thegirlsclub

[ViolanteV]

I'm sure most almost everyone who has been here longer than a few months already knows things like this about at least a few others.

My purpose for making this thread is to have this info all in one place as a resource for help-seeking and advice-giving. It will be interesting to see who here has similar height, style, etc. for the sake of technique discussions and advice questing. Don't feel like you need to add any stats or other details that you don't wan't to. I'm nonchalant about sharing these things, but I understand not wanting to broadcast details like weight. Ok, I'll go first.

Height: 5'7" (so tall-ish for a woman, mediumish-smallish overall)

Weight: 200 My max was 225. I'm back on the way down. I have kind of a big-boned frame that is fairly muscular. My goal is cutting down to my ideal weight (for the first time ever since I have always been at least a little overweight) and build up muscle. I anticipate ending up 160-170 if both very fit and very muscled, but this will take a while.

Age: 26. Considering I found out about SCA heavy combat at 16 or 17, I wish I started a lot sooner, but oh well. It's forward from here.

Strengths: I can generate a lot of power. Still working on this armored. I'm right handed in everthing else, but I may show promise as a lefty in heavy combat. I can throw onside shots as hard or maybe harder with left as with right. I'm also *much* more used to standing right foot forward from 6 solid years of olympic fencing before I did any SCA combat. I tend to have good fighting instincts. I'm physically strong, but I could be a lot stronger.

Weaknesses: Just about everything. Endurance is a big one. I need a long warm-up time and tons of water for the first hour or so of any kind of fighting, in which I get fatigued quickly and easily. After that, I plateau and can go on for hours. I have trouble generating enough power for a good offside shot with my right hand, and I can't do it at all yet with my left. I've worked a lot on shoulder strength, but it still isnt enough to be able to block or guard for a long time without getting fatigued. Movement is still really new to me, and the few lessons I've had so far from about 3 different teachers have all been different, so it's hard for me to figure out exactly where to put my feet in stance. Stance seems a *lot* more debatable in heavy fighting than in fencing, where it is really standard - especially in olympic fencing. Speed is a big issue too, but I heard this gets a lot better (fixes itself) in time. I have every bit of musle memory still to learn.

My favorite way(s) to fight: (Range, shots, weapon style, etc.) I don't have any yet because I'm too new to have a good sense of what I like/dont like or what works/doesn't work in my game.

I can edit this post as I progress and develop more specific strengths/weaknesses.

[Jesmond]

I'm 5'5" and currently about 180. It is the heaviest I have ever been in my life. Strangely, I do not mind being this fat at all. I like myself. Maybe that's part of being 35. Or having vambraces that fit.

My strengths are decent hand speed, a killer back of the thigh wrap shot, and frequent void fighting.

My weakness is consistency. When my head is right, I win fights. When it is wrong, I am absolutely terrible. A weakness that is improving dramatically to the point of being eliminated with weight lifting is power generation.

Sword and shield is my main singles style. I am returning to great sword after getting some new gauntlets. Spear is my melee form.
_________________
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.

[Cunian]

I'm 5'6", currently in the 160's which seems to be a productive weight for me to bobble around at while trying for muscle gains and fat losses. I'm 49.

Strengths: A lot of experience, good targeting, regular practice

Weaknesses: Various issues of age and mileage, power inconsistency, bad melee sense.

I'm mostly a short-range sword and board fighter.

[Astridr]

Height: 5'10.5"

Weight: 225 - Working on the weight-loss thing, but I only have a maximum of 35lbs that I can actually lose, and my goal is just to lose 25lbs. I'm built wide with dense bones and muscles.

Age: 24

Strengths: Power generation when I have my head on.

Weaknesses: I'm green. I've been authorized for almost a year, and I've never done anything martial before the SCA. The learning curb is pretty steep, but I'm doing well enough. I need all the hat time I can get at this point. Because of my newness, I have a variety of other issues I'm working on.. confidence is my biggest one. I also think too much.

I authorized polearm not too long ago, and I'm quite fond of it. I also have more confidence and aggression there than I do with sword and board.

[Isabella E]

Height: 6'

Weight: 165' I lost 35lb in the last year and a half, but I haven't been fighting because of class. I am looking forward to seeing how my fighting will have improved and in what ways just from an improved level of fitness. After I am out of class I will be entering into a training program to test for the CPAT in Phoenix, which should turn me into a leaner meaner fighting machine. I don't think I will loose a whole lot more weight but I could definitely trade some more fat for muscle.

Age: 31

Strengths: I am naturally athletic and I did years of fencing before I started fighting armored combat, so I am pretty good with a spear. I also found my aggression when I picked up the poleaxe. I don't have any issues with power generation because I put on upper body muscle easily. I also started lifting weights a while back to strengthen my shoulder and it's made a big difference in how hard I can hit and endurance.

Weaknesses:

I'm still relatively new fighting with sword and shield because I have only been able to really do it in little chunks over a long period of time so I am a noob in that area. I am overly critical of myself.
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It's not the most powerful animal that survives. It's the most efficient. -Georges St-Pierre
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[helene]

Height: 5' 8"
Weight: 220 lbs
Age: 35

Strengths:
- I am naturally burly with a low center of gravity. I build heavy muscle and hit solid.
- I fought boffer (Amtgard) for 15 years at a nationally competitive level, so I have a number of skills that transfer decently with some fiddling and modifications
- I really enjoy fighting - it makes me happy. One of my happiest places in the world is fighting someone else who is having fun.
- I do well with a fighting unit on the field if I have clear instructions.

Weaknesses:
- Low endurance + stamina - I have to do very targeted training to see improvement in this area
- I have some bad fighting habits from Amtgard that have been slow to train out
- My life is complicated and I don't get to play enough.
- My mental game is not good and the more complicated things get (complicated scenarios) the harder I time I have focusing on doing the correct thing if its not "hit. kill"

Current focus:
- I am doing targeted heart rate aerobic training to improve my endurance & stamina. My current workout plan is a mix of running and pell work. I have been reading lots of exercise physiology stuff and am trying to find optimal ways to work out smarter and maximize my effort.
- I have been playing intermittently for a while now, but still feel a bit like the eternal newbie. I am trying to fill my knowledge gaps so I don't have so many spaz moments.
- I have finally started getting serious about upgrades for my current kit. It is functional, but sub-optimal.
_________________
"If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a Russian" - Battle of the Nations peanut gallery

http://helenestuff.blogspot.com/

[alanagoodewyn]

Height: 5'4" (I'm tiny )
Weight: 120
Age: 19, almost 20

Strengths: I discovered recently that I'm not tremendously inept with my off hand, so I may end up being rather ambidextrous after a bit of work, which could be nice. I'm fairly quick, partly because I'm small and partly because my knight is ninja-fast and I have to be quick to remotely keep up. I also have a fair amount of endurance...still need to work back up to where I was when I was a gymnast, then I'll be really good with that.

Weaknesses: My wrists are not very strong, so I still have issues with certain shots, especially when I get a little tired. I can't throw a wrap shot to save my life (though I'm finally starting to at least throw it, if not ever land it). And I have an awful tendency to let my shield creep up and leave my leg open.

My favorite way(s) to fight: sword and a round shield, definitely; I love single sword, too, but I need to improve my hockey gloves or get proper gauntlets before I can really do that without getting my fingers smashed because I have a special talent for accidentally blocking with my hands.


EDIT: Yeah, apparently my left-hand skills are plausible cause last night I decided to try two-stick for the first time now that I finally have a left half-gauntlet, and I authorized in it
_________________
Arsalan (formerly Alana Goodewyn), proud squire on her path to knighthood

AD GLORIAM AETHELMEARC!

[Helga]

Height: 5'7"
Weight: 130
Age: 19

Strengths: General intuition for fighting, good melee sense. Not practicing that infrequently (once or twice a week, normally). I think knowing some stuff when I started fighting sped up a lot of trial and error, which is something. And being an evil left-handed cheater.

Weaknesses: Power generation. Strength in general. Endurance. Not playing with my off hand or alternate weapons. Still being fairly new.

My favorite way(s) to fight: I fight sword-and-board with a reasonably large centergrip oval. Generally I fight at a short range, but I'm trying to rely on that less since nearly shieldbashing people twice my size is apparently stupid.

[LadyLia]

[rauokinn]

I have been really hesitant to respond to this -- not sure why.

Height -- 5'6 or 5'7
Weight -- way more than I'd like although I have been making lifestyle changes and they have been working slowly, but surely. We'll just say over 240 and leave it at that.
Age -- I'll be 39 in August 2012

Strengths: not afraid to take steps back to move forward
always working to make my fight better
physically, I'm strong and have lots of muscle mass; I have no problem throwing sufficient blows, but I do have a problem throwing an 8 and above when I need it
shield manipulation
backhand
face thrust

Weaknesses: wraps -- the back of blade is almost pristine, really need to work on reincorporating wraps into my repetoire
off body block
leg block
not confident enough in my snap
mental toughness, although I have made great strides here in the last couple of years
hitting with the part of the blade I intend to -- something I am working on

I fight primarily medium sized heater and 38 inch sword with a thrusting tip