I love the speed of our combat. I love having a good volley with another fighter, where we are both moving faster than either can truly speak, and even think in words, and yet, we are some how able to communicate to each other, enough, that our moves are predictable. We can make blocks, and ripostes. Again and again. It really is my drug.
Sometimes, however, I hear people saying that our combat is too fast. Personally, I don't like that. If I had my way, we would all push forward until we reached the eventuality, of two blurring balls of light smashing into each other repeatedly in some inexplicable clash. And while I understand that is certainly some sci-fi dreaming, like I said, it's my drug, so cut me some slack. So rather than slowing down, and rather than expecting everyone to reach for the light (speed ), I thought it might be a good idea to share my thoughts on speed, and see if I can't help some other folks break any plateaus they think they may have reached.
The break down:
Now, most people think of speed as just this sort of physical thing. Some people are fast, and some people never will be. This idea frustrates me, and probably spurns me forward because I remember when I first picked up a boffer, my friend thought I was slow. And I was. But speed is more than just raw muscle and twitch reflexes. That is certainly an element, but there is a thought element, and an efficiency element as well.
The goal of this miniseries is to break down the elements of speed, so that you will have a different perspective on what to think about, and what to look for when trying to up your speed game. This week, I’m looking at physical speed.
Physical Speed:
This is the speed that we all think of. It's first that comes to mind when watching someone with a good snap to their shots. The unfortunate truth to this is that there is a certain fitness element to this, lighter, stronger, younger people tend to be faster. If you want to up your physical speed it's going to take some work.
Cardio- is an excellent start, whether it's running on a treadmill, jogging through the park, bicycling around town, if you can work it into your life, it's going to help your fighting game in the long run.
Suicides- I hate them. I hate them a lot. For a moment I thought suicide prevention hotlines were for this exercise. The truth is, it's worth it. Olympic fencer's work this exercise specifically into their routine because the rapid change of direction is very important in their sport. It is in our's too. I cannot tell you how many times I've gone to move in, and then decided to back up on the fly because I realized the advantage changed in a hair second. Being able to shift your body weight back and forth rapidly is essential, and this exercise will help you do it.
Over Training- Over Training is when you increase the difficulty beyond the reasonable norm during practice, in order to make the reasonable norm seem easier than it would normally. Probably the most recognizable example of this is in baseball. Have you ever seen a batter throw a weight on the end of a bat for a few practice swings before stepping into the box? That's over training.
How does over training translate into our game? Some people over train by using PVC weapons at practice, and switching to a lighter weapon for actual combat. Conceptually this is an excellent example, for me however, I would actually recommend against doing it this way.
Here's why; because our weapons are not standard, the balance between them shifts, and while we can intuit these changes, and compensate for them naturally there is a certain learning curve to that intuition. I find it better to over train using the weapon you intend to use in combat, and I do that by adding weight to my wrists instead of the weapons itself. This had the same effect of being an excellent work out, and also, if you find the right wrist weights, you can adjust them as you go, and increase the weight with practice.
There is a second type of over training that baseball player's use. In order to adjust their perception, and reflexes to the high speed of pitchers, they will actually set pitching machines to pitch at a speed beyond human capability. While I'm sorry to say that I don't have a fancy robot machine that can pitch f slashes at me faster than human ability, I do think I have come up with a reasonable alternative. I do this by combining two of my favorite drills from practice, aggression training, and 2 on 1 fights. For those of you not in the know, aggression training is when you, and a buddy spar for a set amount of time ( my favorite time right now is 2 minutes ) call all of your shots, but take none of them. Traditionally, this drill is to increase the confidence of new players, and to help them get used to calling their shots, by allowing them to continue to fight after they've been hit. It also happens to be an excellent work out. Even in a 1 on 1 scenario, you get the sweat pouring after 2 minutes of this drill. Now throw in a 3
person. Encourage the 2 side
to use traditional tactics of 45ing the 1 side, and likewise, encourage the 1 not to dot the I. Why? With two people constantly throwing shots at you for a two minute duration, you will allow your mind to sort of recalibrate to that rate of shots coming in. In short, you get used to it. It's over training. Rather than having a fancy robot machine throwing shots faster than a human is able, I doubled the frequency by adding a second person. It's not perfect, but if you do it often enough, you will find the slower rate of shots coming in from a single opponent is just easier to handle.
The other side of physical speed, outside of human ability is equipment. Lighter gear is just faster, period. Lighter armor will let you fight longer without suffering from fatigue, and also allow you to move faster on your feet than heavier armor. Lighter weapons make for faster swings.
Can I say any more? Yes, yes I can.
Weapons- Having the lightest weapon on the field isn't always an option. Actually, while I aim to make light weapons personally, I also try to assume that my opponent's weapon is lighter, and that they have the edge. But what other components go into a weapon's speed beyond just the weight?
Balance- Now if we've ever spoken about fighting, or weapon making I've probably talked about the balance of a weapon. With most weapons we make in the realms the balance point is just off the center of the weapon, it's the point where you can set a weapon on the edge of your finger, and keep it balanced there on it's own. On a PVC weapon, because the pipe is relatively uniform throughout, the balance will be shifted slightly towards the blade. On a bamboo weapon, where the narrow side of the bamboo is used for the blade, it may be shifted slightly towards the grip. Why should you care? The balance point is essentially the fulcrum to the lever that is the blade. The closer that point is to your hand, the easier it is to lift the blade. You can gain speed on a weapon by shifting the balance point toward the hand. While I would never condone doing something to make a weapon unsafe, understanding what decorations you use, and how they affect the weapon, and the type of stick you're using is something I recommend when you're looking to improve your speed game. Bell guards, hilts, different grips, all have an affect on the weight and balance of the weapon, which have an impact on your speed.
While socks are lighter than duct tape, a sock needs to be tight, otherwise it creates a certain amount of drag. The foam should also be tight to the stick for the same reason, when the foam is loose, it rattles on the stick as you swing it, which also slows a swing down. And maybe I'm super opinionated, or trying too hard, but I swear having a cap on the bottom of my weapon makes a solid difference in swing speed as well.
How about armor? Or garb? Lighter armor and garb will equate to faster motions and less fatigue. But mobility is also a factor, I know for me, certain types of shirts bunch up in the shoulders of my chain mail and restrict my movement, as well as just being uncomfortable. If you're playing the speed game, try out your armor and garb combinations in advance, and be aware of how they interact. Don't let yourself get caught in a swing you can't do because your motion is restricted unexpectedly. Another factor is considering traction, I know I personally need good traction when fighting, otherwise I go slip sliding all over and end up looking like a fool. As I already said, rapidly switching direction is important, and a key to that is good traction.
Are there other factors that go into physical speed, in our combat system? Certainly. Keep an eye out because I'll have future articles that work on such things, and go into drills that will have an impact on your physical speed, beyond the ones listed above. This is an overview, and is meant to get the gears turning, and lay some ground work for that future where, hopefully, we're all blurs of light crashing into each other in heated combat. But until then, I look forward to seeing you on the field,
-Keith/Saegan