Battlecry!
This is a weekly bulletin for practices in the Realms. Practices are one of the most important facets to the Realms, it is a place where many people are introduced to the game, as well as a place to enjoy the company and meet new members of the community. Even if you are not a fighter, it is still a great form of exercise, as well as a way to hone your combat skills, which is an important skill for helping out at events while NPCing. A lot of what makes a great combatant in the Realms has to do with muscle memory and building a good intuition for combat, which can only happen with consistent practice, so make sure to try and stop by your local practice as often as possible
Monday
Camelot Fight Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/1858)
7:30pm-9:30pm
Details
Practice consists of a mix of individual and group combat.
Water refills are available if need be, bring your own container.
Public restrooms available on site.
Loaner weapons are very limited, plan on bringing your own.
Masks are optional.
Important Notes
Practice is still planned for this week, keep an eye on discord for updates.
This site is part of a neighborhood. Please be respectful of the people who live here.
Weather
A hot evening with partial cloud cover and in the 80’s, make sure to hydrate.
Tuesday
Western Massachusetts Fight Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/1857)
6:00pm-8:00pm - West Street Playground, Ludlow, MA
Details
Practice consists of a mix of individual and group combat.
Loaner weapons are/are not available?
Water is not available, bring your own water.
Public restrooms are available on site.
Masks are optional?
This is outdoors and inclement weather is very likely to limit attendance.
Important Notes
None this week.
Weather
It’s going to be in the low 80’s high 70’s, with a small chance of isolated thunderstorms, so keep an eye on the weather as we get closer.
Wednesday
Nashua Blackwood Fight Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/1857)
4:00pm-8:00pm -Greely Park (Concord St), Nashua, NH
Details
Practice consists of a mix of individual, squad, and line battles, as attendees prefer.
Loaner weapons are available.
There is no water on site, bring your own.
Public restrooms are available on site.
While a few people might be there around 4:00, 5:00 is a more likely time to get started.
We set up near the grills and tables on the West side of Concord St, just off the access road to the north of the public restrooms.
Masks are optional.
This is outdoors and inclement weather is very likely to limit attendance.
Important Notes
This week will involve a lot of matched weapon combat (tournament practice).
Weather
This week will be cloudy and in the 60’s with a chance of rain, keep an eye out for updates as we get closer.
Thursday
Central CT Fight Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/1860)
6:00pm-9:00pm - Rye Street Park, South Windsor, CT
Important Notes
Practice consists of a mix of individual training and if attendees are interested, team combat and combat games.
Loaner weapons available.
Water fountains are available in season, best to bring your own drinking water.
Public restrooms available on site.
Updates
The location of practice may change slightly, check the Realmsnet listing before heading out to practice this week.
Weather
This week will be in the mid 70’s.
Stratham Hill Fight Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/1859)
6:00pm-8:00pm - Stratham Hill Park, Stratham, NH
Important Notes
Practice consists of individual combat for the first half, and ditch style team combat for the second half.
Masks are optional.
Loaner weapons are available.
Water is available on site, but bring your own container.
On-site bathroom.
Updates
None this week.
Weather
This week will be in the high 50’s, and cloudy.
South Shore Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/)
7:00pm-9:00pm - 138 Hms Stayner Dr, Hingham, MA
Important Notes
Most important thing is that this neighborhood has a lot of young kids so please be respectful of my neighbors with noise levels.
Park either at the place or on the street and then you can walk up the ramp to the park.
Practice consists of individual combat for the first half, and ditch style team combat for the second half.
Masks are strongly encouraged but not required.
Loaner weapons are not available, be sure to bring your own.
There is no public water on site, so please bring your own.
There is no on-site bathroom.
Updates
None this week.
Weather
It will be warm and cloudy this week, in the low 60’s.
Featured Drill: Aggression Training
This week we have a much longer form drill description, which was actually written by Realms legend, Dave Dolph/Sir Callin of Folkestone. Although it is over a decade old, this article has some great information to help you kick your fighting skills up to the next level.
Combat Aggression is a skill much the same as knowing how to hit an unarmored location or blocking with a shield. Similar to those skills, it can be taught and trained. It is of great use on the open battlefield and in a tourney, giving a combatant an edge in any fight.
What do I mean by Combat Aggression? I do not mean a wild, pell-mell attack. I do not mean charging your opponent and running them down. I mean a controlled system of attacks wherein you initiate the attacks as opposed to waiting to react to your opponent.
All too often I have seen fighters be hesitant; they hang back, withholding their attacks until they are sure of a successful strike. I have seen fighters swing only once and reset their stance or go immediately into a defensive position anticipating a counter-attack. I have seen fighters trap themselves into a completely defensive stance wherein they do nothing but block attacks upon themselves until eventually they miss one and lose the fight.
Why are some fighters lacking Combat Aggression? Part of it might be how they were trained. Part of it might be they are not naturally aggressive; it is not a part of their personality. Part of it might be a desire to not physically hurt their opponent. There can be many reasons why such is the case, but all these can be overcome.
Combat Aggression can be taught and trained. How? Glad you ask. This will take a trusting partner and some smaller weapons; I recommend a florentine set of 3’8” or a sword and shield combo. It is possible to try this technique with other weapon types but it works best with the above weapon styles.
In a nutshell; beat the crap out of each other. You and your partner should attack each other as much as possible without taking any of the shots that land on you. Also key to this technique is that you still continue to call out loud the shots that do hit you, but you do not take them. Continue to swing. Your goal here is to throw as many shots as you can, as safely as you can. You want to hit your partner as often as possible in as many locations as possible. Keep doing this until you are physically too tired to continue.
You do not want to hit your partner in an off target location; so no face or nut shots. You also do not want to hit your partner too hard. The idea here is to attack your partner as much as possible without stopping, but to do it in a controlled and safe manner.
What will doing this training technique get you?
-You will find your aggression level goes up. Attacking will become more natural for you.
-You will learn to place multiple shots on your opponent in a series of attacks, instead of only throwing one shot and then resetting your stance.
-You will learn to better call your shots while you attack. Some fighters are good at calling their shots when on the defensive but they can miss shots when their attention is focused on attacking. This exercise will help balance your focus between calling your shots and attacking.
-You will get used to getting hit by a weapon. Some fighters get timid about getting hit when the fight turns fast. This will help overcome that.
Is there a drawback to this type of training exercise? Yes. While this technique will help up your aggression it will diminish your instinct for self-preservation. In most fights, especially against the better fighters, ignoring a defense completely and going all out will get you killed. While this is an excellent training technique, it needs to be tempered with a good balance of attack and defense.
Also, please bear in mind that safety is still the primary concern in any fight. These training methods are fine with two people who trust each other and are willing to take the occasional bad shot. However, if you find yourself stepping over the line of safety you will need to rein in your aggressiveness and do some more practicing before going all out at a regular event. The key here is control and if you do not yet have that control then you are not safe.