Yesterday was the Mt. Edge Defender's Tourney. We had a pretty decent turn out due to Their Majesties being there. And we lucked out: the sun stayed out for the majority of the fights. At least for all my fights! Sweet! ( Collapse ) At dinner, one of the guys, Rick, made a comment, "not to be durogatory, but you don't throw shots like most girl fighters. You have speed, where as most females throw shots that just look so slow. Yours don't." I know what he's saying because I look at older video of me and I think that I used to throw slow enough for a person on the sidelines could stop them. I've been working on increasing speed along with power. Glad to know that I am improving on those fronts. And am so glad that I'm back to my regular levels of training again!
Last nights practice was again a fun time and I learned some more. My first bouts were with Fenris (sp?) and I think we were pretty evenly matched. I concentrated my efforts on maintaining better body positioning and using full mechanics to throw shots.
My next set of fights were with Einnar. Over the weekend we talked about the mental game of fighting, using intimidation to control a fight, and not falling prey to intimidation. So Einnar tested me by doing several aggressive and intimidating moves at me, which, for the most part, I didn't back down to. It was a good practical lesson. Even though I knew that he wasn't going to cram his sword down my throat, it provided me a foundation positive experience to refer to mentally for future bouts and feelings of intimidation.
I next fought with Ataias, which I'm really glad he's back to good health and able to come out and fight. At September Crown I asked him if he would allow me the honor of having him sponsor me in the squire tourney, for which he did. Later, after the Crown tourney, he and Hlutewige invited me to join in the household as his student, which I gladly and excitedly accepted. Even though I have been receiving some of the best teachings from all the local knights and long-standing fighters, it's good to have your own knight out there to learn from. The fights between Ataias and I were really good. As he said, he wasn't just giving me the fights but I was able to get in a few really good shots, and a couple of nice kills. He tagged me good a few times too; but unlike my experience last week, I didn't get frustrated or feel like I was fighting against somebody that I could never beat. He brought his fighting down to a manageable yet challenging level for me which made the practice a learning lesson. Today I am sore but feel good about the direction of my fighting progression. I'm also glad that I have Arnica gel at home to take care of the bruises. Ataias has a clever plan to assist me with using correct hand positioning when throwing shots: I'm to go to his house and help chop down the sumac tree in his backyard by swinging a machete at it. This way I could get the feel of how a sword edge should be landing, since my swords are all round striking surfaces. Maybe we can plane down a new sword for me as well. I have the rattan to do it. Then Olin suggested that I could also come over to his house and mow his yard. hahaha! Funny man!
My last set of attempted bouts were with Olin. Since his arm was hurting, he did not bring a shield and was only fighting single stick. Olin's plan was for me to practice my aggressive attacks; however, my left knee was straining too much as I tried to keep up and chase down Olin so we didn't really get to work on this lesson. Also, at first I was hesitant about doing this because I had the mental image of attacking an unarmed child holding a lollipop. I know that is not what Olin is, but it was what popped into my mind. I'm still working out the kinks in my thought processes that it's okay to strike (with solid force) somebody in armor. Even against fully protected fighters last night I still pulled a few of my shots in fear of hurting my opponent. I don't want to break my toys; instead I'm giving up the win. I have to wrap my mind around the fact that it's okay to hit the person I'm playing with . I'm getting better, but it's still a mental exercise I have to work on.
I'm still having difficulties with establishing a regulated breathing pace. I'm getting winded faster than my muscles are giving out. I find that I take a breath in and hold it while throwing shots, then breath in and out when not actively engaged. Also my asthma is flaring up. Since I can't run anymore I have to find another cardio activity that helps to keep my lungs clear. Einnar showed me a very good pell exercise to train the body to breath as I throw. At slow speed and using full body mechanic movements, throw shots at the pell, exhaling out with the throw and inhaling in with the recovery. I'm going to try and get my pell upstairs today so that I can have it available on my porch, instead of unavailable in my garage.
For Christmas I got a Dynaflex ball for improving my grip and forearm strength. I've used it pretty much daily since getting it. Last night I noticed that my hands and forearms were not tiring out and I actually maintained a much softer grip on my sword overall. I was able to relax my hands better. Dynaflex ball good!
My first couple of fights were with Bill, who's SCA name is escaping me right now. I think we are pretty evenly matched fighting skill-wise. I felt good fighting him; I wasn't overwhelmed and felt like I was holding my own very well. Cathal gave me some pointers on my stance: turn my feet a little more perpendicular to my opponent while having my upper body turned back to face my opponent. This position gives me greater shield use/protection for my open/left sword side. I liked using it last night. I know I've been told about this type of stance before (in another time/kingdom), but I didn't trust that it would work for me, thinking that I wouldn't be able to generate enough power to throw a recognize-able shot; but now that I'm using better body mechanics and moving my feet more, this guarded position was working as long as I kept a good body position (more on that in a bit). Bill and I talked about breathing techniques too, since it seems that we both tend to hold our breaths while fighting. I know how to breath when I'm doing a rhythmic cardio exercise, I just haven't figured out how to incorporate those exercises when doing bursts of energy & movements, such as with fighting. I think chewing gum last night while fighting did help though.
I decided that I'm going to break another bad habit, that of shying away from fighting people that intimidate me fighting-wise. So last night I asked Slade to fight, which is good but......
The bad:
I don't usually like to fight Slade because it seems he hits me harder than most (IMO), and he always finds the areas of my body that are less armored. I decided to buck-up and fight him anyways (I was going to ask Einnar, another fight-intimidator for me, but he was busy). I found myself getting frustrated while fighting Slade. I'd start off okay, but he kept finding my legs open. BOTH my legs are peppered with bruises today! The more he hit me in the legs, the more frustrated I got for opening them and with him for hitting me so damn hard. I was not enjoying fighting with him at all. I even gacked my knee (again) while trying to step out of one of his shots to that leg. I think what I need to do is talk with him about my concerns and ask him if he could ease up a bit until I progress some more. Otherwise, I don't think I want to fight him for awhile. I don't want to have that kind of resentment hanging around my training.
Another area of work: turning my sword palm down just a little to protect my hand when in an overhead close guard position. Bill popped me there about 4 times while trying to go for a snap to head. The good thing is I was using that little movement for blocking, now I just need to use the basket on my sword versus the fleshy part of my thumb to catch the block. That would be a very good thing indeed!
I've decided that Sir Octamasades is Spiderman. That or else he's using ESP on his opponents to tell them which shot to throw next so he'll already be blocking it before they even throw it. Man! He is a freak of nature. And fun to watch. :-)
At the An Tir 12th Night event there is an auction held to support a local charity. This year the 12th Knight Auction will be helping out a group called Canine Companions for Independence! ( http://www.cci.org ) This organization breeds and trains puppies and dogs to help disabled folks with severe independent living challenges.
Each donation is either entered by a Knight or sponsored by a Knight. I am being sponsored by Baron Sir Ataias. The piece I am donating is a handwove haversack lined with a linen cloth. The yarns used for weaving are acrylic purple, blue and white yarns (yarns my mom gave to me). The pattern for the body of the haversack is from the Handweaver's Pattern Directory, Point Threading Over 10; 2/2 Twill (Dixon, 2007, pgs 80-81). The strap is inkle woven in the same yarns. The dark-blue linen lining is attached to the weave with a blanket stitch of DMC floss, 2 ply, in a contrasting purple. I am thinking of adding a bottle sleeve to the inside (to keep bottles from clanking together, as was suggested by Sir Olin).
Last night's FP was really great for me, albeit very cold (approx 38F). Showed up to find Jarl Sir Ulfred, Sir Olin, Sir Rod, Slade and Thomas suited up and ready to fight. I first warmed up with Thomas while Ulfred and Olin assessed my stance and feet movement, for which they gave me some really awesome pointers. My balance is good but I square up too much when advancing. Need to practice stepping/sliding before throwing the shot. I was throwing with my arm before engaging my body mechanics. I have to be conscience of my hand position too. I slipped back into using the weird "back of hand" position on my snaps. After working out a few of those kinks was able to throw more effectively.
Next fights were with Rod. We did a few warming up bouts before Ulfred directed us to do 3 fights as if we were in a crown tourney. Part of my problem (with tourney fighting) was never being really comfortable fighting while people/spectators watched. I don't know why per se, maybe it has something to do with my desire to not be seen as a failure; however, last night I "think" I finally broke through a barrier. I am really not used to fighting left-handed fighters (being left-handed myself) and I was confused about what to do. That issue on top of my discomfort about having everyone watch, my first two bouts sucked.
Round one: as soon as the lay-on was called, I charged Rod and was laughing out loud at myself, because honestly, I wasn't taking it seriously (defensive mechanism: if I'm laughing then everything is alright). Olin even called me on it. My fighting-style sucked too. I was over-reaching and not breathing. Rod of course won.
Round two: started the fight winded and even more out of whack mentally. I was throwing shots using only arm and not very well organized. I was holding my breath a lot. I'm not even sure what I was thinking anymore, but I do know that I was starting to understand that this wasn't a joke, that these guys were really working with me & not trying to make me look bad on purpose. In other words, I was starting to trust them. I've been on my own so long (including SCA fighting-wise) that I tend to not trust those around me 100% for fear of being let down and disappointed again. The past's ugly head comes rearing again. Sigh. At least I am recognizing that issue and am facing it. I am now surrounded by genuine people that really do want to teach me. I've known it for awhile, it's just accepting that fact is not my norm. Another defensive mechanism. Gee, I got's lots of 'em. Rod won, again.
Round three: was so tired and winded that I wasn't even thinking anymore. When the lay-on was called, it seemed that Rod and I faced each other without engaging for what seemed like an eternity. My mind was completely blank. I don't even recall who started the first engagement but I fought much better. I was centered, I only threw shots that I truly intended and with much better body mechanics (instead of wildly throwing & hoping something would land). I almost got Rod twice: once with an offside body slot and a flat snap to the head. He did take the win for all three bouts, but in each one I progressed in some sense. Some of the progression is coming now as I right this down.
After fighting Rod, I thought I was done for the night. Turns out that wasn't the idea of the other fighters at practice. Next in line was Ulfred. We worked on fighting from different guard positions and ranges, timing the block with the offensive throw and use of trigger to create impact. We did a little sparring, but mostly worked at slow to mid speed.
Next was Slade. I was getting cold and felt pretty spent. I really did not have much left in me and don't remember much about the fights I had with him.
Finally, matched up against Olin. He is rather intimidating to stand across from. And even though I was cold, tired and at the end of my game I still fought. We worked on me stepping and shielding towards his armpit to deliver the wrap. He said I gave him a bruise. That made me smile. I even asked for one more last fight out of him before I completely collapsed from exhaustion.
All in all I was in armor for 70-80 minutes, of which I spent fighting all but maybe 10 minutes. My muscles today are sore and do have a couple of bruised spots to rub arnica into. There's no other practices this week until next Monday. So if you are reading this and will be in the Portland area next Monday, come on out and take a whack at me. I can always use a good whacking!
One of my prior air traffic controller jobs was as an aviation weather briefer; which means I am/was professionally trained and certified to review weather charts, maps, radar, satellite imagery, etc to brief pilots on weather conditions, both present and forecasted movement. In preparation of travelling I usually check the data out at www.weather.gov. Last night I reviewed the data and made the decision to not chance the drive on Saturday to attend the fighter workshop in Renton, WA because all the charts and radar data indicated an extremely high chance (like 100%) of some type of precipitation over night & into the morning at or below freezing temperatures. Now I'm pissed off because the freaking weather out here cannot behave the way that the charts and radar say it's going to! I should have just set my alarm clock and got up at the butt-crack of dawn to check conditions. No! I had to trust the weather maps instead! Bleh!
It's been a lot of work, but I'm pretty happy with the results. My sewing skills have improved vastly, thanks to the pointers by all my friends! Thanks!
I've also got a couple of other projects to work on in the next few weeks: a pewter casting project, and hopefully a weaving project for the 12th Knight Auction. My plan is to weave the material to make a haversack. Actually, I started that weaving project today. It's purple and blue warp with a white weft. I'm liking it so far. See here:
So I'm wondering where everyone is staying. I've got 2 different options right now and I'd like to choose the option that best facilitates, um, the parties and social aspect. Right now I could either be staying at the main hotel or at the Holiday Inn Express.
I want to go but I'd rather go with some folks instead of going alone. Duke Havouc and Sir Mari (from the West) are going to be teaching this time around. I can drive or I can ride; let me know, 'kay?
Started the week off pretty crappy with a bad, bad case of food poisoning (which I gave to myself through some home-made Sauerbrauten -- it'll be awhile before I fix this dish again!). Slowly got better, but was still a little sensitive in the stomach department up until Thursday. Thank goodness! I took my dogs over to drgntrainer 's house for the Thanksgiving festivities. This year they fixed a ham instead of a turkey as the protein dish for the celebratory meal. So I made cheese podadoes (cheese mashed potatoes from my youth) as a side dish and a pumpkin pie for dessert. We also had steamed asparagus, acorn squash, olives and crescent rolls. Yum to the deliciousness of all the food!
Since I was not able to go to my mom's for the holiday (she lives in NC), I moved into drgntrainer 's house for the weekend. Brought with me my 12th Night garb sewing project to work on. It's a 16th century French gown. I've used a golden velvet, a green/gold brocade and an eggshell satin (all materials that have been in my stash for quite sometime). It's coming along pretty well; damn it is heavy! :-) I've completed a lot of the work on it but there is still so much to do still (mostly hand work). Thankfully we decided to start these dresses weeks ago. I've not attempted an outfit of this caliber before, so I'm learning so many things and am gaining a lot of confidence in my ability to sew (which I have felt has never been my strong suit). Hopefully the finished product will be pretty and not fall apart! :-)
My dog Homer got drgntrainer 's family a free Christmas tree yesterday! The local radio station 105.1 hosted their annual Tree-Pee event at Sleigh Bells of Sherwood tree farm. The event goes like this: the first 105 families/dogs get a chance to pee on or near a set of trees; if they pee within 105 seconds, the family gets a free tree! When it was our turn, Homer went to the first tree and watered it within seconds, winning us a free tree! My other dog, Tyge, succumbed to peer pressure and was a little overwhelmed to perform. That was okay; we only needed one tree because I don't have room for a live tree. The tree that was selected (not one of the pee'd on trees of course!) is a 7 foot Douglas fir. It's very pretty and for some reason drgntrainer 's cats love it!
All in all it was a very good weekend. But it hasn't ended yet: I'm going over to khalja 's house today for some weaving time! Yay!!
accomplished
sore
contemplative
pissed off
optimistic