Ask Sir Syruss. Sir Syruss is a seasoned adventurer with over 10 years of experience slaughtering undead and charming the ladies, beating up bad guys, frustrating good guys, and grossing out the ladies. So if you have a question no matter how bizarre, weird or funny (the funnier the better then we can sell more issues of the View) consider asking the man who loves to tell you how to live your life……..even though no one tells you how to live your life.
(OOC- Questions for Sir Syruss should be sent to view staff at aearlegray@gmail.com)
Syruss,
Congratulations on winning best trainer. What, in your expert opinion, are the differences between men and women in combat? Do you train men and women differently?
Yours truly,
Eager to Train
Dear Next Year’s Competition,
The difference between men and women in combat….
Let me tell you about those chicks on the field (* seess Illy and Katasha glaring at him*)
Ahem, THEY’RE great!!!
Let me try this again. The field of battle doesn’t care! It doesn’t care if you are old or young, man or women, even caster or fighter. The field of battle is ruthless and exact and if you don’t train and hone your skills it will chew you up and spit you out.
You ask what the difference is between men and women on the field, well, I am here to tell the real difference is between the trained and un-trained.
You see some people may think women are smaller so they must be more timid on the field. Sure, smaller people can be more timid but that is not gender specific either and that timid feeling will reflect your training. I have seen men buckle under the pressure of a falling flank just as well as women and, because statistically there are more male fighters than women fighters, one could say I have seen men crumble more often than women.
You might think, well, are women fighters less aggressive than men fighters? Once again I would say certain combatants are less aggressive than others.
Playing defensively is certainly a style and a non-gender-specific one. One can look at Illy of Grimloch and know she is going to block most of your shots coming in and then counter strike the bananas out of you. Is her counter strike technique developed because she is a girl or how she trained?
Answer? That’s right, it’s how she trained. Look at Dygan who came out of the same camp as Illy. He counter strikes just as effectively and yet still has a Y chromosome, huh weird.
So to answer your question on if I train females differently than males, the answer is a definitive unabashed NO.
We are no longer in an era where the strongest can swing our weapons the most effectively. Both men and women of smaller frames and muscle mass now have different weapon cores available to them that were not around a decade ago.
With lighter materials, more and more people can pick up weapons and use them for longer periods of time without wearing themselves completely out and leaving themselves open to attack.
Now, I do train experience levels differently. I am not going to start roughing up a walk on the field newbie who has picked up his sword just a handful of times. Instead, I am going to work them from the ground up building a solid foundation of fundamental parrying and striking combinations as well as a proficient grasp of calling shots all while being bombarded with shots.
The flips side to that is I am not going to take a seasoned vet and try to break them down like a day one green horn (Unless of course they are Dark One, awful at fighting, and really need it).
Instead I am going to develop a training program for them and their speed.
The way I train at the acclaimed Order of the List “Pit” is very personal and very tailored to the individual. How does this person learn with soft guiding hands? Perhaps they learn with a stern tongue and tough approach? Some people only learn with a reward system while others do great with the lash to the back every time they mess up.
While I would love to tell you that I train X like Y and all you need to do is start doing A and you can teach a person B. It ultimately is not that simple.
Much like every trainer has their own way of teaching, every student will have their own way of learning.
If you want more advice on what I do for my less seasoned combatants I invite you to seek me out at any event you see me.
The Order of The List may not always have “The Pit” banner in tow but we are always willing, ready and able to train.
I hope this helps. Sorry if doesn’t, just keep practicing and you will do fine.
“Unbroken Habits lead to Broken Records” Sir Nymbous
See you on the Field,
Question Master
Sir Syruss O’Leary
Order of the List
Knight of the Potentium
Knight of the Blue Rose