This week, we’ll be resuming our longsword work from RDL sources, but with a number of important changes. As many of you know, we have been running Fight Week classes for some time now, which focus on strategy and key fencing principles. Drills meant to optimize attack distance, identify and exploit binds, and choose methods of attack based on certain conditions have all been run through during these sessions, and I’m a big believer in using this sort of thing to advance in our training.

As some of you may also know, there was a Zoom meeting during the week hosted by Steve C., who plans to implement a new framework when classes resume with that group. The ideas presented there were exciting, and I’m convinced they will be very effective. Some of these ideas will look a bit similar to what we’ve been doing during Fight Week, but even more refined and more focused. Many are altogether innovative and bold. Their fearless leader has done a lot of homework in the intervening months, and I think they have a solid plan.

I intend to develop additional drills and exercises which are more in the spirit of our fight sessions as we go through the historical material, and I hope you’ll enjoy what awaits. We will not be switching our methodology entirely, nor will we be altogether adopting the new framework of our relatives across the Delaware, but there will be changes in our focus and (to some degree) our format.

These new measures will be changed, tweaked, polished, or discarded as needed, and we’ll only keep what works, and/or what people enjoy (though you’ll still get put through your paces every now & then 🙂).

See you all on Sunday