Gumbyfencer

Continuing the theme from WMAW and on David’s Blog, we started moving into tactical actions more thouroughly this week. I’m trying to build up a series of tactical trees, each starting from a different initial position (in this case, from finding the sword on the outside). As these lessons progress, we will move into more complicated action sequences with greater depth.

1. From Instructor’s invitation on the outside line, straight thrust to the body
2. Student finds the sword on the outside, glide to the body.
3. As student attempts to gain the blade on the outside, instructor attempts to attack the closed line. Time thrust in 3rd
4. As student attempts to gain the blade on the outside, instructor attempts disegagement in time during the foot tempo. Time thrust in 4th
5. As student attempts to gain the blade on the outside, instructor attempts thrust to the leg (or foot), student passes back and gives riverso to the wrist.
6. As student attempts to gain the blade on the outside, instructor attempts thrust to low line (not leg), student executes scannatura in single tempo
7. Instructor’s choice with 2-6
8. Simplifying, Instructor’s choice with 2,3,5,6
9. Dagger parry drill: (from central we do each dagger counter attack starting from high outside and working counter-clockwise)
10. Three straight thrusts, EOL.

Comments: The entire tree is still hard for the student to respond to. Time and repetition will help here. Further, the differences between the three disengage based attacks is hard to identify (between high inside, low outside, and low). In theory each of the actions will work against any of the offensive actions, but getting the more optimal one may be difficult. Removing the time thrust in 4th seemed to make the drill easier (since the actions for the scannatura and the riverso to the wrist are similar).