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Duke
Stephen of Beckenham  West Kingdom ~ SCA Within the context of modern medieval combat, many forms and styles of fighting can be found. There is no one way that is right ~ but, within any form, there are those attributes that make a style graceful and more complete. And, it is those who aspire towards this goal of precision, elegance and fluidity, that help to create and add embellishments to this combat, who make others wish to learn and add to our type of martial art. In eighteen years of fighting within the SCA [Society for Creative Anachronism], I have been trained in and have trained over a dozen different styles of combat. Each has its own distinctness, its own advantages, and disadvantages. I realized that all of this knowledge needed sorting in a less random way…leading me to work them into distinct categories, or named styles. Granted this did not happen overnight, but was more of a process over a period of years. Neither did I "discover" any of these, per se, but more likely "reinvented the wheel," by adding my own definitions, embellishments, and insight into those forms and styles already in existence. I have come to fight within a variety of styles, no one taking precedence, but each to better learn and understand its benefits, drawbacks and how it works against other styles. This process gives me a better knowledge of a style so that I may pass it along to those who wish to learn within its framework. From that knowledge, I am better able to train others in their own development within this martial art, allowing them, and myself, to further advance beyond a "one-style," basic form. This article discusses embellishments, and what affect they can have. Yes, the uses of these words ~ form, style, embellishment ~ can be mixed and used in a variety of meanings. Here I will attempt to use them in the following definitions: Form [equipment]-- the type of weapons form, i.e. sword and shield, pike, Florentine, etc.; Style [content]-- the type of fighting you do within a form, i.e. high style, boxer, open style, etc. [names tend to be Kingdom specific]; Embellishment [enhancement]-- that which you bring to a style and form that adds to it, enhances it, and [preferably] makes it better. That which makes the form and style personal. Why add embellishment? To many, it would seem to be something that just comes with fighting. I would say that is not so. Is embellishment necessary to becoming an accomplished fighter? This depends on whom you ask. I would say that, without any embellishment, your fighting will lack depth, will not present itself to others as formidable, and not lend itself to increased enjoyment - for you or your opponents - or those observing. This, to me, is very important, most especially within tournament societies. We best recall those times, people and places from a particular characteristic that was memorable. Without this, those people and places you see in passing do just that - they pass from memory. If an enhancement or embellishment stands out, you remember better. So it is with our medieval combat. Observe a combatant…. Those who tend to be more fluid, show an aptitude for precision and combinations, and "look" to enjoy the fight ~ do you not believe them to be a more advanced fighter? Would you not be more wary at the start of a bout with this individual? Fighters who add flourish, precision, and infuse themselves into their style give a memorable bout.
Those fighters with little embellishment do not catch the eye, do not lend themselves to making combat more enjoyable, nor give you something to remember. The fighter who is more static, lacks the above described depth, and looks uncomfortable upon the field, generates the thought of beginner or novice, and seemingly does not present themselves as a difficult match. They are not memorable. That is the essence of embellishment. That added flourish, that grace of motion, that precision, all increase the involvement and enjoyment of opponent and gallery alike. It shows not only the fighter’s ability, but their desire to make their bouts pleasurable in many ways and to many people. What exactly is embellishment as it pertains to combat? It is best broken down into three levels: 1] An embellishment or addition that can be used cross-style. For instance: defensive leg forward, offensive arm high, combinations, and fluidity. This would be the most general, and where many can add a more visual essence to their fighting. 2] An embellishment or flourish that is more style specific - like shield hooks, thrusts, or weapon specific moves. 3] A technique or nuance that is very specific to a form or style. Usually trained within definitive boundaries - like a unique way to throw a blow, or particular shield or weapon block that does not "work" in other forms or styles. Training and learning embellishment is not as easy as one might think. Ask any beginning fighter to keep the sword at ready for offense, keep the shield ready for defense, watch the stance, swing through the target, don’t hold the breath, keep the eyes open, and, oh yeah, move. If he doesn’t just stare at you, he’s probably deaf. Working beyond the foundations and fundamentals of combat are hard enough, and many do not take to them easily. Now ask your trainees to embellish these basics. First, they have to have some understanding of what you wish, then they need to know how to incorporate them into their already shaky framework. Because of this, I have found it less difficult for intermediate
fighters [and above] to introduce embellishment as a concept and physical
act. Does this mean the novice cannot? No. There are those who break these
types of rules…you probably know who they are, too. The concept, however,
is better trained once the foundations are well set. I’ll discuss the use
of embellishment as well as some exercises that help to develop them
within a style - in particular the body, weapon, and shield. Movement is key. Without proper balance and motion, no embellishment can be well developed. I cannot stress enough the need for good movement. Sideways steps, ducks, leans, skips, parries, reposts, presses, hooks, all of these and more, make up movement. With this movement comes the need for balance. You will do little to add motion to your ability if you cannot keep your balance while doing so. Also, as your body moves, the weapon and/or shield will require more attention, or again, motion and balance. From motion comes fluidity. Observing a fighter who is fluid in his motion, attack, and defense is one of the most pleasing sights in combat I can imagine. Forget the jarring single shot after shot, the stomp, stomp, stomp of the foot, and the shield glued to the shoulder. MOVE! Act and react to the opponent. Let the sword [weapon] go from one target to the next in a graceful, arced, motion. Have the shield concisely work around the area of defense using all edges for protection, then dart out to press or hook the opponent’s. In the midst of a bout, your sword swings slightly as the shield dips, the opponent attacks, only to have their sword flicked aside by yours, as it passes their defenses and strikes in the same motion. In a final fluid movement, you return to an en guard position. This is a simple, yet stunning embellishment. Through these additions of embellishment, you add to your ability to create openings for attack, you increase your selection of offensive shots, and you become more difficult to be attacked. Through all of this, you create more of an elegance, and display of your prowess. You give those observing your bouts something to watch, something to remember. You give your opponent this as well, and, hopefully, the desire to aspire to that level of combat.
Working to gain body movement can be fairly easy…you do need to
remember the combination of weapon and shield placement, though. Work with
either a partner or pell. Throwing a shot is not immediately necessary in
this exercise, but having the weapon [and shield if applicable] in hand
is. Start by establishing your stance, then On becoming familiar with your motion, next work the balance. You have no doubt had to develop this to some degree to get the proper motion and reestablishment of an en guard stance. However, what happens if you are attacked during a particular lunge? Have your partner do a press in the middle of this move…. You need to develop a balance motion that allows you to accept that offensive maneuver so that you don’t end up on the ground, but instead, properly and quickly respond and react. Next, work at tossing shots during different parts of the motion. You will find where the "sweet" spots are for best speed and power. When you work on these movements with a partner, watch what your motion evokes from them. You will find their shield opens just that much more, their side or leg becomes that much more vulnerable, that wrap you had trouble getting "in" now has more target area. The next embellishment practice and development is the weapon. I’ll primarily discuss the use of the sword, but this can be applied to a variety of forms. The ability to move the weapon from one target location to the next is, seemingly, not so complex. However, to do so in a graceful manner, with varied combinations, and with power, can be a bit more challenging. A shot that sputters as it is re-aimed, or stops in mid motion to be redirected is rarely delivered properly or with enough force to be considered a killing blow. This usually happens as a result of poor movement and balance, as well as a lack of understanding of how to get from target ‘A’ to target ‘B’.
A good pell practice, shown to me by Duke Jade of Starfall [West Kingdom/SCA], goes right to the meat of this subject. With practice, this repetitive drill can greatly add to your choice of blows and infuse a flourish to your attack. The basic idea is to be able to quickly identify an opening in your opponent and be able to attack with grace, speed and power. Also, it allows you the options of including pauses, twirls, or other timing and misdirection nuances. First, mentally divide the pell into 6 zones. The lower right ["right leg"] being 1, the middle right ["right body"] being 2, the upper right ["right head"] being 3, the upper left ["left head"] being 4, the middle left ["left body"] being 5, and the lower left ["left leg"] being 6. While standing en guard before the pell, commence delivering a blow to 1. Repeat to 1 again. Next, strike 1, then go to 2 and strike there once. Next, again strike the original target, 1, then go to 3 and strike there once. Deliver each of these shots and then retrieve the sword and arm for the next delivery. Develop the motion into one that flows, with the body motion [from the feet, through the hips and shoulders, to the arm and hand] since fluid. Once you have completed the drill on one side, continue on to the next, with the primary shot still being delivered to 1. The second shot moving to the upper left of the pell -- 4. Next, 1, and 5. Lastly 1, and 6. That is the completion of part one of the exercise. From here, the drill starts again, but with 2 being the primary location, with the secondary shot moving around the pell to all locations [1-6]. Next, 3 is the primary, and the secondary moves through 1-6 as normal. This practice continues around the pell until all locations have been "primaries." [If you wish, you can start at 6 and move in the other direction….] When the basic idea is understood, you can work on the way shots are delivered. Do not limit yourself to straight snaps or backhands, but include wraps, "punches", quick pull and returns, long arcs, etc. Use the idea behind this drill to polish your transition from one shot to the next, to make it fluid and elegant. Ultimately, you can include lunges, steps, and other body movement into this drill. This may seem to be a bit arduous, but it will train you to work your body and weapon motion so that you can deliver a killing blow from any other location where a previous shot was thrown. It will also help your eye~hand coordination, aiding in your ability to get that sword to a target that has just opened, in an expedient or subtle manner. If using a polearm, you may wish to include the butt spike [if any] in the process. This drill will also help you to maintain proper degrees of arc allowed with pole weapons. If using the point, you will benefit from this practice as well. Your precision of attack, recovery, parry [and arm muscles!] will all show definite improvement.
Finally, the defense you pose to your opponent can be as important as the offense. A defense can also include subtle nuances that add to your display of prowess and grace upon the field. Holding a shield, second sword, or a polearm in front of you can be considered "defensive", yes. However, truly using them in a complete and effective manner takes practice and a combination of fluid motion and balance. My discussion will be primarily directed on shield defense, specifically the curved heater. The shield can be held in an infinite variety of positions: high, low, close-flat, out-flat, etc., but it is of more importance in its overall use than its position. A static shield will allow you a minimal defense, and pose little difficulty for your opponent to circumvent. Movement, as with the body and the weapon, is crucial, as it poses a more dynamic defense while also allowing the shield to perform in some manner of offense. Many fighters will make great use of about 1/3 of the blocking surface of their shield, when the facing and all edges should be utilized. A concise block that uses an edge closest to the incoming blow gives you the advantage of keeping your shield in good defensive position allowing it to stand ready for another block or an attack.
A good exercise for concise placement involves "touching your nose". When making a body movement or weapon attack, note when the shield has a tendency to dip on the forward defensive edge or corner. At these instances, concentrate on making your shield hand move so that you seem to be touching your face, or nose. This "counter" movement helps maintain a fluid and tight defense. Next, practice blocking with the lower front edge of your shield…or, literally, blocking with your elbow. If an attack comes to your weapon [sword] side, do not drop the top leading edge of the shield to block - this can be deadly, especially with a "lefty" who has a wicked rising snap…. Instead, use the elbow - simply rotate the shield by pulling the hand towards your face, and "sticking" the elbow into the oncoming shot. A very slight movement can protect a great deal, and, the shield is already set to protect you for a secondary shot if one is attempted. These two subtle forms of movement add a precision to your fighting that, again, add nuances to your combat ability. Work these into your basic stances, as well as other stances that you are practicing. Lastly, using the sword drill previously described, work a shield drill along the same lines. Stand before the pell, with the same defined zones. "Block" for the zones in the same manner as you delivered your blow. 1, 1. 1,2. 1,3; and so on. Use all of the parts of the shield, noting the concise motions needed, versus those that are laborious and tiring. This practice will help in your seeing and reacting to multiple blows, increase your shield arm strength and stamina, and make your motions fluid and more precise. Once you have the defense motions down, incorporate a shield punch [not a hard one, but one that allows you to deftly move their shield or weapon out of position], a shield hook or a shield press. Again, do not constrain yourself to just the top leading edge - the back and lower edges can be quite effective too. Know also that you do not have to "win" the press, or hook, simply getting your opponent to react to it can create the opening that you were looking to achieve.
Working to incorporate a variety of graceful, accurate, flowing motions of body, attack and defense greatly enhance a fighter's art. Also, these forms of embellishment can help add to your renown in that others perceive that you have worked hard to learn and train yourself in the subtle and artful nuances of combat and that your fights are truly enjoyable [both to the observer as well as the opponent]. These are important factors in developing flourishes to your fighting. It is not just for the sake of these accents, however, but to polish and practice them so that they enhance your own abilities and add to those for all to see. We must remind ourselves that we are not only teaching and training those in our immediate households, or classes, but also those that observe from a distance. They will remember that which is vivid, that which stands out…. Is it not our duty, then, to give others that which we hold so dear? Should we not show through practice and display, that which we would have others emulate? Is this not as important in the development and participation of our chivalric combat? The following sources and people helped in the development of this article: The Sword & The Mind, Yagyu Munenori, Translated by Hiraoki
Sato, Overlook Press, 1986 |
moving to the
left and right of your opponent. Lunges, multiple steps, skips, half
steps, all are good motions. Practice going past the target and
reestablishing a stance, as well as returning to that spot from where you
began. Do not limit yourself to any particular step, e.g., heel to toe, or
inside of foot to inside of foot. Get beyond the linear, straight line
offense- defense, too. Mix it up. Move in arcs, move in varied lines - try
a pavan step…you’d be surprised.
It is essential to become familiar with your shield and its
weight and balance, especially in your body and weapon movement. Knowing
that it is "heavy" is not enough. In the previous drills, if you at first
did them without a shield, now is the time to have it included. You will
find that many things change with this addition. In a lunge, you will note
the shield moves to help your balance...be careful that it does not dip
forward, or hang back, or you will be widely open. When throwing a high
wrap, the shield tends to sink lower and move closer to the body - again
opening you up for attack. Pay attention to these movement openings as
they happen and become aware of what subtle changes you will need to make
to keep your defense crisp and precise.