all round solo training.

[nathan f]

hello everyone
the drills section got me to ask this question which i have asked many times. now most of us sadly cant train with others to often but want to get in training when we have time on our hands. so for my summer can anyone help me figure out and make a good all round solo work out and training session to aid me in my hema pursuits? be as broad as you want now i only have a short sword but can a will be getting a good waster for my home soon rather than using others. and any substitutes for training with would be nice. my main aims are to improve on my spear longsword short sword and broad sword as well as my unarmed techiniques and these i know little about and dont have much to spend on but i feel are vital so guys can you help???

[Mike Cartier]

• practise footwork, cycle through a few mins of each fotwork pattern you know
• spend a good 30 mins to an hour just on cutting drills (meyer has a bunch of drills all suited to this)
• Spend a good amount of time transitioning through the guards and defensive postures/movements
• flourish alot in a shadow boxing manner, visualizing an oponent)
• use supplemental fitness training such as Parkour, wrestling, running, gymnastics etc etc
• do some body weight exercises and see shovelglove.com for some sledge hammer workouts

[Mike Edelson]

To add to the above, pell work is crucial. Our medieval ancestors seemed to think so as well. If you don't have a pell, make one, or improvise. Almost anything can be a pell. I have a variety of pells from free standing wooden posts to hanging posts, but by far the most effective "pell" I've ever used was an old Revial cotton gamebeson hung on a chain.

[Timothy D'Ambrosio]

I am definitely not a teacher, so specifics I cannot truly comment on, but I do know this:

Every day before you practice be sure to eat good protein and carbs. Protein helps build muscle and carbs give you good energy to work out with that will last you a while. Eggs and wheat bread or oatmeal are great. Also make sure you end the day on a protein like chicken or lean steak. If you get a good workout in you should be sweating, so water is always necessary as well.

We really work ligaments and muscles in very different ways then the average athlete, so making sure that you are hydrated and eating pretty well helps keep you in shape and prevents injury, and its a crucial (if rather obvious) part of training, with or without a group.

Oh and be sure to stagger your workout days. You do not want to work every single day of the week, it will not give your muscles time to heal/grow if you are constantly putting them through stress, and it could end up really hurting joints (ie the wrist). Every other day is a good idea.

Hope I helped a little.

[nathan f]

il keep the diet in mind i think you all forgot to mention stretching first very important.
on footwork patterns i dont know many so can anyone help with this?
yes i must get down a routine on my stances anyway and get that sorted.
i have read through meyers cutting drills alot but is there any videos of it out there its just i cant fully picture it in my head
i plan on supplementing this with boxing and pugilism etc if anyone can help with this. and wrestling im going with ringecks stuff for now but i sadly can wrestle myself
i was going to set up a wooden fencing pole for my pell but the gambi was that the best as it moved out the way yet still overs resistance?
i know its dodgey but i use a curtain for my stick fighting to practice on. so i kinda get what it would be about.

[Bill Grandy]

i think you all forgot to mention stretching first very important.

Don't stretch first. Cold stretching causes more harm than good to your muscles. Do something to get your blood moving and heart rate up first, like several minutes of jogging, before you stretch. Better yet, do more dynamic actions that happen to also stretch the muscles, such as using a medicine ball with various movements to warm up.

[Tinker Pearce]

Here's my thought on the pel- the purpose of the pell isn't to beat the hell out of it- it's to learn to strike with precision. I'd recommend marking the pel at several strike points for the different cuts in the manuals. Then 'cut' at it- but concentrate on the proper movements of cutting from different wards, your foot-work etc. and hitting the 'target' point. Don't try to hammer the pel but rather try to hit the strike points exactly and don't move any faster than you can and still get everything right. The rule in combat shooting sports is "You can't miss fast enough to win" and that rule applies here too. Your cutting exercises and dynamic drills will take care of power; use the pel to work on precision and control.

Yeah, you'll feel awkward and kind of silly at first hitting the stupid post in slow motion but that will pass quickly enough and speed will come with time- though it will never be necessary to work the pel at full speed. "Anger (read as adrenaline) will give you speed in the fight," to paraphrase Fiore.

[Mike Cartier]

here is a page we have for the 4 openinngs drill

http://freifechter.com/fouropenings.cfm

[Jake Norwood]

Welll....sometimes it is to beat the hell out of it...

[W.T.Heinz]

shovelglove.com is one weird site.