Dakao v. 2.0 - The Crooked Cut

Home alone on a Friday night

Ξ July 14th, 2006 | → Comments Off | ∇ SCA |

I am utterly beat. Completely knackered. What fun!

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King's College

Ξ June 25th, 2006 | → Comments Off | ∇ Fitness / HEMA, SCA |

It’s tough being the teacher, and I love it.

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Little joys

Ξ June 13th, 2006 | → Comments Off | ∇ Fitness / HEMA, SCA |

One of the hardsuit fighters, John, and I started on what will hopefully become a weekly WMA lesson. He’s a very active and alert fighter, with a keen mind. My goal was and is to share what I know with him and other interested hardsuit guys, and then let them take it onto the field. From their field testing, I hope to learn (and eventually practice with them) applications of what I know academically.

We’ve already gotten a start on exploring some nuances of the art. John conceives of delivering strikes from different quadrants. A strike from e.g. right shoulder therefore strikes from the opponent’s upper left quadrant to his lower right. Alternately, a slower but more deceptive attack would be to pass the strike through the opponent’s upper right quadrant before striking (underhand) into his lower right quadrant. More chances for the opponent to commit to an erroneous defense. Of course, the tradeoff is slower striking time, which gives the opponent more reaction time.

So John immediately latched onto what Robert Holland (SSG) taught me, which is that after overbinding, the quickest strike is to immediately return a blow from the same quadrant, so to speak. When e.g. overbinding on the left, the sword enters a 1st ward posture and the quickest followup attack would be a false edge strike into the opponent’s lower right quadrant.

Obviously, anyone who follows fencing or WMA will spot the high, low, inside, and outside lines. But it just goes to show that I (and others of my ilk) are vindicated in our belief that we *can* use WMA in the SCA. So phooey to the old farts with vested interests who say that WMA is amusing but irrelevant to their game. They are already using WMA concepts — they just have (by and large) never given it more than a rudimentary conceptual framework, i.e. a system.

On a similarly obvious-in-hindsight note, I picked up a tip from John that I should be thinking about minimizing the crossing of my wrists. I’m so used to doing it for the overbinds while keeping the shield near the sword hand, that I tend to forget that crossed hands can still be a bad thing in a close-in fight.

Anyway, John had this big ol’ grin (just like Toshi did at GW 15) on his face the whole time. He knew and I knew that he knows how to fight. The exciting part for him was that formal conceptual framework. So for next week, he’s looking forward to using the knowledge of I.33’s principles to find new applications for techniques he already employs.

And I need to read up more on it to give him more than the same old intro class. :)

Ow!-riculotherapy

Ξ May 24th, 2006 | → Comments Off | ∇ Fitness / HEMA, SCA |

Whatever they may say about auriculotherapy, being punked in the side of the helmet by a stiff rapier thrust is probably not the gentlest way to go about it.

I showed up to practice and actually fenced for-real for the first time in about a month-ish. I was somewhat satisfied with my distance and timing work (got sniped in the hand only twice), and was really happy with my sentimento di ferro or maybe I should say the sentiment of the entire fight situation, and not just the blade. Field awareness, call it whatever.

Point control and endurance blew chunks though. I was laying down my shots with a spread to make a shotgun proud. As for the other part, I think I need to take up rollerblading regularly again. But as much as I’d love to try out some 84mm or (gasp!) 100mm wheels, I can’t justify $300+tax for a new set of boots and frames. So I’ll keep truckin’ along with my totally serviceable 78mm’s. Just as with rapiers and gold-plated banana clips for audio equipment, the techno-weenie race can help but doesn’t win the race. Yes, I mostly believe that. :P

So back to the point… I have to think carefully every time I face Adam, b/c against him I need 1-2 times of the foot against his single time of the hand. And he’s gotten quite good at using his interp of Fabris to control my sword or deny me control of his. So I experienced two majestic failures to control his blade, and on the first one, he rocked my helmet so hard it smacked me in the side of the head. Right on the ear. Fsckin’ hurt. Eh, the lacerations are minor. Though I did forget myself and consequently regretted rubbing my ear earlier. :) But his shot on that one and on the final point were beautifully clean.

Now if we can only get him to keep his heel on the ground and to pivot on the balls of his feet instead of rising up…

My few points were much messier. One that stands out is when I controlled his blade on the outside long enough to enter and seize the blades at the cross, from which point it was all over. I’m not sure I’ve ever managed to use that in a bout before..!

Two bits of mental flotsam

Ξ May 16th, 2006 | → Comments Off | ∇ General, Metalworking, SCA |

I was singing along with ol’ Louie when I got to practice. He understood that all one needs is a kiss to build a dream on. :)

So Tristan looks at me kind of funny, and says with a half-smile, “You know, you’re going to make some girl very happy.” He was serious. I was totally caught in the wrong gear. You could hear the teeth clashing as I fumbled for a reply. “Huh? What, the singing?”

Thanks, Tristan!

Oh, and I have a bald patch on my wrist where I confirmed that my new knife (medieval utility / dining type) was sharp enough to shave with.

Mark has a matching bald patch, b/c he had to confirm his freshly sharpened knife edges too.

Serendipitous juxtapositions

Ξ May 9th, 2006 | → Comments Off | ∇ General, History, Philosophy, SCA |

Huh.

Didn’t know I had a Mistress.

Hey, it’s more entertaining than Googling for “Rick James” or “Dakao Do”.

This came up b/c I ran into a guy I’ve worked with, and he said he Googled my phone number. Saw I was the Houston contact person for Schola Saint George (which study group web page really needs to be updated, but it’s currently not within my convenient control). Turns out that he’s Etienne in the SCA, with a cadet named Delphina. He played for something like 17 years, was cadet-brothers with Conner, knows David, attended KWAR 2004 (same as me), and with his wife is big into the humanistic aspects of Renaissance history. We talked about things like teaching classes, dealing with politics in order to achieve our ends, and etc. I mentioned Iolo’s book tip on On Killing, and Etienne said it sounded just like Iolo’s sort of thing. He then recommended Geoffrey Charny’s Book of Chivalry, which sounds like it gives a medieval perspective on Grossman’s points in On Killing. In a time when nobles still composed a vital and active core of any military endeavor, how did such men and their retainers confront battle and death?

Which brings up a big “Why?” Why am I so fascinated with military history, soldiers’ accounts, martial art, shooting (itself a martial art) — the study of violence in all its myriad forms?

I’m not crazy or traumatized, I’m not a particularly strong gun ownership advocate, or obsessed with building a shelter and stocking it against the day when the revolution comes. I enjoy doing theater and still-life photography, reading romances, and watching sentimental movies with good writing.

There was a young man from England who wrote a letter to a World War II veteran. The Englishman wrote, “You make me want to be a better person.”

And that’s it, really. I’ve thought that to myself, in my more concise moments of private contemplation (which does not include now). When I’m mired most deeply in chickenshit, I try to remind myself that each incident is so much less troubling than being splattered with the brains and shit of guys I’ve known closely for three years. If they got it done instead of whining, why can’t I? To do the job, big or small, without excuses but also without becoming crushed by guilt when things go sideways… That’s all there is. I, of course, do not follow this perfectly — or even fairly well. But the 101st Airborne Division got its job done on D-Day with only 10-15% of the men landing anywhere even vaguely close (within 20 miles) of their objectives. So I too can embrace and cope with the inefficiencies of being human (they are parameters, not obstacles).

The danger, of course, that many veterans then and now go through is, to take Guy Sajer’s example, why bother? For a man who learned to drive by double-clutching on a poorly-maintained 17-ton German tank without synchros and mired in the autumn rasputitsa, putting up with some puffed-up French driving instructor’s chickenshit pales in comparison and yet frustrates to no end.

So once we’ve gained perspective, the trick is to not become lost in perspectives too large or numerous.

I think I was first exposed to these ideas in high school. I didn’t recognize this Grand Unification of Perspective theory for what it was at the time…

People don’t think about the universe much. Heck, how often do we really think about what it means to live in a country with a quarter billion other people? We run in our little circles of hundreds or thousands of coworkers, friends, and etc. We certainly don’t think about the inconsequentiality of our 80 years (plus or minus) on Earth compared to 5000 years of recorded history, much less the 100,000s or billions (depending on your sources) of years the planet has been around. And when my classmates and I pondered this in high school, we all got this feeling of helplessness. What is one little organism against the tide of stars and planets which expand and collapse in eternal, fiery cycles of birth and rebirth?

It wasn’t until college that I learned the antidote for our reaction: My time on Earth matters to me. When people say, “Who cares? What does it matter?”, the answer (or just one of many) is, “Well, my life damn well matters to me!” A little selfishness combined with a little oneness with the infinite multiverse.

Tying back into personal responsibility, that means that I should take care of what’s set in front of me, then keep on completing new tasks that arise, until the overall job is done. Be aware of, but don’t obsess over the big picture. If other things happen (screwups, etc.), deal with them and don’t let them sidetrack my work.

And, of course, as soldiers have done since time immemorial, we can bitch about it after it’s over. :)

I know this got repetitive. Just wanted to put down all the ways I’ve learned this lesson since high school, before senility steals any more of my memories away. :P

Hooligan Handling 101

Ξ April 28th, 2006 | → Comments Off | ∇ Fitness / HEMA, SCA |

Well, I’ve been to A&M twice now. Old college rivalries aside, I like visiting. It’s close and the SCA student group there is moderately active.

I’m finding that I still have a lot to learn about keeping a class focused and on track. I don’t have a clear progression of drills and exercises that build upon one another. I get the distinct feeling that I’m not conveying the point (yuk yuk) to the students.

I.33 was easy to teach, but rapier requires a bit more thinking. I do appreciate the Aggies putting up with me, though, as I continue in my probational instructor period. A couple of them have had little light bulb moments, which let me know that I’m not totally mucking it up.

After practice, we went out for food afterwards (Bennigan’s and Antonio’s pizza), talked not-so-idly about plans for a port-O-castle with flushies and a dungeon (with midgets), and watched Dangerous Beauty.

We’ll see how the summer and fall shape up, schedule-wise.

Gulf Wars XV

Ξ April 11th, 2006 | → Comments Off | ∇ Fitness / HEMA, SCA |

Impressions?

Wet.

Stimulating.

Exciting.

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Estrella XXII

Ξ February 20th, 2006 | → Comments Off | ∇ SCA |

Wow. It seems like every time I give in to one of Mark’s heavy-handed suggestions or downright orders, I come out better for the experience.

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Fiore's giocco largo

Ξ December 15th, 2005 | → Comments Off | ∇ Fitness / HEMA, SCA |

Brian held a SSG longsword class in Dallas, and I headed up there with Nicole. We crashed at Brian’s house, and had a great time. As I’ve said, I begrudge no moment spent absorbing WMA information, and Brian is a treasure trove. He gave me some really solid ideas on how to methodically build a local WMA organization and membership base. I’ve also learned a lot from listening to him share his past work experience.

This time, the big topic for discussion was honor. Whether in WMA or the SCA or any other venue, respect holds pride of place. What has a person won if he shrugs off a hit or plays the rules to win? Certainly not acclaim or recognition of his (dubious) prowess. The big question of the night was, how do we handle such opponents? I’ve felt the ugly desire to win at all costs well up in my gut, and I can see how I could become such an opponent. So I try to focus on playing well, rather than winning. Have I performed techniques cleanly? Am I being responsive to my opponent/partner’s actions in the fight? Sometimes I slip, but not always.

And indeed, Brian’s belief is that if, for any reason, there’s uncertainty over who won a bout, then honor can be preserved and enhanced by yielding the bout. If you lost, then you have correctly yielded the fight. If you didn’t clearly win, then your skills clearly can stand improvement. If you did clearly win, then it will be obvious to you and (sometimes) to the discriminating members in the audience. What more need be said, if you know you won? All errors in interpretation of his words are mine.