RingoToday I’m talking about the fights from the past weekend at the Knights Hall. St paddy’s bash was a good event with some fun fights, a light half time show, and a few highlight moments.
Cailyn Nichols vs Erika Brooks
This was a modified duel with axe and shield,. Face punching was allowed but it was scored counting blows with the axe. This fight had two friends showing how much they loved fighting each other as both rushed to get into the pocket and bang. It was cool seeing how hyped they got and how willing to just get in there and mix it. Both fighters seemed more in the mind of a knight fight though, prioritizing the shield punch as much as the weapon strike. Neither really seemed dominant as each had good moments, but Caitlyn managed to take the first 2 rounds but they fought a third anyway. It was not clear from my watching of the stream who won that round.
As both fighters knock of the rust I hope to see a bit more focus on the specific objective of the fight as opposed to just trying to overwhelm. Using the shield only offensively to set up axe strikes and otherwise keeping it more defensive. I also saw a lot of what I want to call swimming shots in their combos, which can work well to get around guards and set up grapples but often pulls power and accuracy from actual landed blows. It’s not the type of technique I really like to see in singles particularly when used in combos. It was really good seeing Erika getting some power on her punches getting back to form before her injury. Caitlyn’s movement continues to improve and I think her ability to move off line was really the separator here. My highlight moment of the match came in the third round, where Erika managed to get under Caitlyn’s shield and press her in the corner. It let her land 3-5 unanswered blows and that’s exactly what you look for in duels to get wins.
It was a fun and happy fight and great way to get viewers hype for the rest of the card. Seeing the mutual respect and desire to just stand trade shots was exactly the type of high energy match you want to kick off the night. Following that match we saw
Brian Chabot vs Josh “Bulldog” Veliz
This was a 3 round Sword and Buckler fight. Each fighter tries to land 5 sword blows before their opponent does. Brian fights sword in the right hand while Bulldog fights sword in the left due to an injury in his right. Lefty vs Righty is always and interesting match and in Sword and buckler in particular. Each fighter is very open on their sword side as swords are not the best defense, but they are also fairly open on the right as bucklers are not large. The typical strategy in sword and shield when fighting lefty vs righty is to cheat your shield sword side. Neither fighter chose to utilize this strat possibly because of how small the buckler is.
Round 1 went to Brian. He was able to dominate primarily through shooting between Bulldogs, though I think he landed one or two under. Primarily Brain kept his sword out in the line of attack from the left, which was primarily all Josh threw. This allowed him to catch most the shots and land his own blow on Joshs return.
Round 2 also went Brian but we began to see more movement from Josh which he needed. Brian’s sword skill was better but he allowed himself to plant which could have been exploited with a slightly sharper sword work from Bulldog.
Round 3 it is unclear who won but Bulldog was much more in that fight as he went to a spamming strategy switching up from an onside to an offside, which forced Brian to move his guard alot more. It also moved Brian’s guard out of position for the next attack.
Good to see people pushing this format which is one of more technical. I hope to see some more integration of the buckler in future fights.
Liam Fitzpatrick-Rys vs William Alloway
This was our third fight of the night and we saw something a little different. Will and Liam switched off between longsword and sword and buckler each round. Will Managed to win through a slightly better longsword game, though Liam was able to take one sword and buckler round and tie a longsword round. This match ramped the energy up with some high pace rounds. Both fighters seems to be able to handle getting to a 4th round pretty well indicating their training hasn’t really fallen off that much. Good to see tanks holding.
The fight started with Will in an interesting hanging guard leaving his sword well pointed to their left. They are left handed which makes less of a difference in Longsword than other forms but still offers a difference in angles. It’s unclear if that was a factor in this fight but Will did land a number of shots to Liam’s top arm, which is a little easier to hit, particularly when the blade doesn’t have to change sides. The real difference appeared to be Will’s understanding of vertical angles, switching from horizontal shots to downward shots that travel along the plane of Liam’s blade. Will was able to land shot after shot into Liam’s forearms and shoulders, while most of Liam’s downward blows got caught on Will’s hanging guard and allowed them to return and score.
Liam was dominant in the sword and buckler fight, though it did look like Will was able to get a few blows in. The real stand out though is the exchange just before the end. Liam gets inside Will’s guard and throws 3 shots though I think only 2 land. Knowing to keep up that pressure when he has the advantage is also how he drew a tie in the third round. Coming out aggressive and fast he drove Will’s back to the rail and then spammed pommel strikes. Will looked like they were struggling to get free and that limited the time they had to work on Liam. Will seems to lack a spam attack which could really help them hit the next level.
This fight also had the first armor repair of the night. It managed to go over the allotted minute but not significantly so. Props to the ref for the early call but this does highlight a point that keeps getting brought up. That armor failure breaks can really change the pace of the fight and give fighters a break. While it was Will, not Liam the one with the broken armor, who came out strong and rested after this break it could be otherwise. No solution to this just noting it might be a problem.
Ringo vs Jack Young
It’s weird trying to write sports commentary on my own fight but felt wrong to just ignore it. We fought a 3 round longsword duel and I took all 3 rounds. Jack is a newer fighter who has been training at the hall maybe 2 years now but limited armor time due to covid and other things. I am out of shape and haven’t really been fighting in a while and took this fight on 5 hours notice. Still, I have something like 7 years under my belt, mostly very active schedules. I also used to spend a lot of time training longsword as a primary form while I believe it has just been one of the options Jack has. As such I think it’s fair to say I was a heavy favorite.
In the early exchanges of round 1 though we were actually trading even or perhaps I might have been down. I came out cautious and my guard was…well terrible. Jack found a bunch of openings. Eventually though I began pressing and upping the pace. This caused my guard to fall apart, which remained a hole in my fight that Jack exploited for the rest of the fight. However he was unable to keep up with the pace I threw in general.
The fight saw an armor failure that the refs were super attentive of, stopping before the second round began so good job to them. I also got a minor injury when my thumb slipped out of my guantlets cause I’m dumb and forgot to either adjust my grips to ground them or to do the smart thing and attach the thumb of the glove to the steel. It wasn’t enough to effect my grip but did mean I couldn’t switch hands in any meaningful way. Luckily that’s mostly a trick and not good fundamentals so I was able to stay in the fight.
The first two rounds primarily were won on a greater output and slightly better movement and targeting. Jack pretty much only through high shots so when I did switch to defensive I was able to stay up on the advantage I had gained. That said he landed a number of vertical shots passed my guard that I simply had no answer for. I was able to rack up points primarily through some level changes and off line movement, plus just a more furious pace. The level changes were…not great. My head was down alot and too often I bent at the hips and waist when I should have used my knees. I also didn’t set them up or bring up a high guard to protect. Jack’s inexperience showed here. He wasn’t able to adjust and take advantage but I doubt it will work as well next time against him.
The 3rd round came down to him just being more tired and not being as used to going deep. I also made sure to pour on the gas in the 3rd round and brought out my heaviest sword so that it would have a better chance of mess with his guard or his head. I gassed myself out doing it but by then I had managed to get enough in his head he was unable to press and take advantage.
After the first 4 fights we had a half time show based on the pan fight viral video. Liam and Briam sat on a bench feet off the ground and took turns smashing each other with frying pans until someone fell off the bench. When hit Brian’s head barely moved due partially to the mass of his helmet but also because the nose made it hard for Liam to reach back enough to get him in the ear. After 3 or 4 exchanges both fighters were re-armed with heavier pans. After a few shots there Brian took the victory and hopefully no took zero TBI for just sitting letting some one smash him in the head.
Marie Brooks vs Chuck Vallas
The 5th fight saw Marie Brooks take on Chuck Vallas in a polearm fight. Marie has been training Polearm for 6 months to a year now while Chuck is mostly new to the format, though had some army training on essentially quarterstaff. Neither appear to have a reach advantage. Chuck brought out a small headed axe on his pole while Marie used a spear tip they won from Bohurt Tech.
Marie was able to win 2 of the three rounds and the fighters tied the middle one, primarily through better range management and a decent spam game. In tight though Chuck managed to stay in the fight utilizing thumb in grip and treating it like a quarterstaff, trying to score with the butt. There was some confusion on what counted as the butt and what didn’t and he appeared to land a few shots too high on the haft to count.
Early on Marie scored plenty of points coming over Chucks guard and staying at range. Chuck’s haft was too horizontal for him to react fast enough and bring it high. He basically gave up all defense at range in exchange for an in close strategy and occasionally trying to “thrust” with the back end at distance. When he did close he was able to score a lot but Marie was eventually able to free thier haft and land blows under his guard.
In the later engagements Cuck fixed this and managed to put up a decent guard that let little in. However he struggled to close enough to really take advantage of his thumb in grip and after a bit he tired and struggle to keep his head at the proper diagonal angle. He was able to utilize his weapon head very well to trap Marie’s but they showed their own proficiency with butt stikes and used them to free their weapon.
Another standout Marie had over Chuck turned out to be power on strikes, landing more than a few that caused him to move and one that caused a momentary stagger even. Chuck eventually tried to switch to the more standard grip but Marie’s technique and gas tank made it too little too late. As they tired Marie began to switch to less sharp strikes and more of the swimming motion I reference earlier. Again it pulls power and accuracy but due to the way the haft works a lever allows it to be more effective and actually in tight it can be a really good way to clear grappling or attempts to foul weapon shots.
It was a very good first time showing from Chuck and he might have some promise in the format if he trains it and his cardio. Marie is showing serious promise and may become a real force in the format. The only real struggle they mentioned was not liking the tip weight of the weapon and it was evident when the tip was low and to the side they struggled much more to control and generate power. Chuck was likewise struggling when he finally switched to a traditional grip and held the tip low. It’s a tough guard to throw from with a polearm and not an ideal position for the tip but being able to control the weapon there is crucial to keeping in the fight in case it gets trapped low.
Next up was Dustin Gunnarson vs Jason Fransico
This was another last minute fight. Dustin was supposed to fight Greg Fisher but due to injury Greg had to step out. Jason said he would step up for what would be his first real fight and only second time in armor. It was a hell of a first fight going against Dustin who has fought on a 2 of the top teams in the country and moved out east to join a third. He is also the primary instructor that Jason has been training with at the hall lately. Dustin also appears to have at least 20 pounds and 3 inches of height on him. On paper it is not a great fight, though Jason is no stranger to fighting, having done a number of amature MMA fights and BJJ tournaments. Some of that training was able to show through the armor and he managed to acquit himself well and actually remain in the fight until the weight and exertion was too much and he was forced to forfeit the fight after fighting 2 two minutes round
Jason definitely looked uncomfortable in the borrowed armor. It broke on him twice and while the refs were quick to stop the fight he did eat one shot to the bare shoulder. Even before that though his movements looked a bit stiff and jerky. He also kept a guard that was far too wide for sword sports. Dustin made great use of this, landing some very stiff shield punches again and again, stepping through on alot of them. Dustin’s sword work and movement were also on display, working shots all over Jason’s body, including landing deep offsides to the far ankle. He also made sure to land a number of shots when exiting and was basically able to completely dictate measure. He
There was surprisingly little grappling from a fight with 2 very good grapplers. Jason told me later he avoided the grapple which for a first time fighter is a very good sign, to be able to decide to leave and not engage in what feels safer. However probably not the smart decision as the difference between grappling in armor and out of armor is far less than the difference between punching out of armor and swinging a sword in armor. This choice allowed Dustin to flex on him with better movement and sword work. Multiple times Jason tried to throw a shield punch only to catch air or find Dustin had stepped past him to his side.
Jason was able to land some sword blows and his onside in particular look real good for a first time fighter. His offside needed some work and there were a few light blows that needed mechanical tweaks but was able to put his blade onto Dustin’s body. In tight he landed some good shield punches, at times trading blow for blow and not coming off on the lesser end for it. There was even a point where he ran the “russian train” on Dustin. A repeated 1-2 of onside chop and shield punch and drove Dustin into the rail. There were also some hook looking punches in tight that seemed like they were effective, something for the most part I have seen be worthless. If he/we can figure out the timing and mechanics on that we might see a new Meta arise.
The penultimate fight of the night was Chuck goodwin vs Brandon Ross who fought 4 rounds of duels, 2 rounds with sword and shield and 2 with longsword. The first 3 rounds were all draws before Brandon finally pulled out the win with the final round of longsword
This was another lefty vs righty fight. Chuck the lefty , a relatively new fighter with 2ish years experience but a very active first year, was not able to parley this advantage into a win this time. He kept the fight very close though against a 7ish year vet with as many fights in armor as pretty much anyone else on the East Coast. Right off the bat this fight was exciting with both fighters getting after it and throwing into the open side. Brandon looked sharp and nimble, catching a number of Chuck’s shots on the sword and landing return blows as he stepped around. Within the first 20 seconds though Chuck broke Brandon’s sword that had only just been repaired.
From there the fight took a different turn. Brandon was given a slower sword and was not able to land as quickly. In fact just to land blows he had to resort to giant dynamic movements to get around Chuck’s guard. Chuck was fighting with a non-optimal punch shield but kept his movement simple, his guard tight, and made sure to stay active with his sword. There was nothing super flashy but it was still effective with fairly decent fundamentals. Bradon struggled to maintain a strong guard, often letting his shield drop during a flurry of blows and not resetting it far enough to his right when at range, but his movement and output was good and managed to give to keep him in the fight. Chuck seemed to want to stay in the pocket and was able to keep his shield effective at opening shots, giving Brandon light jabs to the face, then pressing his shield down to keep him from establishing any good defensive action.
The longsword section saw Chuck moving a bit faster possibly feeling the lack of defense and wanting to be more mobile. Both fighters started off the fight with a gun show just throwing everything they had in tight. Then the two stong men decided to fight in close. Chuck tried pressing in a halfword guard but Brandon was savvy enough to prevent this and offered his own press trying to land some pommels. Unclear if any landed before Chuck again drove him to rail and then pinning him their decided to switch to head buts just to have some fun. My first watch through I actually had Chuck winning this round but its hard to tell what landed in the clinches. The fight seemed to be decided to me when Brandon went back to his usual strategy of swing the sword like an axe, as hard as possible. Sometimes this leaves him open to getting picked apart but in one key exchange he managed to swing through Chucks blows effectively preventing them from landing and even landing a few times himself.
Micheal Johnson vs Brian Juranty
The final fight of the night did not disappoint. Two very high level duelist put on an energetic and technical show. Brian was able to secure the victory in all 3 rounds against the man working hard to be the Knights Hall premiere Longsword duelist and hoping to secure the international slot next year. Hoping to see alot more matches from these two pushing each other to new heights.
Round 1 right off the bat both fighters come out hot and it’s hard to tell who wins the exchange. Both do a great job at throwing and angles that will allow for easy guards when recovering and have a chance of fouling an opponent’s blow. Brian appears to pick up some shots low but Michea was able to catch and return cleanly at least 2 shots to the head. Brian does well to press and step slightly off line to land blows, but Micheal circles out very well and is able to even roll out from a clinch into a nice takedown though unfortunately he couldn’t remain standing. This round ended up going to Brian and I think it’s because a number of his shots came even farther outside than usual which prevented Micheal, who uses a tight guard to allow for counter punching, to react in time.
Round 2 Brian rushes in straight and is not able to step off line. Previously Micheal had paused at the rail allowing Brian to plant and then make small movements to change angles. This time Micheal rolls out right off the bat and manages to take the lead in that exchange. They reset and Brian approaches again, but with slight changes to the side not straight in and through kicks and half swording pins Micheal. He backs out, throwing on the exit, catches Micheals return blow and follows it back with a vertical cut to stay parallel to blade and hard to block, picking up an elbow strike. From here he stays at range with Micheal backed almost into the corner.
Slight forward pressure forces Micheal to move but as Brian presses slowly he pins him again, drops a kick into his gut and then picks apart Micheals arms while he stays in a high guard looking to find a parry. Micheal needed to be returning shots here or exiting, as he had already lost the tempo and was not going to be able to regain it and play his counter fire game.
End of the round Micheal does better movement to roll out and even presses in to crowd Brian’s arms and not let him swing. Brian was able to get under though and land some thigh shots that may not have had power to count, but were enough to set up the following high shots to the head. After exiting and exchanging again they press into another clinch and Micheal tries to drive Brian back again. Brian feels it, rolls out, drops and hand from the sword to under hook and use that foreward momentum to drive Micheal off balance and into the ground.
Round 3 was the closed round in my opinion. Micheal began by focusing more on catching the blocks than catching and returning stuffing Brian’s opening salvo. However the next exchange he tried to go back to counter firing and Brian was able to throw enough shots at enough angles that he took the advantage there. Micheal’s counters were good and clean but there just weren’t enough shots after he fell behind. Instead he backed away and was able to snipe some points from distance but wasn’t able to keep the fight there and Brian did a good job of firing from the clinch, particularly after knees and kicks. At the end of the fight Brain managed to land a few snipes of his own, making large movements that cause Micheal to bite and allowed Brian to land.
Overall there is still a bit of rust on alot of the fighter but nowhere near as much as might be expected. Cardio, movement, and skill all looked decent, there was a lot of potential shown in newer fighters and some vets showed promise of opening new levels in their game once things begin in earnest. I’m very excited to see what the Prowess singles series brings and any future Knights Hall Knight Fight Cards.