points and choreography

[Hawkyns]

As one who is not a member of any of the afore mentioned mentioned crews; my assumption of the last series of posts wold be that an 'ego button' has been pushed, those who do not 'play well together' have no intention of doing so.

Not really a case of 'won't', more a case of 'can't'. The training is so different and the muscle memory and reflex training are at completely different levels. When a blade comes towards my face, I assume it is going to hit and take appropriate action, void and counterstrike. For someone who is planning to stop the blade and then do some flashy move, they will be completely un prepared for the blade now coming at them, and I will be expecting them to react as I would. Recipe for major disaster. I've come more than a bit close to taking out a mundane coworker when they appeared unexpected over my shoulder. Reflexes are just trained. Actors and choreographed fencers think about each move. Martial artists react on a much more instinctive, below thought level.

Hawkyns

[Crudbeard]

give him a couple of days

Aye, I'm used to it taking a while for men to be able to keep up with me.....

Don't have anything ta add except that our crew uses pretty much the same ideas, basic moves cued by the fighters. As we do most of our live steel as attacks from off our pirate ship, verbal cues won't work as well as physical cues. I am intrigued that it seems most of the other crews do more cued fights than long strings of choreographed moves. For us, as we need to be able to fight on docks, the cued fight gives a lot more flexibility. It would be nice if some simple basic starting move could be learned by fighters from different crews. I am anticipatin' how this will make the festivals a lot more interestin' as long as we can keep it safe.

[RustyNell]

CRUDBEARD!!! So great to see you on the pub and glad you've joined in on this would be great to get the whole PIP family working together.

[Elena]

as far as our "cues" go.....there is always a "cue"...with the sword positioning...that indicates to your opponent/partner....where the srike will be comming from.....and a subsequent cue for the blocks.....that way....in fight...if one or other forget their position in sequence...or must be changed/improved differently foir saftey...somethings in the way etc....then the cue from either the attacker or the defemdant may dictate the action.

for example....

if i am comming at you with my sword pointed down....i will be striking for a head....off to the side....a shoulder strike....or up over my head...is a leg strike

and conversaly....if i am holding my sword at waist level...i am cueing for a head block....shoulder height...a shoulder block...or held high over my shoulder....a leg block...etcetcetc.....that way...with the roar of the crowds....music....or any other distractions like an improved change in choerography due to a saftey hazard(rocks,slopes,holes,edge,fence,audiece member,live animals)....i can visually see the next attack/block...

But... is it how it should be? I mean... I never faced an opponent, but I read several fencing manuals in order to be able to write my fencing scenes. Isn't the "cue" supposed to MISLEAD? Isn't the adversary supposed to not know exactly where the fencer is striking? I got this impression, of surprise moves and secret blows, from swashbuckling books and from the fencing manuals!