- Freestyle fencing with the historical arsenal
Sparring Tips
Sparring Tips
Below are some suggestions for the people new to Realistic Sparring Weapons combat.
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Whenever you can, learn from the historical sources. People in the past had fought for their life and developed highly sophisticated techniques.
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Speed is not everything. Timing and distance are more important. Example below:
From left to right, Patrick (left hand side) struck first and fast. Lancelot (right hand side) leaned backward to void the strike just by an inch, showing confidence in timing and distancing.
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Lancelot then counter struck at Patrick once the opponent was unable to move just after the strike. |
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Hit the closest targets available. It often leads to fingers and legs. No fingers = no weapon holding ability. No legs = no standing (kneeing-down will only stretch the muscles wider and enlarge the wound) = no fight. Example below:
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When the opponent has the longer weapon, fight close by rushing in. When the opponent has the shorter weapon, fight far by keeping distance. Example below:
Japanese Katana is shorter than European Bastard Sword. Patrick (right hand side) started by binding with the opponent's weapon and then rushed in.
During the binding, Patrick hooked the European Bastard Sword aside with the spine and the guard of his Japanese Katana.
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Then Patrick finished Ben off with a cut on the head right away. |
In another fight, Patrick started by rushing and striking simultaneously. This time Ben had learned the lesson and stayed out of range to make better use of his longer weapon.
Ben voided Patrick's first attack and then countered by cutting at Patrick's forearm.
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Thrusts can be surprisingly fast and launched at the unaware opponent with good effect. If you are good at it, you may be able to stop a lot of incoming attacks before they were fully launch by thrusting at the weapon-wielding hand.
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Unarmed hand is faster than armed hand due to the lack of loading, but shorter in reach. Be sure to put your offhand in use when you are holding your weapon with single hand.
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In group battle, some moves are not feasible without hitting your teammates. Formation fighting is different from 1 on 1 dueling. Stay tight and fight as a group are more important than individual skill.
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When fighting against multiple opponents, some moves that work in 1 on 1 dueling are not desirable because they would open you up for the opponents' counter attack.
You may discover more tips along with your sparring. Happy playing and learning. Good luck!