(this is mostly for me, but because I got so much out of other people making their self-improvement journals public, I am sharing.) Stayed in armor same amount of time (about 1130-2ish).  Fought four intervals, which were all longer. (See, stamina increasing.  Fantastic.  Must keep running, and watching nutrition.)  Lost track of number of bouts (will stop counting hereafter).   Nine fighters, including Ceddie and Genevieve.  I really enjoyed Genevieve's comments, and watching her shapes, because she is not much smaller than I am.  Changing my focus to fight someone my size is Very Different. Notes: Movement – Stuttering.  Expect … Continue reading A boring journal post for those who don’t fight…

Now that summer is over, temps are low enough for me to handle outdoor workouts. I'm disgusted with how low my stamina is in armor, and this is colluding with an underlying "you really ought to be taking better care of your heart and lungs" worry.  I've figured out what my workouts should be for vanity's sake – I mix P90X with yoga, and am not terribly consistent with either one – but that is not cutting it for the performance I would like to bring to the sparring field. So today I ran about 3K, on a road that … Continue reading Run + Pell workout

Oh boy, lots to catch up on from this week. I went to my first fighter practice as a fighter yesterday, at Oldenfeld.  Nice turnout for a newbie, about six fighters – I did three intervals, which is back up to what I'd done at Daggers that flattened me so badly, and I had my armor on from about 11-2.  In Florida, late September, in the shade, about 80% humidity, high 80's temp.  Not bad. I got this lovely thing, on sword side not-quite-hip.  It's tender, but not awful.  Not sure why there's a stripe through it.  I knew I'd … Continue reading First bruise

Long range attacks and parries. I learned long-range attacks in a drill with an eight-year-old.  Got to wear a medium breastplate and a 38 front-close jacket.  Of course the kid kept poking me under the edge of the breastplate.  I’m not sure whether to look forward to being poked by an adult because they will have a better idea of distance (and therefore not poke as hard) or to be worried because an adult will have more strength.  Better check my non-bruise vitamins. Found the first casualty of my dance background.  I chassee forward, when kitted out and under pressure … Continue reading Third lesson

Second lesson – Thursday of first week.Reviewed footwork.  Did drill again. Attacks:Close range attack = straighten arm.  Right of way discussion.  Distance drill with foils and masks.  Got to poke the teacher.(I wear a size 4 mask – of 5, and an XtraSmall glove.  Big head, small hands.  Shut. Up.) Noticed during the distance drill that:1)  It’s still weird to be allowed to poke someone with a sharp object – even when you filled out paperwork and wrote a check to qualify.2)  I’m lunging already, to correct my distance judgement.  Time for… Mid range attack = straighten arm  + lunge … Continue reading Second lesson

First lesson: How to hold the foil.  How to stand en garde.  Salute.  Foil taken away.First position.  Second position.  En garde. Footwork.  Advances.  Heel first, stay very level.  Keep steps the same size.Retreats.  Back foot first, try to keep L-shaped position of feet – overcross backward is Hungarian. (I pointed out that any Hungarian bad habits are totally appropriate.  Was told not to do it anyway.  But nicely.) Drill: Opponents face each other across a counted distance.  One opponent leads.  The other tries to keep the same distance.  We practice on a tiled floor with 12" tiles, which is very … Continue reading First lesson