to move their feet, how to dodge leg shots, keep their feet light and not planted. This prevents them from ducking to block leg shots with their shield (and avoiding getting whacked in the head a lot), leaning down (to reach for a low sword block and also getting whacked in the head yet again), and gets their head out of a danger area where their head is near shields, knees, and other harmful objects on the battlefield. Heads should be at head level, not arm, shield and sword level.

2. Moving on from that, show them how to block from the hips. Throw some shots at them and let them fly out their block way beyond their body (most newbies try to slash at your sword with theirs to block. Silly movies they've been watching.) Show them how their blocks create openings. Then give them a tighter block and throw shots at it. They'll see that they don't even have to move to block shots. Then have them rotate their hips into the blocks to block a wider range of shots. This also prevents leaning into blocks, blocking low, etc, etc. (And getting their heads in the "Danger Zone")

3. Once they can be mobile and block. I have them punch me in the arm. This is to show them how to throw a proper shot. Most newbies just swing the sword around like a conductors baton, making circles in the air that don't have any power. After they punch me, I show them how to hold the sword and "punch" out with it to make a percussive shot. This prevents some head shots from "baton waving" and wild swinging, and starts them down the path to good fighting habits.

This all takes about 15 minutes, but you're heading off a good deal of safety issues, both for the fighter, and for the rest of your realm.

(Also, note that this is a guide for helping complete first time newbies, not for training super awesome fighters)

[Soo Ma Tai]

Not being afraid to die. One of the hardest things to overcome, but will improve your fighting 100 fold.

[Sir Par]

WHO THE HELL IS HAVING FUN ON MY WATCH????

There are a lot of mistakes that new fighters make. They're new so thats to be expected. The biggest mistake made WITH new people is forgetting that you were once new, and to have patience with new people when trying to train them.

[Acorn]

To expand on Azgarehta's tips for learning/teaching a new fighter:

Something to do it you have more than 1 newb, say two or three, is give them a quick step-through of the basic high/low shots for fighting in pairs and encourage them to work as a team. They will be more prone to be aggressive, learn teamwork fighting right from the start (which is a good way to combat ego), and also increase their chances of doing well and actually killing someone by working together, which encourages them to stay/come back.

And Vets, try and learn their names. It's hard as all get out to remember them all, I know, but when you recognize someone it helps with everything from fighting to friendship.

Tip for new fighters:

Don't go into a conflict expecting to be beat; Attitude is half the battle. If you think you are going to loose, you are. You have to remember that just as you expect good shots from more experienced fighters, the other fighter expects nothing from you, and this gives you an advantage.

[Remdawg Killionaire]

Find out their level of commitment. Focus on the positive rather then the negative. Focus on their needs, not your own. Don't get bogged down with the details, let them experience them. Don't come on too strong; wait for them to come to you for advice. Block-strike and ABA drills are essential; punish them with the same strike until they stick the block, then start feinting. Figure out what best works for them.
I have two newbs I've been teaching a lot lately and it's been one of the most rewarding things you can do in this sport.

[Furple]

I have a set of tips for how to kill newbies. Newbies could learn not to do these things to avoid being killed.

1) [leg swing]: every new fighter with a shield is gonna swing for the leg out front. When they do they're gonna lean in and expose their arm and back. That makes them dead even if they get the shot, which against most vets they won't. If they want to counter this they need to learn to swing WITHOUT leaning forward. They also need to learn how to not telegraph their shots by looking where they're going to swing first, and then taking a giant backswing before throwing the shot. A good fighter will simply throw the shot from their ready position without winding up. This means your opponent doesn't have time to react.

2) [chickenwing]: I take that term from someone else, but oh man, so true. Newbs will leave their arm expose relative to the person they're fighting <! (< = arm ! = sword), which makes it an easy target. To correct the person need only keep the sword in front of their arm. You do this by moving the pommel to in front of the rest of your arm, not by pulling your elbow in.

2) [overblocking]: most newbs when they go to do anything make exaggerated movements that only slow them down and telegraph their shots. This is especially true when blocking. Newbs will block wildly and, while not only being ineffective for a block also exposes the rest of their body and prevents them from effectively reacting to additional swings, and also stops them from swinging well because their weapon is so far away from their body. To fix this they need to learn how to make minute movements to block effectively. That's mostly covered under block with their hips below. Effectively you can block most shots relative to your sword by moving it an inch or two if it's in the right position. I fight florentine and I regularly one arm block red swings. It's just a matter of properly leveraging the rest of your body to do so. (I don't recommend that new fighters try that as you'll wreck your wrist if you mess up >.<).

Finally some things about attitude.
1) Show no fear. You may have a chance against a fighter you think is better then you but because you freeze up out of fear of them you lose to them always. Don't have that fear. Everyone can die. If you're going to die, then go out swinging.

2) Seek death. The way you get better is by fighting the people who can kill you, because they know something you don't (usually) more often then because they're faster or stronger then you are. If you want to improve fight them to learn what they know, learn how to counter it, and in the future you'll have a much better shot against anyone with a similar style.

+1 what Azgarehta said. The only thing I'd add after my comment below is teaching them to do a wrap shot. Once they've got those things it's all the basics they need to get started. I've been fighting for (going on) 9 years and I've been training people for 7, so there are lots of other things you can show people, but not until they've learned all of this stuff first.

Here's how I train our new people, and take this with a grain of salt as I'm just regurgitating what I see on the Internet, videos, and hear from other fighters and I'm nowhere near a great swordfighter (I'm a spearman), but enough of a step up from newbies to give them these tips:

These are also with single blue sword. It's the simplest way to teach someone the absolute basics without complicating it.

1. A fighter is built from the Ground up. Teach them stance first, how to move their feet, how to dodge leg shots, keep their feet light and not planted. This prevents them from ducking to block leg shots with their shield (and avoiding getting whacked in the head a lot), leaning down (to reach for a low sword block and also getting whacked in the head yet again), and gets their head out of a danger area where their head is near shields, knees, and other harmful objects on the battlefield. Heads should be at head level, not arm, shield and sword level.

2. Moving on from that, show them how to block from the hips. Throw some shots at them and let them fly out their block way beyond their body (most newbies try to slash at your sword with theirs to block. Silly movies they've been watching.) Show them how their blocks create openings. Then give them a tighter block and throw shots at it. They'll see that they don't even have to move to block shots. Then have them rotate their hips into the blocks to block a wider range of shots. This also prevents leaning into blocks, blocking low, etc, etc. (And getting their heads in the "Danger Zone")

3. Once they can be mobile and block. I have them punch me in the arm. This is to show them how to throw a proper shot. Most newbies just swing the sword around like a conductors baton, making circles in the air that don't have any power. After they punch me, I show them how to hold the sword and "punch" out with it to make a percussive shot. [Rift: basic snap shot] This prevents some head shots from "baton waving" and wild swinging, and starts them down the path to good fighting habits.

This all takes about 15 minutes, but you're heading off a good deal of safety issues, both for the fighter, and for the rest of your realm.

(Also, note that this is a guide for helping complete first time newbies, not for training super awesome fighters)

[Ember Kazoo]

best advice i know is to teach them to recognize and avoid feignts (sp?) anyway i have seen many new and inexperienced fighters succumb to a well telegraphed feign. as mentioned before the "star wars blows"by which i mean the twirling and spinning of weapons while impressive looking (sometimes) will more often than not either lack the power needed for a kill or just leave so many openings in their defense swiss cheese would have a better guard up.

while i agree that they need to not fear losing we should also be instilling into them a certain sense of what they can manage and how to observe their opponents. the better attention they pay to the shots they see thrown at them the better chance they have of parrying/blocking/dodging and returning it in kind.

as far as tactics and teamwork, about the only thing i can suggest it the value of the gimp and go. watch your back and your allies while constantly staying together and moving cohesively will greatly increase a newbs chance of survival.

above all else though make sure they have fun.

[Ember Kazoo]

WHO THE HELL IS HAVING FUN ON MY WATCH????

we all are par we just hide it will from you

[No'Vak]

God Hakon I read that message like 20 times before I realized Vak posted before you...

[Hakan]

HAH! My bad man