A manual explaining the fundamentals of SCA heavy weapons combat using the

'Lazy Heater'style of fighting, from the point of view of a fairly

defensive fighter

Surely there are other books that present the fundamentals of SCA combat,

and there are certainly people who are better qualified than I to write

one. The only other manual I came across, while very good, discussed an

aggressive round- shield, 'weapon-behind-your-head' style that I'm not

comfortable fighting or teaching. I profess the Lazy Heater style of

fighting! So... after spending a good chunk of time in the last few years

training people to fight in the SCA, I figured it was time to write down

what I know and do in the interest of keeping myself straight.

I. Defense, trust your stance!

* 1) Stance

* 2) What Your Basic Stance Should Provide

* 3) Shield, How to Block

* 4) Blocking With Your Weapon

* 5) Range

* 6) Movement

* 7) Tenacity

* 8) Know Your Opponent

* 9) Offense by Defense

II. Offense

* 1) How to Throw an Effective Blow

* 2) The Five Basic Blows

* 3) Return Blows & Combination Attacks

* 4) Wraps

* 5) Thrusts & Thrust Feints

* 6) Range

* 7) Movement

* 8) Tenacity

* 9) Shield Work

* 10) Aggression

III. Notes on facing other weapons systems

* 1) Facing an Opposite Handed Fighter

* 2) Facing a Florentine Fighter

* 3) Facing a Mace Fighter

* 4) Facing a Pole Arm Fighter

IV. In Closing

"Who is this Mieczko guy, and what does he know about SCA fighting?

I am an ordinary fighter from House Ironwolf, the Household of Sir Osric

Eisenwulf. We are located in the Middle Kingdom, near Detroit, MI. As of

this revision, I have been fighting for about seven years, have been Sir

Osric's squire for about four years. Seven years of fighting is long enough

to learn a lot, but not so long that I can't remember the frustration of

trying to learn how to fight. I'm a pretty good fighter, but more so than

that I am a teacher. I have found myself teaching new fighters on a regular

basis. I remember wishing that there was a book, or a set of instructions

that I could read to help me retain what I was taught in practices. I

realize that there is no way that book learning can prepare you for SCA

heavy weapons combat, so this booklet is meant to be used as a supplement

to 'in armor' training. It covers what I would expect a reasonably

competent beginner to master in about six months of steady practice. I

tried to keep it mostly to the basics, with a little bit extra thrown in to

give the fighter ideas about where to go next. It gives the new fighter

something to remember the lessons by, as well as a written copy of how to

perform the maneuvers they learn while fighting. Fighters who wish to work

on their own between practices can double check the sections they were

working on to help avoid learning bad habits. If you read carefully, you

will notice my tendency to fight fairly defensively, but I don't consider

myself to be a timid fighter. I do, however, win a lot of fights where I

block many blows and throw only one. I hope this proves useful to you,

whether you are a new fighter using it to learn from, or an experienced

fighter using it to teach from.

Copyright 1996

[Image]

Acknowledgements: I would like to thank some people who have been

instrumental in the development of my fighting skills and style.

Sir Osric Eisenwulf, my first and most innovative teacher

Forgan Aurelius, who taught me the benefits of violence

Earl Baron Sir Brannos O'Irongardail, who spends a lot of time teaching

Sir Bran Cuillean Mac Muirchu, who taught me to throw inside shots and who,

as my early nemesis, taught me how to win when it counts.

Comments, Complaints, Questions, Observations?

If you have questions or comments please feel free to e-mail me at:

mieczko@home.com

Also,check out the House Ironwolf Home Page at:

http://

Any updates to this booklet can be seen at:

http://members.home.net/mieczko/manual.htm

Mieczko Sword & Shield

I. Defense

Stance

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Let's take a minute and talk about a 'proper' stance. Your stance defines

about 75% of your defense, and a good chunk of your offense as well! It is

important that you train your body and muscles to be able to hold yourself

in a good stance comfortably. This will not happen immediately! Don't be

discouraged by the fact that what people tell you is "proper" stance feels

uncomfortable and strained. Just commit yourself to learning how to get

into and maintain that stance and it will become second nature fairly

quickly.

My idea of a proper stance has the toe of my shield-side foot forward, and

pointing directly at my opponent. If the toe is allowed to turn in to your

sword side you are limiting your forward movement potential and turning the

unprotected back of your shield leg to your opponent, who is likely to

bruise it mercilessly! The feet are a little wider than shoulder width

apart, and the back foot is perpendicular to the front foot. If you drew a

line through your front foot, it would intersect the middle of your back

foot. You will want to bend your knees to lower your stance a bit, probably

a little lower than feels comfortable at first. This keeps you in a

position from which you can move quickly, as well as bringing your shield

down a little to help protect your leg. Your weight should be centered

between the two feet, leaving you in a position where you can move quickly

in just about any direction.

Your shield, and its position, is a major part of your stance. I like to

think of a 3" rule. If I have to move my shield more than 3 inches to block

a 'normal' shot, I was out of position! This can be accomplished even with

a relatively small shield! (mine is 25" tall) My discussion will assume the

use of a 'heater' type shield, i.e. one with corners at the top and a

rounded point at the bottom. Usually, heater technique tends to be a little

'lazier' than round shield usage. Your stance, therefore, needs to put you

in a position where little movement is required to block most shots. If

your stance is too upright, and there is not enough bend in your knees, you

will have trouble defending your legs. Find a full-length mirror somewhere

and observe yourself in stance. If there is a big gap between the bottom of

your shield, and legal leg target area (1" above the knee) then you are

likely to have trouble defending that leg! You will find that lifting your

shield 3" above a 'normal' position will block most 'normal' blows to your

head coming from the shield side. Trust your stance! Keep your shield close

to your body. When you move your shield away from your body, your leg and

body often become open to attack. Keeping the shield close to your body

makes it harder for a shot to sneak around or under it.

Your weapon is the last major piece in your stance, and there are many

theories on how the weapon figures into your stance. Remember, this is

Mieczko Sword and Shield, so the ideas posted here are mine, and are not

necessarily held dear by fighters everywhere! I usually keep my sword hand

even with my shield hand, which should be just a little lower than your

chin. I hold the sword vertically, which puts it in a position to block any

blow coming in from my sword side toward my head. This forward sword

position can make throwing an effective blow difficult, so your sword

mechanics are extremely important. There are also times when I hold the

sword hand directly on top of the shield hand, leaving the sword 'posted'

on the corner of the shield. This position allows you to block nearly all

shots coming at your head with minimal movement. I will discuss these

positions more in the Defense section.

What Your Basic Stance Should Provide

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Remember that your stance defines about 75% of your defense. I will try to

illustrate some of the ways that happens first, and then talk about some

more general concepts. Your 'base' stance should put you in a position from

which you can block most blows with a minimum of movement, and from which

you can move quickly in any direction. It should also put you in a position

where your opponent has only very small target areas to shoot for. The

hardest part of SCA combat for many people is to maintain their stance as

they move and fight. Many fighters have a nice stance that is abandoned

when the first blow is thrown, or the first step is taken. These are people

who get hit in the legs a lot! You will find that a proper stance guards

you against most possible attacks, so you have an idea of what areas you

need to actively guard. Experienced fighters know this so they will try to

get you to move your guard so that you leave an opening. How many times

have you seen a fighter drop his/her shoulder like they were going for your

leg and then hit you in the head? If you don't move the shield down to

block your leg you would have plenty of time to block the shot coming at

your head. Trust your stance to put you in a position where you can defend

yourself with small movements, and don't jump all over when your opponent

is trying to get you to move from your stance to create an opening.

Your opponent launches a quick shot to the side of your head, you move your

shield to block and now you're out of stance. If you think about it,

whenever you block, you put yourself out of stance, and for that matter you

are out of stance when you attack too! There is no way to avoid this. The

answer is to recover quickly. The key to quick recovery is to minimize the

movement in the first place. Do you remember my 3" rule? If you only have

to move a small amount to make the block, you should be able to recover

your stance very quickly. This will help reduce the effectiveness of most

combination attacks your opponent may try. Many times attacks are designed

to get you out of your solid defensive position. Whenever you are out of

stance your opponent will have more choices of where to hit you, and easier

targets to hit. The trick is to move as little as possible to block the

blow, and to return to your base stance as quickly as possible. This is

true whether you block with the weapon or the shield, or whether you just

move out of the way; the sooner you get back into your stance the less

vulnerable you should be.

In my normal stance, I expect my shield to cover any shots coming from my

shield side. I expect my weapon to block shots coming through my weapon

side, and most overhead shots as well. If you try to block a shot coming

straight down with your shield you may 'blind' yourself. I try never to put

my own shield in my face, as I like to see what's going on. I will use the

shield to block a shot thrown at my sword-side hip/body, but these areas

should not be too vulnerable if you are in a good stance, and these blocks

still fall within my 3" rule.

Shield, How to Block

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You should block shots at you head with the top-inside corner of your

shield. I think of it as blocking with my fist. Think of the corner of your

shield as an extension of your hand. You want to hold the shield with that

corner a little higher than the other, and when you lift the shield, think

of moving just that corner of the shield to make the block. Many people

tend to leave the top of the shield parallel with the ground. When they

lift the shield, they keep it parallel. These people leave a larger 'slot'

over the shield, and have to lift their shields higher to make a block than

they need to. Draw an imaginary line on your shield that cuts 3" of the

corner where your hand is. You should try to block most shots coming toward

your head with that section of the shield. In the 'lazy heater' school of

thought there is no real advantage to blocking the shot way out in front of

you, so be cool, and make the smallest move possible to block the shot. If

you are blocking shots with the middle of your shield, either the shots are

poorly aimed, or you are moving too much!

A leg shot should be blocked with the very bottom portion of the shield.

Think of this as an extension of your elbow. When you go to block a leg

shot, drop the elbow just a little bit. Don't try to drop your hand! Your

hand controls the top corner, but not the bottom tip of your shield. Try

this: Hold a shield in your hand, and get in stance. Move your hand

downward a little. What happens to the point of the shield? It moves

backward, leaving more of your leg open than before!! Think of using your

ELBOW to block a leg shot, this will allow the bottom tip of the shield to

move down, covering the target area. This is an area where many newer

fighters have trouble. My first set of leg armor had big plates to cover

the back of my legs. Why? Because my toe moved out of stance leaving the

back of my leg exposed, and I tried to block leg shots with my hand, which

actually moved the point of my shield out of the way of the incoming

bruise!! You will find that an awareness of your elbow as the controlling

factor in blocking your legs will reduce the amount of movement needed to

block most leg shots, and it will reduce the number of bruises you get as

well!

Blocking With Your Weapon

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Your weapon is an integral part of your defense. I understand that there

are entire schools of thought that say, "Your shield is for blocking things

and your sword is for killing things and don't get them confused!" but I

don't buy into that. I use my sword to block more than most people I know.

This is largely because I fight a fairly defensive fight, waiting for the

opportunities that come when your opponent commits himself. It may seem

really defensive to block a lot of shots with your sword, but many sword

blocks leave you in a prime position from which to launch an attack! The

weapon is also often the best thing to block a wrap to the head. It can be

very difficult to move your shield far enough, quick enough to block a good

wrap, but moving your sword into position to the side or back of your

helmet is usually pretty easy. If you do use your shield to block a wrap,

you will break the 3" rule, as you may have to move the shield pretty far

to stop the shot. This can be advantageous sometimes because an incoming

wrap usually takes longer to develop than a normal shot. You can use this

time to block with the shield and then throw a good counter blow and often

take the arm or gain an upper hand in the fight this way.

Another defensive trick involving your weapon is the 'Post Defense.' In

this defense, you put your sword hand pretty much on top of the shield

hand, leaving the sword vertical. Now the sword becomes an extension of the

corner of your shield and can be used to block just about any blow to the

head except a wrap. When you are in a post defense, you simply turn your

body a little toward the blow coming your way. This will bring your sword

into a position to block the blow, meanwhile you have moved very little and

are still pretty much in stance. The drawback is that it is tough to throw

a good shot quickly from this position.

Range

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Range is very important in SCA combat. Most new fighters have trouble

figuring out where they should be in relation to their opponent. There are

three basic ranges, four if you want to get picky. The first of these is

the range where the fighters are so far apart that neither fighter can hit

the other. Second is the range where one fighter can land a killing blow,

but the other is not close enough yet. The third range is where both

fighters can throw killing blows. The last one is close-in or 'belly to

belly' range. Most new fighters can end up on the wrong end of the second

range. New fighters are usually trained to fight with short swords, because

it's easier to learn to throw your blows correctly and they encourage you

to 'get in there' and fight your opponent. This often leaves them in a

position where their opponent has greater range than they do. Shorter

fighters often find themselves in this situation as well. The trick for

these people is not to stay in the position where their opponent can hit

them and they can't hit back yet. More on this when we talk about movement,

but remember that if you can't kill your opponent, don't be in a spot where

they can kill you!

Let's assume that you have gotten into your killing range. For most people

the best range is when you hold your sword out and it just lays on your

opponent's shoulder. This is a good place to be. You have your greatest

selection of offensive blows, but your opponent has his/her best selection

as well. When fighting at this range, I usually throw a lot of counter

blows. I stay in my stance, not giving my opponent any obvious targets.

When they move to throw a blow or combination they often leave an opening

for an attack. You can't expect to do the same thing every time though, so

you will have to be comfortable initiating the action from this range as

well. When I'm feeling offensive I usually close to belly to belly range.

This range limits some offensive options, but it also limits the options

open to your opponent. Some fighters feel more comfortable trying to deal

with a smaller number of possibilities from their opponent while trying to

get aggressive.

Movement

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Movement, especially when it takes you between the ranges discussed above,

is crucial to both offense and defense. We start a fight outside of each

other's range. If your opponent has greater range than you, your first task

becomes getting into a position where you can hit your opponent without

getting killed, and staying there! I always tell people that you should go

from completely out of range, to in your range INSTANTLY. I realize that

physics says you must pass through that second range for at least a moment,

but you should be there as little time as is possible. Be aware that

transitions between ranges give both fighters an opportunity. Don't be

pressured into changing ranges prematurely. If your opponent goes into some

weird looking shot that you aren't sure about, simply move away! The

transition from 'out of range' to 'in range' is a prime killing

opportunity, especially for the fighter with greater range. Don't let that

transition happen until you are ready to use it to your advantage.

Likewise, the transition from 'in range' to 'out of range' is also fraught

with peril. Expect your opponent to leave you with a parting shot as you

break engagement. Which begs a question... If your opponent has greater

range than you, why would you want to break engagement? Once you have left

your killing range you have thrown away the work you did to get there! My

favorite transition is to go into 'belly to belly' range. Many fighters are

not comfortable at this range, and many attacks become much easier to

block. So, as strange as it sounds, I consider it sound defensive strategy

to climb right up on my opponent. (Be careful if your opponent has a mace

however!)

As you are moving, whether to change range, or to keep the range the same,

it is important to take small steps. If you take big lumbering steps, you

may move quite fast, but you will be unable to change direction quickly

enough. Taking small quick steps allows you to move laterally and pursue

your opponent as they try sneak away to one side or the other. It also lets

you react to openings and incoming attacks more quickly. This is especially

important if you have an opponent who is determined to keep you from

getting into your range, like a pole arm fighter. Also, taking small steps

helps reduce the amount that your body and shield move during your

movement. It is extremely important to retain your stance, and the

protection it delivers, while you are moving. Experienced fighters know to

look for openings that are created because of movement. If you let your

shield bob up and down while you move, your opponent will time it and it

will sound like BANG! You also need to move without rising up in your

stance. Find that mirror again, and get into stance. Practice taking a

small step forward with your front foot and recovering with your back foot

without allowing your upper body any up and down movement. Think of your

body as sitting on the 'table' of your hips. You should be able to move

quickly without having the body jostle around on that table! Also do not

let your shield 'open' while moving. The tendency is to let the shield move

further toward your shield side when you start your first step. This

creates openings for your opponent that were not there before you moved.

As you move, initiate each motion with the front foot, then let the back

foot recover back into stance. Even if you are moving very quickly make

each step work this way. Do not allow your back foot to cross over in front

of your shield-side foot! That opens up the whole sword side of your body

to attack. Even if you are moving backwards you should move the front foot

first. Practice this, a lot. It will pay huge dividends; many people are

killed again and again because they lose their disciplined stance as they

move, and an opening is created. This is especially true of your first

step. The tendency is to raise the shield, ever so slightly, when you step

off and then drop it as your rear foot moves forward. (That, by the way,

often sounds like BANG! when it happens.) If you can keep your upper body

stable like we discussed earlier, you will not have this problem, and you

will save yourself from a good chunk of range based attacks.

Tenacity

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This goes hand in hand with movement. You must WANT to be at the range you

find comfortable MORE than your opponent wants to be at his/her range.

Never let an opponent dictate range to you. Similarly, never be in a spot

where you can be hit, but you cannot hit your opponent. Tenacity does not

mean wildness, or being mean spirited. It means sticking to your plan and

imposing your will on the fight. Another aspect of tenacity is developing

plans to make your style work under less than perfect conditions.

Example: You are faced with the classic 'Head or Leg' situation. Your

opponent has greater range than you, and is very quick. You are likely to

get hit on the way in, but you need to close to get into your range.

Possible solution: You know that your likely looking targets are your leg

and head, coming from your shield side. Start to come in, and just as you

enter your opponents range, sell out completely to defense. Drop your

shield to cover your leg, and cross your sword over to cover your head,

leaving no gap between sword and shield. Block the expected shot and throw

a counter blow. You're in!!

This won't work all the time, but it is an example of having to manufacture

an opportunity. There will be times that your opponent has a distinct

advantage in range, speed, experience or ability. It takes tenacity to

compete and win despite these obstacles!

Know Your Opponent

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The more you know about your opponent, the less learning you have to do

during a fight. If you know your opponent's strengths and weaknesses you

have a jump start on winning a fight. My favorite tactic along this line is

to try to discover each fighter's best attack. Most fighters have one or

two shots that they naturally throw effectively. If you observe a fighter

for several bouts, you can pick up things like this. If you know a

fighter's best shot, take it away from them. I often enter a bout thinking:

"Joe Hotstick's best shot is the whippy-do fake head shot; I will not allow

him to hit me with that! If he wants to beat me, he will have to beat me

with something else!" This gives you something to focus your defense and

thinking on, and also takes away your opponent's best shot. Many very good

fighters become fairly average fighters if you take away their 'bread &

butter' shot.

If you don't know the individual fighter, try to learn as much about them

from their appearance, their armor, the way other people speak-to/treat

them and the way they carry themselves as you can. While you will

occasionally come across someone who truly surprises you, you will find

that you can come pretty close to guessing what a fighter's game is, and

how good they are.

Defense by Offense

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There are times when a good offense truly is the best defense. Recognizing

when your best defensive option is to throw a few shots can help you out of

some awkward situations. If you find yourself in a situation where you are

out of stance, or your defense is compromised in some way, throwing a good

hard shot may force your opponent to block. If your opponent is busy

blocking, you stand a better chance of surviving until you can regain your

stance. If your opponent doesn't respect your ability to hit him/her, they

will feel very confident and press their attacks very aggressively. You

need to throw enough, and good enough, shots at your opponent to let them

know that you can hit them. Even fighters who are fairly defensive realize

that if you are too passive, your opponent will throw the kitchen sink at

you and eventually hit you with something!

This line of thought leads us to Aggression. In a normal situation, being

overly aggressive is likely to lead you into a mistake. (Mistakes often

sound like BANG!) Often, however, you will need to employ some aggression

to exert your will onto the fight. There are many situations in melee

combat where aggression is the best strategy, but I want to focus on

individual combat. I find that aggression, combined with closing to

'belly-to-belly' range can keep an otherwise dangerous opponent buttoned up

long enough for you to win the bout. I also find that sometimes, when two

fighters are evenly matched, that one fighter becomes very aggressive and

sometimes 'beats' his opponent into submission. Used with moderation,

aggression can be a very effective weapon in your arsenal. I will often

start a fight very defensively, probing my opponent to see what his/her

strengths and weaknesses are. When I think I have found them, I attack

relentlessly. The sudden switch from defense to aggressive offense will

catch many opponents unaware, and many bouts are won this way.

II. OFFENSE

Many fighters suffer from poor blow mechanics. Most of these fighter's

shots are doomed to failure regardless of whether their opponent tries to

block the blow or not. There are two major types of problems I see with a

lot of blows. The first is the blow that is not thrown hard enough to be

effective. While this is usually a problem with newer fighters, many

experienced fighters occasionally throw blows that are not hard enough to

score. The second is the blow that is not aimed properly. New and

experienced fighters alike throw these blows. If you are throwing blows

that land in the middle of your opponent's shield, your blow was poorly

aimed, and therefore wasted. Both of these problems can be largely avoided

if you use the proper mechanics when you deliver your blows!

How to Throw an Effective Blow

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Delivering a proper sword blow is one of the most complicated actions

involved with SCA combat. I will give a quick description of the mechanics

involved, as well as a few exercises for you to work on. Often, fighters

throw shots using improper mechanics. Some try to throw blows using only

their arms, or even relying on the strength in their wrists to try to

'snap' a shot in there. And while some of these shots may be effective,

knowledge of how your body can most effectively throw a blow is essential

for those who want to excel.

Pop quiz time!! From what part of your body should a blow start? If you

guessed wrists, arms or shoulders you were wrong! A blow should start from

your back foot. Think of yourself in your stance... now think of yourself

in stance as a coiled spring, ready to release! The power from a blow

starts as you push off your back foot. You push forward, not up! You should

not rise out of stance when delivering a normal blow. The energy is then

transmitted to your hips, you must swivel your hips a little to transmit

that force, and add energy to it. The energy has started from your back

foot, and has gone through your hips, gaining momentum there and is now

about to reach your shoulders. Your shoulders accept the energy coming from

the beginning of the blow, and by rotating into the blow, increase it.

Think of where your shoulders are when you start in your stance. You

shoulders should be roughly square to your opponent by the time your blow

is delivered, this rotation of the shoulders allows all that energy

developed by the rest of your body to be transmitted into forward motion.

Your arm & hand become an extension of the shoulder at this point. As your

shoulder comes forward, your hand starts to move forward, and your sword

actually will trail a little behind your hand. When your shoulder has

reached it's full rotation, and you are roughly square to your opponent

your arm extends adding the last bit of 'pop' to your blow. Finally, when

your arm is extended, you allow your wrist to aim the blow where it needs

to go. For the most common blow, the one that goes over your opponent's

shield and strikes their helm, your wrist moves in a way that leaves your

palm facing up. The sword ends up parallel to the ground, with the EDGE of

the sword striking your opponent.

This sounds like an awful lot of energy going into one movement, and it is!

The object is not to hit your opponent as hard as you can though. The

object is to throw an efficient, effective blow that doesn't over tax your

body or your stamina. In review; the shot starts from your back foot. Power

is transmitted through your hips up to your shoulders. You direct that

energy, and add to it by rotating your shoulders until they are roughly

square with your opponent. When your shoulders have reached their full

rotation you extend the arm, and when the arm achieves its full extension

you direct the sword with your wrist.

Get in front of your mirror again. Go through this sequence VERY SLOWLY and

watch yourself with your most critical eye. Make sure that you do not rise

up as you deliver the blow. Rising up takes energy, energy that could be

directed into the blow. It is very natural to want to rise up when you push

off your back foot, and also when you turn your hips into the blow. As you

practice this make an effort to blend the separate parts discussed here

into one, fluid motion. Also practice returning to stance as fluently and

efficiently as you can. Go to the dollar store and get a plastic whiffle

ball bat. Find a tree or a telephone pole, or a pell if you are fortunate

enough to have access to one, and practice this motion until it starts to

feel natural. You will eventually develop the 'muscle memory' to make this

motion happen without thinking about it.

The Five Basic Blows

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Now that you know how a blow should be delivered, it is time to show you

the five basic blows that come out of this motion. 1) Over the opponent's

shield, striking the helm. I talked a little about this one already. As

your arm finishes its extension, turn your wrist so that your hand has the

palm facing straight up, leaving the sword parallel to the ground. When you

finish this blow you should look sort of like a waiter, ready to hold a

platter on your outstretched hand. It is very important to get the sword

parallel to the ground with this shot because this forces your opponent to

move their shield more to block the shot. 2) Under the opponent's shield,

striking their leg. This may sound strange, but the only difference between

these two shots is how your wrist directs the blow. As your arm finishes

its extension, aim the blow downward instead of upward. Your hand will

still finish palm facing upward, and your arm will be in roughly the same

position it was in for the first shot we studied. The key to both of these

shots is the 'paralellness' of the shots to the ground. If the sword is

coming down from the shoulder in a 'chopping' motion, it is very easy to

spot and block. When the sword comes from the side as in our motion here,

your intended target is not easy to spot, and it requires more movement to

block. 3) 'Cross shot' hitting your opponent's helm. Again, all that is

different is how your wrist controls the direction the sword finally takes.

With this shot, your palm should end up facing down, this will cause the

sword to cross to your shield side. The finish position of this shot should

look just like the finish position of the other two except for the position

of the hand and sword. 4) "Cross shot" hitting your opponent's leg or hip.

The most difficult of the five basic shots. Your wrist ends up palm down

again, but you aim the shot lower with the sword. Many people try to

'sweep' down to the leg when they attack this target, but this shot does

not 'sweep' at all. It is just like the previous shot, only aimed down

instead of up. The reason this shot seems difficult is that the target is

usually your opponent's back leg, which is further away and therefore

harder to hit than the other targets we have discussed. You will find this

shot more useful as you gain experience. 5) Straight down shot. This shot

comes straight down, hitting your opponent's facegrille, or the top of

their helm. As your arm reaches full extension, leave your wrist pretty

much the way it is! Your palm should end up facing directly to your

shield-side, and your hand should be straight up & down.

These are the five basic shots. Get your whiffle ball bat, and punish a

telephone pole near you!! The more you practice these, the more natural

they will become. The knowledge of how to throw effective, efficient blows

will also help you fine tune new shots that you add to your arsenal making

sure that each is fundamentally sound.

Return Blows and Combination Attacks

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It is very unlikely that you will kill your opponent with the first blow

you throw. With that in mind, I would like to bring up Return Blows. A

return blow is a shot designed to take advantage of the position a previous

shot leaves you in and, if possible, help 'reset' your body back into

stance. Eventually you will be using some of the basic blows to set up a

return blow! I don't have very many return blows, but the ones I use are an

integral part of my fighting style.

Basic Return Blow: The most basic return blow works off of the most common

of the basic blows. Picture yourself having just thrown a solid blow toward

your opponent's helm, trying to get over the shield. Your arm is

outstretched, your palm is facing up, your shoulders are roughly square

with your opponent and your hips are turned a little more square than

normal. The trick is to use the motion that you would normally use going

back into stance and focus it to throw another blow! The easiest of these

is to throw a 'cross-shot' to the other side of your opponent's helm. The

process is almost the reversal of the first blow! Here's how: First you

press off of your FRONT foot, the energy is transmitted to your hips which

rotate back into the 'normal' stance position. This passes the energy back

to your shoulders, which rotate back to their 'normal' stance position,

focusing and increasing the energy. Now you turn the sword over, and snap

it across to the other side of your opponent's helm. It helps me to think

of pulling my elbow up and away from me as I perform this move. When the

sword strikes your opponent, your palm should be facing down. The movement

of the elbow forces the hand and sword to follow. Notice that when this

motion is performed, you are very close to being back in your stance! This

return blow also works after a shot to your opponent's leg.

Find your mirror, and your whiffle ball bat again. Practice the 'normal'

blow, then the return blow. VERY SLOWLY. Watch every movement you make in

this combination of blows. Are you rising up out of stance? Is your balance

moving out of center? Are your feet moving? The answer to all three of

these questions should be no! Don't take this to mean that you shouldn't

throw a blow while moving, but you should be able to throw those blows from

a stationary position without moving your feet or upsetting your balance.

Since the blow has very nearly returned you to your normal stance, guess

what? Right! It might be time to throw another blow! In any event, one

principle behind SCA combat, and offense in general, is to not put yourself

out of position either with an attacking or defending move.

Another return blow is one that often follows our first return blow. (Does

that make it a return-return blow? Or a Return to Sender blow?) After the

return blow we just illustrated, you are very nearly back in your stance.

The main difference is in the position of your hand and elbow. Your elbow

is 'cocked' behind, and higher that its normal position. Your hand has its

palm facing down instead of to the left as in your normal stance. This

return blow takes advantage of the position your hand and elbow find

themselves in. From the starting position described, start a 'normal' blow

as far as the movement of hips & shoulders is concerned. But, have your

hand move at about a 45-degree angle across the front of your body. When

your arm reaches its full extension, your hand should be in front of your

shield shoulder. Imagine an opponent in front of you for a moment. It is

likely that your hand is now past the corner of his/her shield! Now let

your hand direct the sword just a little to your sword side of straight

down. This blow is designed to sneak around the corner of a shield and land

right in the middle of the face of your opponent. Your wrist has to bend a

little more than normal to get the proper angle on the attack. Again find

your mirror and whiffle ball bat. Practice this slowly, eventually

graduating to a telephone pole or pell. These two return blows, in addition

to the most common basic blow, make a potent 3-shot combination, that

should be in everybody's arsenal of attacks.

You will discover that knowing several different combination attacks will

open your offensive options us a lot. As you learn more advanced shots,

think of how they can fit in with your existing shots to help you create

even more combinations. Having a combination of 2 - 4 shots 'hardwired,' so

that it can be thrown without thinking about it leaves your mind more time

to look for openings and react to your opponent's actions.

Wraps

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Wraps can be used as a 'first' blow, or as a return blow in a combination.

Many people refer to a wrap as a Thumb-Leader, and here's why. Think of a

'normal' shot. Keep it the same all the way through the extension of the

arm. Get into stance and start a normal shot, stopping at the point where

your arm is fully extended. Instead of letting the sword simply smack into

your opponent's helmet, turn your hand over, leading the sword tip in an

arc away from you. Now let the sword 'wrap' around behind your opponent,

striking the back of the helmet. To make sure that you strike with the

edge, rather than the flat of the blade, make sure that your thumb is the

first part of your hand to make it around, and that your palm is facing

downward when contact is made. Notice that you are striking your opponent

with the 'inside' edge of the sword, instead of the outer edge. Wraps are

also effective when targeted against the side of an opponent's head, as

this allows the shot to be thrown from a little further away.

If you have ever seen someone throw a wrap before, or if you have thrown

them yourself, take a second and picture what it looked like. How far did

the arm move away from the body? Many people try to deliver a wrap by

throwing the sword out to the side and swinging it back toward their

opponent. Have you ever seen someone do this? Have you ever thought to

yourself "If he does that against ME, I'll chop his arm off three times

before he can get halfway through the shot!"? It is important that you keep

your arm straight in front of you. Re-read the description of the wrap

above. Notice that the arm motion is exactly the same as in a 'normal'

shot. This keeps your arm in closer to the body, and doesn't leave it

hanging out where it can get hit. Getting a hard shot to the biceps muscle

is not fun, especially since most of us do not have armor there.

Wraps can be particularly effective when used in a combination with other

shots. They do take a little longer to throw however, so practice the

combinations with your whiffle ball bat to get a feel for how the timing

will differ. Since your hand is moving back toward you at the end of the

wrap, you are usually in a position to throw a 'normal' blow quickly after

a wrap as well. Try throwing wraps to the body and leg as well. The

infamous Butt Wrap is the subject many SCA combat horror tales. There are

times when moving laterally can be beneficial. Taking a step to your sword

side as you throw the wrap often gives you a better angle at your opponent.

More on this in the chapter on movement. In any event, don't leave your arm

out to be hit, as this is a particularly tender spot!

One more fairly popular wrap shot is the 'scorpion' shot. In this shot,

your arm extends nearly straight up and the blow is thrown over your

opponent to the top, or back of the helm. This blow is tricky to master,

but can be very effective after throwing a lot of shots that approach your

opponent from the sides. Remember to follow the basic beginning of a normal

shot, pushing off your back foot, rotating your hips then your shoulders,

but when it comes time to extend the arm, send it mostly upward instead of

straight forward. Once your arm reaches it's full extension, turn your hand

over and strike your opponent's helmet with the inside edge of your sword.

Again, your thumb should be the first part of your hand to make it around.

You palm should be facing your sword side when this shot makes contact.

Practice it a few times, if it feels natural use it, if not...

Thrusts & Thrust Feints

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The threat of a thrust makes your opponent have to consider more things

when trying to defend against your attacks. Thrusts can be very effective

attacks, and the threat of a thrust can scare your opponent into moving

his/her defense so that you can hit some other spot you were looking to

hit! Even more so that with a 'normal' blow you are unlikely to hit your

opponent with a sword thrust if you line up in a 'thrusting' position and

throw an undisguised thrust. In general you will use thrusts as part of a

combination.

Before getting too far into when to use a thrust, let's talk about how to

throw a proper thrust. Your hand needs to be at your side, with your arm

cocked back a little. You will start the thrust motion in the same way that

you would start a normal sword blow. Push off your back foot (don't rise

up!), turn your hips, then your shoulders. Your shoulder may come a little

further forward than with a normal shot however. Once your shoulder has

rotated, extend your arm directly at your target area. Be certain to keep

your thumb on top as you complete the thrust. Keeping your thumb on top

keeps your sword tip aimed where your arm is aiming. If you leave your hand

in it's normal position your thrust will start to drift upward as you

approach your full extension. These thrusts look ugly and don't hit the

target you are aiming for. Even if you live where face thrusting is legal

you still want to keep that thumb on top so that you have greater control

of where that sword tip is going. There are some other fairly useful

thrusts, but getting used to the most basic one will provide you a

foundation to build upon when the time is right.

A common combination-thrust is when you throw a 'normal' blow, then a

return blow. After the return blow, bring your hand down into 'thrusting'

position instead of letting it go back to normal. From here throw the

thrust at your opponent's belly! This works very well, especially if you

execute the motion quickly and don't exaggerate the movements. You will

find other times where a thrust is the proper blow to follow up with!

Experiment!

Feinting a thrust to set up the next shot is often more successful than

thrusting! (Remember it is illegal to feint a thrust if you do not have a

legal thrusting tip!) My favorite is when you actually throw the thrust,

expecting it to be blocked. Your body is extended like after a normal sword

blow except that your arm is crossed a little in front of you and your hand

is down near your waist. From there, lift your sword hand straight up,

allowing the sword to dangle down. Think of this upward motion as being

directed by your elbow. When your hand gets up to about shoulder height

(your dangling sword should be pointing straight down now) you are in a

position to throw a good return blow! Since your hand is to your shield

side the return blow should go to your sword side, or straight down. Find a

mirror and practice this a few times. Throw the thrust, lift your sword

hand allowing the sword to dangle. Does the sword get pointed straight

down? It should! Once your hand reaches about shoulder height, start the

return blow, turning your hand over to add extra snap to it. This blow can

be targeted at the head or leg equally effectively. You can, if you like,

exaggerate your sword's path through the air, hoping to make your opponent

react to that too, and sometimes get them far enough out of position to

take the body!

Movement

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Movement is as important to offense as it is to defense. Picture yourself

in stance. There shouldn't be any really inviting openings. The same is

usually true of good opponents. Their stance covers most of the blows you

would like to hit them with! This leaves you with two options. The first is

to throw blows and feints in an attempt to create an opening, and the

second is to move to a place where the angles of attack are better. Of

course you still need to move in order to change the range to your liking,

or to keep it to your liking. All this calls for a lot of movement, let's

examine a couple of cases now.

If you are interested in creating new angles of attack, you must be able to

move well laterally. A step to your sword side & a little forward opens up

all sorts of possibilities for wrap shots. A quick step to your shield side

should open up angles to the body and your opponent's back leg/hip. Lateral

movement is also necessary to prevent your opponent from creating these

same angles against you!

If you are looking to change ranges, you need to move mainly forward &

backward. Your opponent is likely to react to your movement, so be prepared

to move laterally as well to get into the position you want. Refer back to

the Defensive Movement section. Re-read this and pay special attention to

the passages on taking little steps. Little steps are essential when

changing ranges. They give more opportunities to change direction and react

to your opponent's movements. They also help keep you in better balance and

stance. Be aware that you will need to quickly react to your opponent's

movements. If you intend to close in on your opponents, you may have to

pursue them. You have to want to close in more than they want to stay away.

Similarly, if you want to get out of close range, do it all at once. Don't

sneak away a little bit, then linger at the edge of your opponent's range.

As you move out of range is a good time to make an attack. Sometimes

opponents will relax just a little bit, or think that you can't reach them

anymore. Punish them for their lack of discipline, and teach them respect

for your range!

Movement during a combination of blows can be particularly effective. Let

the first shot or two 'button up' your opponent and then take that little

step to the right to open up your wrap. If it happens quickly it may go

undetected. Likewise, a hail of blows provides good cover to let you close

in. If your opponent picks up the movement, he/she will probably try to

make a counter move. Try to take advantage of any areas left open when they

move! Any time someone moves they run the risk of losing the protection

given them by their defensive stance. Look for openings created by

movement. Does their shield pop up just a little when they step off? Does

it come down a little too low when the front foot lands again? Do they pull

their shield open just a little when they step off? Does their sword go

behind their head as they prepare to throw a blow? All of these are prime

opportunities for a good blow. Look for them and learn to take advantage of

them.

Tenacity

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You want to be the fighter dictating the range and tempo of the fight.

Imposing your will on a fight can be difficult, and often it will be an

accomplishment just to keep your opponent from imposing his/her will on

you! This is where tenacity comes into play. Have you ever heard someone

say: "I just couldn't get in close!" What really happened is that the other

fighter controlled the range of the fight, imposing his/her will on the

disgruntled gentle who couldn't close in. I like to think of tenacity as

the ability to manufacture an opportunity in the face of adversity. The

ability to get in range, AND STAY THERE, is the most common use of

tenacity. Staying in your disciplined defensive stance, and returning to it

after movement or an attack. Fighting within yourself, and not trying to do

things that aren't part of your game. Being patient and hanging in a fight

until your opening comes. Notching up the aggression a little bit to

overwhelm an opponent in a close fight. All of these things require

tenacity.

Another aspect of tenacity is not shying away from fighters you think are

better than you. Knights will tell you that some fighters give them an

extra foot of "scared" space. Not scared like they will be injured, but

scared because they don't know what this obviously superior fighter is

going to throw at them. Don't be intimidated by an opponent's size or

skill. If you don't have the tenacity to get yourself into a position from

where you can hit your opponent, you cannot win! Fighting a very good

fighter doesn't call for you to move more slowly & cautiously! It means

that you have to be very determined to keep your fundamentals sound, your

stance good and your sword swinging. Most very good fighters are experts at

the range/transition game. Don't give them extra shots at you in

transition. Get close to them, and stay there! No fighter unbeatable, get

in there and give yourself the best opportunity that you can to get the

victory.

Shield Work

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While you cannot strike your opponent with your shield, do not think that

it cannot be used to help your offense! There are times where using your

shield to control your opponent's shield or weapon can be very useful. Some

of these moves go against the grain of my "Lazy Heater" school of thought,

but you have to have a few tricks up your sleeve sometimes!

A very common offensive use of the shield is to intercept your opponent's

incoming blow early, then use your shield to push their weapon out and away

from their body. This leaves you an opportunity to shoot at the weapon arm,

and often will force your opponent to give up the attack and regroup. This

tactic works best against shots to your helm, coming from the shield side,

and is particularly effective against wraps. The trick to this is to

recognize the blow early enough to act quickly. In the normal "Lazy Heater"

school of thought, you react at the last second, and block the blow just

before it hits you. To do this maneuver, you must see the shot coming, and

aggressively 'punch-block' the incoming shot. Try to catch the incoming

sword as close to the hilt as you can with your block, and push to the

side. Your elbow shouldn't move too far away from your body here, but your

forearm should be perpendicular to your body, leaving your shield way open,

at the end of the block. Once you have pushed your opponent's weapon to the

side, you should be able to strike your opponent's weapon arm. The two

movements, block and strike, need to happen quickly. You will not have time

to think about the shot once the block has been made. Practice this

combination as a 'single move' with the shot following up on the block.

Another offensive use of the shield is to use it to immobilize your

opponent's shield. You have to be more careful with this one though! The

previous tactic happens when you know what your opponent is doing with

their weapon, allowing you to take advantage of predictability. This tactic

needs to be used when you don't think a good blow is coming right away. I

have two different ways to immobilize my opponent's shield with my own. The

first is to punch out quickly with the corner of your shield, hoping to pin

your opponent's shield to his/her chest for just a second. This has to be

paired with an immediate shot, usually to your opponent's helm, over the

immobilized shield. This works well if you catch your opponent by surprise,

but you really have to punch that shield out there. If you just set your

shield on your opponent's shield, it will not do the trick, and your

opponent will have a chance to take advantage of the fact that your shield

is out of position. (This sounds like BANG.) The second way I do this is to

use my shield to hold my opponent's shield in front of him/her long enough

for me to close and pin the shield there with my body! This leaves my

opponent's shield between the two of us, but my shield gets away and can

still be used to block! I normally follow this move with wrap shots to the

helm or body of my opponent. This is a 'safer' maneuver because you can

cover shots to your head with your weapon until the pin is effected, and

then you still have your shield mobile while you rain death upon your foe.

If your opponent likes to keep his/her weapon hand near the shield you can

try to sweep both the weapon and shield away in one maneuver. This is a

difficult trick to pull off, but it can force your opponent into a more

defensive position. Assuming that your opponent's shield and weapon are

close together, let's take a look at how this would work. Think of using

your shield fist to sweep away the weapon and shield. This will make the

corner of your shield get there first. Push the weapon into the shield, and

push the whole mess down and to the side. Then throw a 'cross shot' over

your own shield, striking your opponent in the helm. People have done this

effectively against me when I was in a 'Post Defense', and while I wasn't

killed with the shot, it did ruin my confidence in that stance, and I had

to change to a different one.

The last bit of shield work I want to discuss is what I call a 'shield

crab.' This is where you use the corner of your shield to pry your

opponent's shield open a little bit so that you can sneak a thrust in. If

you are in 'belly to belly' range you will use the upper (fist) corner of

your shield. This usually works best as a combination with a straight down

blow. The straight down blow can leave your hand down where it needs to be

to throw a good thrust. As soon as the sword is out of the way, reach out

with the corner of your shield and hook your opponent's shield, forcing it

open a little bit. This should give you enough room to get the thrust in.

If your opponent figures out what you are doing they may over-react and

pull their shield down to cover. If they move the shield too far, abandon

the thrust and hit helm instead! If you are a little farther apart you can

still do this maneuver, but you use the bottom tip of the shield instead.

As the downward blow gets out of way, think of reaching out with your

elbow, and hooking the shield open a little. This is unnatural feeling at

first, but it is a sneaky shot that works pretty well. You can do this at

closer ranges if you lean back a little bit before trying to hook your

opponent's shield.

Aggression

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Aggression and tenacity go hand in hand. When I say aggression, I don't

mean wildness, or anger. I have stated that aggression can be a good thing

several times in this booklet, but aggression always needs to be

controlled. There are several instances where you may want to use

aggression as a key part of your strategy, even if you are a fairly

defensive fighter.

One of those instances is when you find yourself against a fighter who is

very comfortable in the 'transition ranges' and tries to keep the fight at

the very limit of your range. When you finally get into where you feel

comfortable, take advantage of it! Throw a lot of blows and keep your

opponent on the defensive. An opponent who has a wide variety of shots is

another person that you may want to try to overwhelm. If you stand around,

this gentle will hit you with some whippy-do shot or other. Attack early

and often. I fit this into my defensive style by attacking my opponent's

weapon and weapon side a lot. This forces them to either block with the

weapon (which means it isn't killing me for a second) or to block with the

shield and risk blinding themselves. A determined attack to your opponent's

weapon side can slow down his/her offense a lot. Be careful not to be too

predictable though. If your opponent can guess your pattern, you will find

yourself in trouble.

If you don't think that your opponent has any particularly good shots, or

if you think you know where your opponent is going to throw his/her best

shots, you have a big advantage. These are situations where aggression can

help minimize the chance of getting hit with a weird shot and losing a bout

you think you should win. If you know where your opponent's best shots come

from, press them in ways that take those shots away! This is similar to

what I talked about in the 'Know Your Opponent' section on defense. Making

a good block is not the only way to take a shot away from your opponent!

Forcing them to block or move in ways they normally don't can put them in a

position from where they can't throw their best shots effectively.

III. Facing Other Weapons Systems

Facing an Opposite Handed Fighter

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All of the shots and movements I have discussed assume that you are

fighting someone who uses the same hand as you. I have avoided words like

left & right, and used words like shield side & sword side. Facing an

opponent who throws shots with the other hand presents some interesting

consequences. Let's take a look at the vulnerabilities and opportunities

that are opened up.

Get into your normal stance. Your opponent's 'normal' shot is going to come

from your weapon side instead of your shield side. This makes your back

leg, and your weapon-side body and hip vulnerable. You counter this in two

ways. First, move your back foot a little toward your shield side, turning

your body nearly perpendicular to your opponent. This takes that back leg &

hip out of danger. Then move your shield a little to your weapon side so

that it is centered on your body. This allows you to block your weapon side

better.

Your opponent will also probably look to throw a 'cross-shot' over your

shield to take your head. You can block this shot with the shield, but many

people prefer to block it with the weapon. In this situation, I like to

leave my shield where I know it will protect my legs and body. I will block

any shot to my head with the weapon. This eliminates the chance that I will

blind myself and lose track of my opponent's weapon. (Which, of course,

usually sounds like BANG) Your opponent may also look to throw a wrap. If

you see the wrap coming, it is easy to block with your weapon. You may have

to rotate away from the wrap a little to get your weapon in position to

block however. Opposite-handed opponents often count on the fact that you

can lose track of their weapon when you throw a shot. This leaves them free

to step in and throw that nasty wrap! Try not to lose track of your

opponent's weapon!

When facing an opposite-handed opponent, there are usually two or three

ways to take advantage of the situation. Remember the places you need to

cover from the paragraphs above? All of those places are also targets for

you! The 'cross-shot' to your opponent's helm over their shield should be a

staple shot in your arsenal. You may be able to snipe a leg, but if you are

right handed, remember that you opponent will probably have more experience

fighting opposite-handed people than you, so don't over commit to that leg.

My favorite tactic is to close in hard to my opponent's weapon side and

throw a good wrap shot. If that wrap shot is thrown to the body, it will

often tie up your opponent's weapon, or take his/her weapon arm. This

allows me to throw a good offensive shot, and still account for my

opponent's weapon.

Facing a Florentine Fighter

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A good florentine fighter will present you with all of the problems

mentioned above, and will also be hitting you with their other sword too!

Most florentine fighters rely mostly upon one hand or the other. You need

to find out which one in a hurry! If the fighter's 'good' arm is the same

as yours, you can stay in your normal stance and operate fairly normally.

Most florentine fighters have a good lead thrust. They will set up one

sword in a position to thrust, and use it to control range. If you bring

your shield over like I mentioned above, you cut off nearly all of the

angles you can be thrust from. This allows you to close secure that you

will not be impaled on your way in.

If the fighter's 'good arm' is the opposite of yours, you need to stand as

if he/she were an opposite handed sword & shield fighter. In this

situation, I try to attack the stronger weapon. My first shot will often be

to the body of the good arm. The florentine fighter must block this, and it

is unlikely that they will block it with the off hand if you target the

body. Once I have tied up the dominant arm's weapon, I close and throw a

lot of blows.

Many florentine fighters have trouble fighting in close. Don't assume that

once you close in you have won the fight, but most florentine fighters

prefer a range/transition game. If you close in on them, putting your

shield on one sword, and your sword on the other one you can often force an

opening and win the bout. Remember that you have two things too! Your

weapon and your shield. Florentine fighters will often move into what I

call a 'defensive cross guard.' They keep one hand low, with the sword

pointing up, and the other hand crosses over the top. This completely

blocks attacks coming to one side of their body. If you see a florentine

fighter do this, do not throw attacks onto the guard. You need to throw a

cross shot, or better yet take the arm of the upper sword. Wraps can also

be effective against florentine fighters. Re-read the section on tenacity,

especially the parts that deal with range, and not allowing your opponent

to dictate range. Then think about what you need to do to close in on a

good florentine fighter and win the bout.

Facing a Mace Fighter

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While there aren't that many good mace fighters wandering the tourney

circuit, a good mace fighter has strengths and weaknesses you should be

aware of. Most maces are fairly short, so you will probably have a range

advantage. Don't let the mace fighter get into their range without paying

for it. Throw some transition blows, and always be ready to move to keep

the range to your liking.

A mace fighter can hit targets that are very difficult to hit with a sword.

A mace is guided by the mass of the striking head, and this changes the

angles from which the weapon can hit you. Also, maces have no 'flat' site.

My favorite targets when I'm fighting with a mace are the back of the

helmet (wrap), the face grill (several ways) and the top of the helmet.

Cross shots are particularly effective. If you are in the 'normal' stance

described at the beginning of this study, your facegrill, and the top of

your helmet can be vulnerable. Think of the standard combination of head

shot, then 'cross-shot' to the other side of the head. Easily blocked if

being thrown by a sword. A mace can alter the second shot to land

completely inside your guard. You must be more active in blocking 'holes'

in your defense. Maces also have a habit of sneaking a little bit 'around'

a shield block, so you need to overblock just a little bit on wrap-type

shots.

Facing a Pole Arm, or Great Weapon Fighter

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Most great weapon fighters rely on controlling the range. Sometimes they

will simply not let you close in. Sometimes they will allow you to think

that you have achieved your range, block one shot, then move or push off

and try to kill you in the transition. Few great weapon fighters feel truly

comfortable fighting at close range though. But! Most great weapon fighters

run backwards extremely quickly, and use lateral movement to keep you

guessing. The trick is to try to guess where the attacks are going to come

from, seal off that side of your body, close, and be ready to use lateral

movement to keep your opponent from sneaking away. Re-re- read the section

on tenacity.

Pole arms are probably better equipped to deal with sword & shield than

great sword, and I'll talk a little about them in particular. The Pole Arm

fighter has the advantage of being able to adjust his/her grip to match the

situation. Pole Arms also can have butt-spikes, but if you keep in a good

stance you should not fear these. Picture yourself chasing down a Pole Arm

fighter. You are throwing shots & wraps to both sides their head, but they

are blocked easily. Eventually you make a mis-step, the range changes and

you are smoked on the transition. (I hate it when that happens.) Picture

that Pole Arm fighter's stance, and where they hold the weapon as you try

to pursue. They hold it vertically in front of them, a little away from

their body. They barely have to move sideways at all to block your shots,

and they become very confident waiting for you to make a mistake. Limit

yourself to two or three shots to the head, if you don't get the first two

or three you won't probably won't get the head before you make a mistake.

After those two or three shots, target the ARMS. Have a pole arm fighter

stand in a defensive stance with the pole arm vertical in front of their

body. Have them show you how easily they can block blows to the head. Then

have them show you how much further they have to block if you are targeting

their elbows! If you can take the arm you will win the bout because a

one-armed pole arm fighter is not very lethal. (The 'shoot for the arms'

trick works against great swords & bastard swords as well.)

VI. In Closing

I hope that this information proves useful to you. This is intended to show

you the BASICS of the Lazy Heater style of fighting from my fairly

defensive point of view. It can provide you a very sound defensive platform

from which you can add bits and pieces from all over! I do not profess this

to be THE WAY, but it is A WAY! You can, and should, learn from every

encounter. Building your repertoire will allow you to develop strategies to

deal with any situation, and will allow you to mold these and other

techniques into your own personal fighting style.

Try to learn from every fighter you encounter, novice or Knight! When I'm

in a fighting situation I try to learn about the other fighter, and I try

to learn from the other fighter. I put a number on it and say that I will

try to learn two things (It can be difficult to remember more than two

things, so I stick to two.) from each situation. Likewise when I am

teaching someone, I usually limit my instruction to two main points. This

keeps me from overwhelming the student with more information than they can

handle. Keep the 'rule of two' in mind as you learn and when you teach. It

will help you, and those around you to learn and instruct better.