RingoIf you’re like me, this lockdown has fucked your training schedule. Proper Fucked. So maybe like me you want to get back in control of things. If you’re just starting out in steel or used to training in a group this can be very difficult. How do you train grappling by yourself? How can you get hat time in without a sparring partner? How do you do striking drills without a pad holder? Theoretically you know how to handle the workouts by yourself(if you don’t there are hundreds of great programs that you can follow for a basic workout), but getting the skills work? Sure you can punch a bag, hit a tire, or swing at a pell but how much are you actually adding to your inventory?
The answer to that depends on if you know what you are doing and what you are doing to get feedback. Just like a lifter has a mirror to check form, uses a coach to correct them, and follows queues, you need to be doing the same or all you are doing is ingraining bad habits. Practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes permanent. Practice wrong, perform wrong.
So if you’re out there thinking that frantic sweaty work swinging a 10 pound sledge will pay off…well, you’ll certainly be stronger. Provided you don’t injure yourself that is. Want to make the most of this time off? Slow the fuck down. Record your sessions. And make sure you know your cues. Shoulders over thighs over feet. 12 and 2 or 10 and 12. Asshole grip. Loose arm. Push pull. Snap at contact. Etc etc. What you pick is up to you, assuming you got it from a knowledgeable source. The point is to repeat it and work through it. To check yourself and make sure you’re doing it right.
More than that though this is a time to work on some things beyond the basic 1-2. Now is a good chance to work on your offside axe shot. Fast feet in armor. Combos. Advanced guards. Now maybe you don’t know that shit. Or maybe you are still working on the basics. So to help with that I’m going to put out some videos on individual training you can be doing and linking a playlist of all the videos I know that are about 1 person working.
Before we get to that though I want to talk a bit about how I’m structuring my training without my gym or team. For the most part I’m just trying to get back from an injury and make up for the bad march I had eating too much and not working to my normal rate. So I’m alternating running and lifting 5-6 days a week, with the last day yoga. I’m not pushing at all. I’m just keeping my body active. I spend 10-30 minutes watching footage everyday and every day I make sure to get some skills practice even if it’s just walking out and going through 100 basic strikes. Keeping my mind and body focused on being sharp
This time off is terrible but in one very specific way a blessing most of us in the sport never get. Months of downtime to let our bodies heal. If you haven’t been on the zero off season, fight at least once a month, usually 2 or more, schedule you may not need this…but I’ll bet you probably do. Armored fighting takes a fucking toll and we do not do recovery well as a rule from what I’ve seen. So while it may feel like this is the time to put the pedal to the floor to try and take advantage of time off, to try and fight boredom, or to make up for not getting your regular training in, I urge you to go light and let the minor injuries you’ve accumulated finally fix themselves.
Now is not the time to worry about being bigger, stronger, or faster. Those are all great and all things you can work on very easily on your own. But what even more you can do now is focused on being healthy. Everyone can work on their physicality on the break. Want to find separation? Work on skills and mentality. Watch tapes, practice visualization, and train to sharpen the base skills.
Now that list of videos I was promising. I have compiled a few videos showing instructions and drills from myself and the Brooks, Cat and Jaye. I will be updating this with more videos as I find them or make them. Please forgive the poor quality. These are old and were either made for reference or taken as part of something else. They will hopefully be updated soon. For now though
Video one is Jaye breaking down the basics of what we call the snapshot or onside. It gives most of the parts of any one handed sword strike where the primary purpose is delivering power.
Video two is more discussion on power generation
Video three is Cat going over a lot of the same things so you can hear it from a different perspective
Video four is Cat and I talking about some more subtleties.
Video five the first basic sword combo, Basically your 1-2 in a sword and shield duel
Video six is me demonstrating the 1-2-3 for melee or pro fights. This was intended to go with some instruction so it may not be the most engaging. Onside sword shot, shield punch, then a heavy chop to what will be the hip or thigh. I try to visualize some subtleties and later I may go back and remake this with the instructions
Video 7 and 8 are Jaye Explaining the basic footwork for his system
Video 9 and10 are me demonstrating 3 rope drills from a few angles. Duck under the rope in a squat, throw a combo before, during, or after. Duck under hinging at the hips. And lastly ducking under hinging at the hip and pushing off as if there were someone hanging onto you. These movements will help tremendously in melee fights.
Yes I know, my striking looks terrible in it. Stringing together movements and striking is hard and essential practice and I clearly have a lot more work to do.
Video 11 talks about making your sword leg the front leg, essentially sugar foot.
Video 12 is a lecture jaye gave on movement and power at an SCA event but has a lot of crossover
For stuff not from our school I have Ukolov. If you don’t know who he is, he was the basically unbeatable singles (pro and Triathlon) HMB fighter for a while. He has a lot of good information and while I don’t agree with everything can’t really argue with his success.
This is his basics series. You may need to turn subtitles on as I don’t think he has done all of them in english
This is his longsword series. You will have to turn Subtitles on
EDIT—–
Found another series by Warlord Sports that just came out. Haven’t had time to go through all of it but looks good. May need a partner for some which I had mostly avoided, because if you have a partner you aren’t really training by yourself.