Jane's Journal

We started the staff/spear routine last week, but I had missed that lesson. I did buy a spear shaft though, and those are 240 cm in length until you cut them to size and add a rubber tip. Too bad Zwaard & Volk doesn't have any tips yet, so I decided to leave my shaft uncut until they do.

I had the longest staff in training yesterday (and OMG, what does that say about my penis length!?) and I did have to get used to it. I loved the warming up, where we just swirled the thing around, starting in 'paddle-grip' but slowly moving about more, to warm up all the muscles. "Hey!" I thought; "This isn't so hard!"
This was not the point where I whacked myself in the face with my staff, thank goodness, but I did drop it at some point.

Basic sparring is called "huisje bouwen" and I had a hard time figuring out how to block each stroke, but soon enough I did and started whacking knuckles in the process. My staff is now baptised in someone else's blood. Should have bought gloves instead, the poor boy (Gambo should know better; he has two practice swords but no gloves!)

All in all, a good training although we did get distracted at the end. Staves are fun things to practice with, and almost any technique that applies when someone is close enough to grab you is not allowed in larp. Oh well. It's not like I want to throttle Germans with a 7-foot pole (but it would be cool).

This evening I went to swordfighting again and to tell you the truth: I haven't had such a great training in weeks. I don't know what did it: the extensive and exhausting warming up that left the adrenaline flowing freely or the fact that I was already focused because of work earlier that day. I was a bit queasy from dinner and with a little bit of a sore back when I went, and I come home happy and floating on my hunky, pumped-up cloud of endorphins and adrenalins.

Perhaps it was Spirit of Boken that did it for me. I had brought boken (with tsuba, the tiny ring that acts as a crossguard so you don't break your fingers if the other sword/boken slides down in a binding) because of the eternal lack of materials and found I kicked ass with that. And not too shabby: I did so with (kite-)shield and spear as well.

We learned the fifth series with sword and shield, and I managed to get my head wrapped around it pretty quickly. An attack with the fist turning into a stab in the face, neck or throat if you can make it. If not, a sawing motion to see if you can sever the neck or arteries, and then a bit of kneecap to finish it all off.

In short: a good training, with only marginal injuries on my part (bit of a sore knee, stab to the solar plexus with a more flexible sword than mine) and some sore knuckles on Arthurs part (with the boken. Ouch!). Moment of pride: stabbing Thom in the fencing mask with my spear.

On nights like these, I really like this sport. Tomorrow morning, when counting the bruises, maybe not so much. Roar.

Next week around this time I'll be hip-deep in my pattern drafting exam. So I suppose it's time I get started on my exam training. I've been a good girl and haven't missed any lessons anymore since that time there was a snowfall and the NS was panicking. I have also made my homework each week and I feel that this has really helped. I could explain the theory behind raglan sleeves, sleeves that are cut in one with the body and other things clearly to Jeske when she was here.

Teacher Helen, from my practical class, said it would be good if I copied the basic gown block several times and just practiced designing, designing, designing. This is a very good tip! I wonder how many times I'd just draft my own basic gown before figuring out I could just make copies.

- Practicing basic gown block in 2 or 3 sizes.
- Deviations: VOG, AOG, high/low shoulders, flat/full tummy, flat/full backside, long front waist length and large bosom.
- Sleevils. Drafting them and placing them onto the basic gown block for raglans.
- Collars.

I am also still struggling with pleats (where to get the fabric!?), so I'll work on some of the more difficult homework assignments we've had recently again, try and see if I can remember what we did to do them and how to work with them. I can check my results with the hand-out of the pattern, yay!

In other news: Swordfighting practice was tough yesterday. My back was still in a knot from school, where I was bent forward over a table that is too low for me, pinning and chalking and cutting a pattern. Carrying and fighting with a shield is hard if you have to do it two hours in a row, but more so if your back is already complaining. I also got whacked on the thumb by one of our resident Belgians.

We now have learned the four ... kata's? ... for sword and shield. I must say my wrist needs to seriously toughen up for that fehler but I think the hardest is not to look like a total ballerina in the second series the wechselschlag in the fourth series. Ah, so many muscles to train, so little time!

Yesterday was my fourth lesson at the Zwaardkring and it was a painful one. Last week both Rob and I had bought new gloves in order to protect our hands better. It turns out that investment was timed well: during the lesson I caught a blow to my sword hand that was so hard, I had to call for someone to take over my position (we did an exercise where I was attached by people in turn and I had to defend myself) and check on the finger. My right index finger was sore and throbbed mightily and the blow was so hard I think it might have been severely bruised if not broken, had I not been wearing gloves.

I also got hit on the legs repeatedly, especially my left leg, and I feel that the bruises there are still developing. As such things go, the lesson became less and less fun as time progressed and I was injured again and again as my concentration waned. All very logical but vexing nonetheless.

Today my knuckle is doing fine, it is only mildly blue and not much thicker than the other hand, and it twinges slightly as I bend my finger. Nothing that won't heal soon enough and I am less affected by it than I would have believed yesterday.

It also reminded me why I never did contact sports before and why other friends of mine will not partake in such sports if they can help it: it can, and on occasion will hurt you.
Yesterday's lesson was one I'd rather forget, but there's sore muscles that had a good workout reminding me this is good for something, and I ain't a quitter. Keep calm and make some tea and being British about it seems like a good idea.

Feeling very out of place in my pink vest and capri sports pants, I practiced the 8 attacks. High right was easy enough, then high left. Low right, low left. Horizontal -- I'm sure it was a bit wobbly -- right and horizontal -- urgk -- left. Er... what was the last one again? Ah yes...thrusts right and left. Easily remembered, but not as easily done.

After I managed to get the eight basic attacks drilled in, Merlyn handed me a shield and I got tangled up in it right away. The left thrust was the worst, already an awkward step-and-wrists-crossed combination, the shield got even worse in the way. I tried my best, and Merlyn actually seemed impressed. He set me loose on the group.

The small gym near the Ringbaan was not nearly crowded enough to be dangerous even while playing with swords, but I felt a bit out of place. I managed to get the eight attacks down soon enough and now I was told to keep my sword arm behind my shield, to protect it. The boy I was paired up with was patient with me.

The next series of exercises would show us exactly what would happen if we were to forget this basic rule. The defender was told to try and chop off the arm of the person attacking, who deliberately kept his shield close to his body like they do in the movies. "Even in re-enactment battles the shield is kept close to the body, because it's too dangerous to fling it about as you would in a real battle. Remember: you're holding two weapons in your hands. Both can be used to parry and to attack."
We switched partners, each taking a step to the left, and I was paired up with the only other woman in the room. She and her partner looked familiar and I later heard they run a shop called "Zwaard & Volk" and I must have seen them at faires.

The next exercises got us defending with the sword angled over the shield, trying to hamstring the opponent with a thumb-grip on your sword so it angles more easily behind a shield, and trying to strike over the opponent's shield at their heads with either sword or shield.

I was paired up with nearly everyone in the room, from an experienced youth who was almost lazy in his attacks, a flawless ease of pointing that nylon sword (that seemed to grow heavier by the minute), to an acne-riddled boy who seemed to be very afraid to hurt me even more. I had scraped my knuckles on something, probably a shield, and in the end borrowed a glove for my right hand.

At some point, my arms and back cashed their check and my energy levels plummeted. I took a break then, afraid to slice someone's ear off with a nylon practice sword, because I couldn't aim anymore and my arms were trembling. I could barely keep from crying, but this was not the crying of failure but the utter exhaustion taking its toll - my face tried to force itself into a snarl while all I wanted to do is gulp sweet air. Ten minutes later I was feeling much better and I joined in the games that signalled the end of the two hour exercise. First a round-about, people taking turns trying to hit a single defender (and I did take my turn as a defender!) and then a king-of-the-hill game that went to the last man standing 'on the hill': the experienced boy who had such a lazy grace.

I was pleasantly surprised that I picked up the techniques as if by osmosis. The main reason I never joined a fighting sport before is that I was afraid to not get the techniques right away. Perhaps my larp experience finally paid off, or maybe muscle memory works. I just remember when I was eight I had a hard time picking these things up.

I'll definitely need a whole pile of gear if I continue these lessons, but my birthday is coming up in a few months. A good gambeson, a pair of padded gloves (#1 priority!), a gorget, a practice sword and in time maybe even a real sword. I also got a better look at the gambesons they wore and it looks like mine might have the sleeves set too low, the shoulder seam could do with 2 centimeters less length.
Definitely a lot of fun, a very good work-out and worth getting back to next week!