thegirlsclub

[Jesmond]

I'm putting this in Technique, but it probably should be in the Ladies Room where it cannot be read widely. Regardless, I'm airing it in public. If you want to put your response in the Ladies Room, feel free.

I routinely hear claims from trainers that they can teach anyone (meaning a small woman) to throw good blows consistently by relying on technique (implied is the exclusion of strength or mass).

So, here are my questions for those of you who routinely fight with a single handed sword:

1. How long have you been fighting and what kingdom have you been fighting in?
2. Have you ever studied / took a class on power generating technique and do you employ said technique?
3. Do your blows that land unimpeded get called light in a tourney with any frequency?
4. Do your blows that land unimpeded get called light at practice with any frequency?
5. If you answer to 3 or 4 above is negative, how long were you fighting before that ocurred on a regular basis, i.e. how long did it take you to learn to throw what was deemed a blow with sufficient force (if it were to land unimpeded)?
_________________
First authorized: 1996 - 2000
Re-authorized: 2006 - now
Last event: Coronation
Next event: Border Raids
The Misery Tour: You'll wish you had less fun.

[Jesmond]

1. 10 years. The most recent four years of that has been practicing twice a week or more. I have been in the Middle this entire time.
2. Oh god yes. Every chance I get.
3. Yes.
4. Yes.
5. Apparently it is going to take me more than 10 years. I'm hopefully I can do it in 11.
_________________
First authorized: 1996 - 2000
Re-authorized: 2006 - now
Last event: Coronation
Next event: Border Raids
The Misery Tour: You'll wish you had less fun.

[rauokinn]

1. How long have you been fighting and what kingdom have you been fighting in? 13 YEARS -- An Tir

2. Have you ever studied / took a class on power generating technique and do you employ said technique? Yes, and I've read books and watched video, etc . . . I work on the pell ad nauseum also to make sure my technique is close to perfect

3. Do your blows that land unimpeded get called light in a tourney with any frequency? yes and no -- sometimes when my leg blow technique is of it will get called light frequently. Otherwise, I do not have a problem usually with unimpeded blows being called frequently light in a tournament to the point where I do not feel like I'm capable of throwing a good blow. I do still have trouble with some people taking blows from me, but it seems to be fighter specific now and not across the board, if that makes sense?

4. Do your blows that land unimpeded get called light at practice with any frequency? Ditto my answer to #3.

5. If you answer to 3 or 4 above is negative, how long were you fighting before that ocurred on a regular basis, i.e. how long did it take you to learn to throw what was deemed a blow with sufficient force (if it were to land unimpeded)? You know, I never really had a "power problem" as such -- it used to be one of the most frequent back handed compliments I would get when fighting people, i.e., "Well, I guess you don't have a power problem . . . ." -- that being said, I, like probably 90% of fighters still get blows shrugged regularly by certain people, which is why I continue to emphasize correct technique in my drill and pell work. But you are looking for a number -- I would say it took me 4 years to have consistently adequate power, and then when I came back after having the baby, it probably took me another year and a half to get consistent power again. But I am sort of freakishly strong for a woman, and have a lot of mass (too much mass -- something I am working on reducing).

[Cunian]

[freiman the minstrel]

[Jesmond]

I was wondering on average how many years it takes a female fighter to throw blows with sufficient calibration that when their unimpeded blows land they are no longer frequently called light by their opponents in practice and in tourney.

I've been watching new guys at our practice in the 160-175 pound range and watching them develop heat. Even those who have difficulty, seem to have it resolved in about 6 months of regular training. Maybe a year if they don't practice too regularly. I can feel these guys' power increasing over time. But I can't figure out why I (or women in general) can't seem to do whatever it is they are doing in anywhere near the same timeframe.

f, you didn't answer how long it took you to learn to throw what was deemed a blow with sufficient force (if it were to land unimpeded)?
You say not applicable. Could you do it from the start?
_________________
First authorized: 1996 - 2000
Re-authorized: 2006 - now
Last event: Coronation
Next event: Border Raids
The Misery Tour: You'll wish you had less fun.

[Dorothea]

1. How long have you been fighting and what kingdom have you been fighting in?

7 years

2. Have you ever studied / took a class on power generating technique and do you employ said technique?

Yes (most of it is not specifically for heavy fighting) and yes

3. Do your blows that land unimpeded get called light in a tourney with any frequency?

No. It DOES happen now and then, but not often. It is most of the time due to loss of focus if it happens for me.

4. Do your blows that land unimpeded get called light at practice with any frequency?

Not frequently no, but more often than in tourneys because in practice it more often happens I concentrate on other things (like accuracy, speed, footwork - particular things).

5. If you answer to 3 or 4 above is negative, how long were you fighting before that occurred on a regular basis, i.e. how long did it take you to learn to throw what was deemed a blow with sufficient force (if it were to land unimpeded)?

I'd say about a year before "frequent lights" went over to a state of "infrequent lights"
_________________
Dorothea Weberin, KSCA
Dun in Mara, Insulae Draconis, Drachenwald

[Isabella E]

I don't have enough experience to really answer all the questions, but to be honest I am also probably not a good person to ask anyway because of my size and body type. With good technique I shouldn't have a lot of problem throwing blows with authority. I'm 6' 185lb. When my life settles down after the paramedic program I want to try and drop down to 170 or thereabouts, but I think getting leaner and stronger will only help.
_________________
It's not the most powerful animal that survives. It's the most efficient. -Georges St-Pierre
http://windyvalleybanners.blogspot.com/

[Jesmond]

Does that mean you don't fight at practice or enter tourneys?

And/or that you could do it from the start?

I'm not excluding you from womanhood for being awesomely tall and built like a brickhouse.
_________________
First authorized: 1996 - 2000
Re-authorized: 2006 - now
Last event: Coronation
Next event: Border Raids
The Misery Tour: You'll wish you had less fun.

[Isabella E]

I haven't fought in any tourneys yet and I fight in practice here and there but most of my experience is in melee. It's totally ass backwards, I know. But now with working 100 some hours a week and being in school full time on top of it I don't have the time or energy to even make practice right now. So my fighting is essentially on hold again for another year.

I'm just genetically fortunate to be built like an athlete. Growing up I played soccer, softball, basketball, volleyball and ran track and cross country. Even though I got much heavier and lazier I can drop weight and gain strength pretty quickly if I really try, so being a mutant I'm not sure I'm a good representation of the female fighter anyway, physically. When I first started fencing I was practicing several times a week and within six months I was holding my own with mid level fighters and on a good day was giving some white scarves a run for their money.
_________________
It's not the most powerful animal that survives. It's the most efficient. -Georges St-Pierre
http://windyvalleybanners.blogspot.com/

[freiman the minstrel]

[Corby de la Flamme]

"3. Do your blows that land unimpeded get called light in a tourney with any frequency? "

This happens to e v e r y o n e, even Freiman.

There are at least a hundred reasons why a blow landing unimpeded can be called light.

[Ariadne]

1. How long have you been fighting and what kingdom have you been fighting in?
About a year in Ealdormere.

2. Have you ever studied / took a class on power generating technique and do you employ said technique?
Not officially, but most of my practice has been aimed at hitting harder.

3. Do your blows that land unimpeded get called light in a tourney with any frequency?
Not in a newbie tourney, and I haven't landed enough unimpeded blows in a grownups tourney to tell.

4. Do your blows that land unimpeded get called light at practice with any frequency?
We don't always call blows at practice... maybe half my blows are hard enough.

5. If you answer to 3 or 4 above is negative, how long were you fighting before that ocurred on a regular basis, i.e. how long did it take you to learn to throw what was deemed a blow with sufficient force (if it were to land unimpeded)?
N/A.


Because it is probably relevant, I'm 5'2" and 130 lbs. It is possible that because of that and the pigtails, people are taking blows from me in practice that they wouldn't take from somebody like Frieman.

[Sir Vitus]

In my experience females build explosive power much slower than males, but build slow-twitch strength at a much faster rate than males. I don't mean that the average woman can get as strong as a man can over a short period, but I have seen women lifters lay increments on the bar faster than males...they progress faster and get through sticking points faster, say in the deadlift.

The best way for a female athlete to build the FULL BODY fast twitch explosiveness that will make her blows land with real authority is the two-handed barbell power clean. Any female that will take a 1" exercise bar, put a ten-pound weight on each side and learn to do this exercise will be utterly transformed within six months, if she consistently adds weight to the bar in small increments.

The way to do this is to aquire a set of 1" microload barbell plates from Iron Woody Fitness.

Then you devote yourself to learning how to do the power clean. Your local "crossfit" instructor can do this in one session, or you can talk to a college football strength trainer...or you can just watch tutorials on Youtube.

The grip is usually a weak point with blow power issues. While the kettlebell snatch is great, the barbell power clean is the best exercise for development of fast-twitch power from the ankle to the hand, which is what most female fighters need.

I was 5'4" and weighed about 145 pounds when I started fighting. I didn't start winning fights with regularity until I had put on 25 pounds of solid muscle. At age 25 I could power clean 225 with relative ease for reps, and my sword speed was twice what it is today. I can say with absolute certainty that my sword blows were the fastest ever seen in the SCA history of my state. The power clean does something that nothing else can do- it builds strength, explosiveness and cardio all at once.

Do this and watch what happens.

[Hildemar the Alchemist]

To begin: I am 5'3" tall, weigh between 145 and 150 typically (and about 10-15 pounds of that should be converted to muscle). I am 48 years old.

1. How long have you been fighting and what kingdom have you been fighting in?

I started in the Midrealm and fought there for 5 years - in a helm from which I could barely see. There was a five year interlude due to the Persian Gulf War and subsequent PTSD. I then moved to the East Kingdom and have been fighting here for about ten years. I was squired two years ago.

2. Have you ever studied / took a class on power generating technique and do you employ said technique?

Not in the sense that it was specifically designed to address power issues in SCA fighting. However, having read some of Duke Bellatrix' concerns with women being given short, heavy weapons, I have modified my own - and seen improvement.

3. Do your blows that land unimpeded get called light in a tourney with any frequency?

Yes, especially offside shots. I distinguish between an offside shot that is properly delivered with the elbow chambered in front of the head - what I call a "full offside" - and one that is delivered principally with the arm - which I think of as a "jab offside". The jabs are almost never accepted, even when they land squarely on the facegrill.

4. Do your blows that land unimpeded get called light at practice with any frequency?

See notes above regarding offside shots. Also tends to happen with wrap shots, particularly when I start to get tired. Another shot that is commonly called "light" is onside snaps to the head, particularly to opponents who are significantly taller than I am.

5. If you answer to 3 or 4 above is negative, how long were you fighting before that ocurred on a regular basis, i.e. how long did it take you to learn to throw what was deemed a blow with sufficient force (if it were to land unimpeded)?

N/A. While I can generally hit hard enough I have trouble getting inside my opponent's defense. Some targets are too high for me to generate sufficient power at that height. As a result I tend to counterpunch a lot, stepping in when my (usually taller and longer-limbed) opponent does, and try to block and strike simultaneously.