Today was a good class.  Fewer people than usual, 2 of our Permanent Guest Instructor's class (He's off doing international stuff- Teaching/judging at some big meeting in the South of France) so they did their own thing.

And 8 of the thugs.  10 people is a low turnout for us now.  I don't do the headcounts or cash taking.. I'm just the guy who balances the numbers.  If we're odd, I drill. If we're even I coach.  If people have questions or bits of text they want to go through... That's me. We are limited by space and cost, we can go on forever as we are and I need to expand a little.

I need to because playing the Odd means that I'm hitting a plateau. I'm comfortable, happy and able to take any role in the class... providing I get some time actually paying attention to the Permanent Guest Instructor's style and aims. His guys need to be less linear, which requires more room and the thugs... well some want to get to the books and work on their own intepretations.. others just want to roll around on the floor perfecting choke holds and ear biting.

In my club, there should be room for all of these. The mental space is there, but the physical isn't. And that's what made today's particularly interesting due to stuff there was space for me to play with my ideas of class- led, as it should be, by the students.

And so I learnt some things... I don't think Vadi is a 'good' mastet to follow when trying to do HEMA. This is not because he's impenetrable or that the 2 line, couplet stuff is limiting or that the pictures are as clear as any other HEMA manual... but because he uses broken bones like Fiore uses locks. Almost every play we looked at, there was a point where we had to shake our heads and say that it was too dangerous to use against friends.

There's this really neat counter against something akin to Fiore's metzane/halfsword feint which ends with you kind of winding until your hilt is locking their wrist, forearm and elbow and your body mechanics are set to throw them on the floor while breaking their arm in several places. It's a clear moment of how fragile the human body can be when you have the mechanics right. I'm hesitant to drill it because it is so efficient that I don't want it to be a natural reaction.

Aims for the future

This was in my drafts.  I thought it was published....

Where to start.

My personal fencing is less important to me than seeing the guys do well. Sure, I am getting a shiny new custom made sword but it is to be used as an instructional tool. The sparring, although important is secondary. Fitness could improve, and more training in general is preferable. Again, though, raising the guys up is the aim.

Personal study wise. I think going through my era and looking at late longsword would be good. Quarterstaff is always an aim, but safety and space are still problematic.  I have a lot of fun with sword and buckler against... almost everything, so maybe working on my own style. Possibly my own system, if that doesn't sound too arrogant..... maybe it is better to call it a bastardised mish-mash of stuff that works for me.

For the guys?  I have mentioned that the newbie pattern is difficult. I think splitting the newbies off at the first drill is a way to go. Introduce more flow, split things more into principles instead of plays. Once the newbies have a basic vocabulary and can spar, bump them over to the principles.

If we find a suitable larger venue, I become more floating. Judge, sparring coach, bookworm, drilling partner and maybe even actually have a few lessons from our permanent guest instructor (so I can help his students when he goes off gallivanting across the globe.. instead of purely relying on dirty English habits).

Quiet, but not gone.

I guess it is time to fill people in on everything.  Basically the club has been going from strength to strength. We have a good group, newbie turnover is a little too high for my liking but once we get someone for a month or so, they stay. We are suffering from a lack of space... Which is a nicer problem than an empty hall.

I'm happy in my role of assistant coach/TA and will be pushing some of the guys to start their own interpretations and look into texts that interest them.  This will make my role as the 'odd' one a lot more rewarding.

The guys themselves are good. I won't say the best, but they fence with passion, enthusiasm and good grace. Which is far more important than perfect play.

Also lots more good news, I'm starting discussions to get a sword made, I am one of the lucky ones to get into Fightcamp, despite its phenomenal popularity.  We should have a fairly decent turnout. 4 confirmed, 3 or 4 in reserves. Club logos and hoodies are almost ready to order. Ideas for a trophy, to add to last year's medals. (Awarded for making Fightcamp the kind of event we love)

So, hopefully I'll keep this up for a while, try to spread the joy a little more rather than keeping it all to myself.