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Rapiers and longswords are both swords, but aren't they as distinct as sky diving and skin diving? I think it's a great question, and I'd like to answer it in a few parts across multiple posts.
Devon Boorman ·
There are many ways that you might look at sparring: As a simulation of life-and-death encounter, as an effort to kill or be killed, as a competition for points, as a game, or as a kind of dance. Each type of framing brings with it a particular attitude, set of assumptions, and way of seeing…
Devon Boorman ·
When training, there are long periods where even well-disciplined chunks of movement are not organized into useful overall models. Much of your mind will still be occupied with managing what’s going on inside while you try to respond to what is happening outside. This can be a very frustrating stage, especially in swordplay.
Devon Boorman ·
Everything tends to be uncomfortable when you are learning something new. The challenges loom large. The postures are new, the terms are unfamiliar, and the coordination of the actions can be difficult. Fortunately the novelty and excitement of doing a new thing—like sword fighting—tends to give us the energy to push through these discomforts and…
Devon Boorman ·
To put one’s opponent into obedience is to force them into predictable action based on threat and cover (control of their attacking lines). You can think of obedience as making your opponent dance to your tune. This concept is pretty central in a lot of weapon based martial arts, it is certainly well represented in…
Devon Boorman ·
Fighting for less two than minutes I was already gassed. The first minute of the finals match had been active but not enough to warrant the level of exhaustion I was feeling already. What happened? Was I pushing myself too hard? Had I peaked too early in the event? That’s when I realized, I wasn’t…
Devon Boorman ·
When I set out to write this article I was reminded of this old Jim Carey sketch from In Living Color (be warned it involves some stab wounds and bad 90s humour). In the sketch, Jim Carey as the martial arts instructor informs his demonstration partner, who has just stabbed him with a knife, that…
Devon Boorman ·
On our Friday night open sparring sessions I like to get in and do a few fencing passes like everyone else. It’s not uncommon for one of my students, after we’ve fenced for a bit, to ask me for some feedback on their fencing. I’m glad to be asked this question, and I’m glad that…
Devon Boorman ·
This is not an accounting of how you "are a failure." Quite the opposite: it is an accounting of how you "are someone who dares."
Devon Boorman ·
Every martial arts meetup, whether it’s a class, a study group, or a tournament, is a type of gathering. It is so easy to approach these in the way we have inherited from others, rather than thinking intentionally about our purpose in those gatherings and what it takes to foster the community, learning, training, or…
Devon Boorman ·
