DRILLS DRILLS DRILLS [Read the rules before posting]

[Peter S]

• Drill Number - 41
• Drill Name - Crashing In
• Type - Game
• Skill Trained - Durchlauffen, Schwertnehmen, Ringen Am Schwert, "Grips and Grappling and Getting 'Em". And how to counter grappling with abschneiden/your sword/grappling right back.
• Props - Longsword simulators, masks and safety gear.
• Description - Begin in the bind of your choice - we generally used sprechfenster or a higher, almost in Einhorn/Kron depending on your interpretation bind, of the sort you get when both fencers go strong with their strongs, and try and hollywood-shove...
  
  One is an Agent, one a Patient. Agent's task is to grapple, whether by grabbing a hand or coming in under cover to position for a hip throw, or a disarm, etc. Closing and grabbing, basically, while keeping all their blood inside their skin. The Patient's task is to cut or stab the Agent, but they can't just backpedal. A step back is ok, runnning away spoils the fun.
• Remarks - We came up with this because when trying to drill grappling at the sword at a dead Drill level, people weren't closing to the appropriate distance for techniques, and so failing to complete them, and weren't keeping themselves covered. This encourages both of those. The level of violence (most often "Do we complete the throw or not?") is up to you...

[Jake Norwood]

• Drill Number - 42
• Drill Name - Scott Brown's Foot and Blade Coordination Drill (aka 1221)
• Type - Drill
• Skill Trained - Footwork, basic cuts and covers, coordinating the two
• Props - Longsword simulators, masks and safety gear.
• Description - Ok, some definitions: Cut 1 means you cut down from your right - B in Meyer's terminology. 2 means you cut down from your left - H in Meyerspeak. Passing means you step forward with the rear leg, past the front leg. Advancing is per the fencing use of the term - front foot moves, then rear, as opposed to a gathered step where the rear moves up, then the front foot moves forwards. You're only going to advance or pass in this drill. Inside parry means with your blade binding from the other side to their cut (so meeting a Cut 1 (to your left side) with a left Pflug is an inside parry, while binding from the outside of the cut and transitioning to right Pflug is an outside parry).

The Rules:
When you cut, you always move that side's foot with it. So if I'm in right vom Tag and cut 1, I'll take a passing step forwards with my right foot. If I was in left Ochs, I'd only take an advancing step with my right foot.

When you parry, you do so with that side's foot to the rear - i.e. a "normal" Pflug or Ochs.

You cut in a 1221 pattern. Agent cuts 1, Patient cuts 2, Agent cuts 2, Patient cuts 2. Each time, the other covers. I suggest beginning with covering with an inside Pflug, then later trying inside Ochs, then outside Pflug, then outside Ochs.

Example with inside Pflug: Both begin with your left feet forwards. You're gonna start. So cut 1, with a passing step forwards. He parries with a left Pflug, so needs to pass backwards. You now both have right feet forwards. Then he cuts a 2, so needs to pass forwards again, while you pass backwards. Then you cut a 2, but you've now got a left foot forwards, so it's a shuffle for you and him. He then cuts a 1, so you pass backwards while he passes forwards. You're now left with right foot forwards as you begin again. You need to do two repetitions - 12211221 -to reset to starting positions.

• Remarks - From Scott Brown at FightCamp 2011. It's harder than you might think, although it can be easy with an "empty mind" to avoid falling into old reflexes.

[Jesse Eaton]

Drill Number - 43
Name - Variable strike response drill/game
Type - Drill or Game
Skill Trained - This game/drill develops fuhlen, reaction to, and recognition of strikes that look similar but require different responses.
Props - Either steel blunts or wasters (preferably synthetic wasters), sparring gloves and head protection.
Description - Teacher strikes one of two or three strikes that look similar but require a different response, such as Sheilhau or Zornhau. Student must recognize the strike either at or before the bind and respond appropriately to the strike. If the student does not respond appropriately, then the teacher's strike should land. The drill should begin with the teacher maintaining a soft or hard bind consistently until the student is able to respond in the appropriate manner consistently. Then the teacher should add begin changing up hard/softness at the bind, until the student is able to respond appropriately.
Remarks - It is important that the teacher is able to throw both strikes without telegraphing their strike. If the student has difficulty recognizing the difference between the strikes, use less similar strikes (e.g. Zornhau/unterhau, Sheilhau/Krumphau, etc.) until the student is more familiar with the strikes. As in most drill, and especially so in this drill, it is important that the teacher attempts a valid and threatening strike for the student to respond to. Otherwise, both teacher and student are developing bad habits.

[Richard Marsden]

Drill Number - 44
Drill Name - Limited Freeplay
Type - Freeplay with Limits
Skill Trained - Guards, the thrust, or cut.
Props - Longsword simulators, masks and safety gear.
Description - This can be used for newer students to help them refine skills in a manageable fashion or used for more experienced people to refine skills. Two opponents engage in freeplay, one of the opponents is limited in their actions. These include but are not limited to...

1 - You need to try and thrust more than cut.
2 - You need to try and cut more than thrust.
3 - You can only use point-forward guards.
4 - You can only use (x) guard.

And so on.

In the video below John (on the right) needs to try and stick to point-forward guards and the thrust. While he can cut if he needs to, the goal is to stab. After two minutes, Kyle takes on the same role. While we are bit informal about it, one could easily mandate 'cut only' or 'thrust only' or 'use these guards only'.

Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar5mQEPHIPw

[Joey Nitti]

• Drill Number - 45
• Drill Name - Build-A-Drill
• Type - Game
• Skill Trained - All Skills
• Props - Masks, simulators of whichever weapon you wish, other protective gear optional for level of intensity
• Description - In this drill, two fencers build their own 5-part play. Determine which fencer will go first (it's best to do the drill twice and switch, since it's not a symmetrical drill). They become the Agent, the other the Patient. Both fencers begin in a guard of their choosing. The Agent begins by doing any action of their choice. It must end with them hitting the Patient. Note, the Patient does nothing at this stage. This is the first iteration of the drill. Then, the Agent repeats that exact same action, and the Patient must perform an action of his own, which must end with him hitting the Agent and not being hit. This is the second iteration. Repeat this process up to the fifth iteration, meaning the Agent "wins" in the end.
• Remarks - It could be done to any number of iterations, but five seems to be a good number. Any more and it gets way too messy, any less and it's too simple.
  - This drill can be done at any speed and intensity, but sometimes it is difficult for the fencer to think of the proper countering action, so it will be necessary for the other fencer to repeat his action multiple times at various speeds to give the other fencer time to think of the appropriate counter. Remember, the drill is primarily about decision making. If a fencer is having a really difficult time thinking of a counter, feel free to allow the instructor, his drill partner, or other students suggest a solution. Very educational to try and think of a solution.
  - This drill is vaguely similar to drill #36 (Robot Drill) in that it is in distinct steps or iterations, and is built up step by step
  - This drill is courtesy of Craig Shackleton. Not sure if he created it or got it from someone else (I seem to remember him mention that it was from someone)
  - One of my favourite drills, it really forces you to think hard about when to use certain techniques. It's particularly enlightening when you do a technique that results in a double kill, even though the opponent isn't moving . This drill is good for students who have a decent amount of knowledge of techniques, as a way to improve freeplay, and maybe even create a new drill for the club if the two fencers do a particularly good sequence.

[Ben Floyd]

•Drill Number - 46
•Drill Name - Parrying the vorschlag
•Type - Game
•Skill Trained - Vorschlag, absetzen, versetzen, nachreisen
•Props - Weapons and sparring gear
•Description - This is primarily a game to train proper responses to attacks. Both opponents can only strike with single intention attacks, the primary cuts (ober, zorn, mittel, and unter) and meisterhau (zorn, shiel, zwerch, scheitel, krump). This means no second intention attacks like fehlen, sturtzhau, etc.

Fighter 1 is allowed to vorschlag and use absetzen (setting aside) for parrying only.

Fighter 2 is allowed the vorschlag and versetzen (displacements) for parrying only.

Voiding/nachreisen is allowed for defense as well.

•Remarks - This drill is primarily attempting to isolate and improve each fighter's absetzen and versetzen. Only single intention attacks are allowed because the higher predictability of the attacks from the opponent allows one to improve your success rate while parrying against an unwilling opponent. This will carry over into freeplay when you're better able to see and recognize attack patterns.

To make this easier, you can also restrict each fighter options for attacking (ex: only Right/left zornhau) if more restrictions are needed to simplify further.

To make this harder, allow for second intention attacks and all other cuts. This means the only difference between the drill and freeplay is the restriction to absetzen and versetzen.

[Troy Butler]

• Drill Number - 0047
  
• Drill Name - Trigger
  
• Type - Game
  
• Skill Trained - Situational awareness, Zufechten, Vor
  
• Props - Steel blunts or wasters, gloves, masks
  
• Description - Two opponents face in Zufechten. Instructor selects a trigger for each and tells them confidentially (or several cards could be made with triggers and quickly shown to the opponents). Triggers are a guard or situation that initiates a fighter into an attack. On the trigger, Krieg and Abzug should be carried out.
  Examples of triggers are - Your opponent takes Alber, takes Pflug for the third time, changes guard X times, takes any point rearward guard, takes left VT, etc.
  
• Remarks - The game gets interesting when you have the fighters try to determine what the opponent's trigger was.
  

[Borislav Krustev]

• Drill Number - 0048
• Drill Name – Hitting the tire
• Type – Solo Exercise
• Skill Trained - Hitting, feeling impact, control of the blade
• Props - longsword or arming sword, wood, steel, or wooden stick, or really anything not sharp, a tire
• Description – Put the tire on the level of your head. Grab a stick, a sword, or a waster, and start hitting it, at the beginning from the high guards. Any position is okay afterwards, any kind of strike. You can start moving with your feet more later on, deliver thrusts (if you have the tire secured), and make it a bit like shadow-fencing, but keep hitting. You can change the level of the tire however you want, lower it to the level of the waist, put it higher - it will give you different points for how to do different strikes.
• Remarks – It’s important to note that the tire is not a perfect hitting target. It bounces too much. On the other hand, it is extremely durable, cheap (just get an old one), and can be put on many different levels and modes. And if you learn how to fight the bouncing of thing, you will have easier time returning your point to centre after a strong rebate.

[Richard Marsden]

Drill Number - 49
Drill Name - Sticky to the Bind
Type - Paired Exercise
Skill Trained - Binds
Props - Longsword simulators
Description - This can be used for newer students to help them understand why leaving a bind is not a good idea- hence one should stay sticky to the bind. The instructor stands in long point, their sword held in front of the student's face with some forward pressure. If the student leaves the bind, they'll get hit.

The video below shows how this works. It's a good drill for new fencers. From there, one can then explore all the things you CAN do from a bind.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CLIcp6sehI

[Richard Marsden]

Drill Number - 50
Drill Name - Hand-Work and Hand-Speed Drill for Dussack
Type - Paired Exercise
Skill Trained - Binds and Hand-Work
Props - Dussacks
Description - The students sit in front of one another within measure. They then work with the dussack without foot-work. It helps train hand-work and hand-speed as well as trains bind-work.

The video below shows how this works. The originator of the drill is Kai, from the Phoenix Society of Historical Swordsmanship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJPAMPQg5dk