I was recently asked to guest instruct at a WPI practice, and will admit my first reaction was “of course, I’ll help” and my second was, “I’m not sure if I’m well qualified for this role”, as I can think of many, many people who are much stronger combat instructors. That said, and deeply meant, when I stepped back and thought about it I’ve been in game for well over a decade (let’s just leave it there so I don’t date myself too much), played a fighter for years, and have always, sometimes regularly others not close to as frequently as I wished, attended practices. I’ve even had multiple periods of organizing one. So after reminding myself of those facts as well as remembering that I do WANT to step up and do these types of thing to be one of many examples that both women and casters are capable in regards to all aspects of combat, I sat back and though about what and how I’d want to teach, I realized that much of what I would hope to impart upon people in practice is to approach it with the right mindset. While much of this may seem simplistic, they are things that are worth stating clearly (especially to newer players).
I'm blatently exploiting my editor's power to run this on the Friday before I guest instruct and encourage everyone planning on attending that practice to read it.
The most important skill to learn is how to take your shots!!- Focus on that before you focus on getting kills. That means learning where your hand on weapon ends, what constitutes “face” in relation to shots, to be aware that even if you hit with a face shot you need to take blows to other locations hit with that strike, and to let people know not to take late shots. Don’t be afraid to call dead if you get confused.
The focus of combat practice should be combat- While I understand physical limitations or injuries can lead to someone not participating in combat for the full duration of practice, I will admit that having others take time away to role play, event plan, or converse is a practice pet peeve of mine that it only topped by the extra annoyance of it being done in a way that detracts from others experience too. Also remember it is possible to be focused on combat without being engaged in it. Thoughtful observation and analysis of others fighting is something I think everyone should do and when you need to sit out is the perfect opportunity.
Push hard- If you are going to take the time to be at practice, double down, don’t just get the benefit of working on technique work on your cardio and stamina too. When you are really fighting at events you’ll end up in situations where you have to do it when you are hot, sweaty, and exhausted. Push yourself hard to get in a practice that will more accurately simulate that then an easy workout in a gym would if you approached it lackadaisically.
Set goals- You will have a much better chance of being successful if you have your own realistic picture of what success means for you. Is it mastering a shot? Mastering a weapon style? Beating a specific person? Winning a specific tournament? Or just making it through a full practice without sitting down? Your goal should be something specific (rather than something like ‘be a great fighter’) that you can track your progress towards and feel a sense of accomplishment upon completion. Set it, reach it, and revise it to the next thing. Keep learning and growing.
Use a variety of weapons- It can be really easy to fall into a habit of always using a specific type of weapon. Ideally you should reach the point where you feel confident picking up whatever is needed for NPC’ing and know you’ll fight safely and proficiently with it. That isn’t the only reason to use a variety of weapons. You’ll find you learn a lot about how to beat someone fighting with a combo by fighting with it yourself.
Don’t neglect armor- In the same way you should feel confident picking up a variety of weapons to NPC you should also be able to call armor whether or not you play a fighter. If you do play a fighter practice in your armor and get used to how you move in it, where you have gaps, and how to avoid getting hit in them (and when you are fighting people with armor get used to looking for and targeting those gaps).
Fight people who are better than you- You’ll learn lots. You’ll get the satisfaction of an occasional lucky win. You’ll earn their respect if you keep a good attitude and call your shots well. You’ll get less intimidated to be fighting them, and they’ll lose the extra advantage of having your lack of confidence against them sabotaging you.
Work with people who are less experienced with you- There is truth to the saying you learn by teaching. People will raise questions that get you thinking about new things. Forming explanations increases the depth of your understanding.
My last and most important piece of advice on practice is GO!!! No matter what you play for a character in game you should minimally reach a point where you aren’t scared of combat and can take a hit (and call it appropriately). Combat is a foundation of our game and the more you understand and engage in it the more you’ll enjoy eventing and the Realms as a whole.