Andrea of Clear Mount:
Break down what you need to know into small pieces. Learn the small pieces at slow speed, fast and light, and then full speed. Then go on to the next thing. If you practice that way, it will be in you automatically when you need it.
Bolverk of Momchilovich:
Way too much work. I do lots of pell work with light sword and shield to avoid use injuries. (hey, I’m in my 40’s now.) At full practice I divide my time between trying out a pell technique with an opponent that will let me. And just pounding. I wish I could get more people to do slow work with me.
Britta MacGregor:
Time in armor and quality training (not always quantity). Open your mind, try new ideas; keep what works, file the rest away (they may come in handy later). ‘Do or do not. There is no try.’
Elizabeth Mortimer:
Practice. Always practice. Be sure that your technique is a good as you can make it. I don’t throw many blows during a fight, so the ones I throw have to count. I have a pell marked with bands and dots. In practice for accuracy, I use the dots for thrusts, and the bands for blow placement. If I can’t put my tip or my edge on the dots or bands when I’m at home under no pressure, I assume I can’t do it on the field.
Fern de la Foret:
Good training habits will give you good fighting habits. Teach yourself to have excellent technique and form; then strength and speed will follow. There are no short cuts to good training.
Gwenllhian Rhiannon of Dragonkeep:
I do not teach style or blows. I teach basic technique and power generation. My student will learn his/her own style according to his/her own strengths and body type.
Hilary of Serendip:
Let people find out how much fun fighting can be before they find out how much it can hurt; once they’re hooked, they won’t care.
Consider your trainee’s body type and condition, and teach to that. People need to learn what they can do, not try to ape what you can do because of how you’re built
Ismenia O’Moulryan:
Practice. Never stop learning. Practice is where you learn. Fighting and Training Philosophy go hand-in-hand.
Don’t let the wins & losses determine your skill, especially at practice. There will be times where you may need to work on a something new, like a particular shot and your defense will suffer or vice-versa.
If working on a pell, practice with your shield. Work on perfecting the shot (flow/footwork and accuracy), then you can introduce speed and power not forgetting the placement of your shield. Try not to be stationary when working on a Pell otherwise you will not know how to apply your pell work onto a moving target.
Kolfinna kottr:
Sparring is a great way to learn new things and to practice for the tournament field, however you also need to spend a good deal of time analyzing your shots, your shield work, etc. Slow Work with another person is my favorite way of learning new things.
Kytte Meliora Stevenson:
Lift many weights
Run many miles
Take your vitamins
Pell work! foot work!
Practice.. Practice.. PRACTICE!
Leah de Spencer:
Train like you fight and don’t forget to have fun!
Rauokinn eyverska Starradottir:
Use practice to practice. Too may people care too much about winning all the time. People should lose bouts in practice that they will win later in a tournament because they are trying new things at practice. Practice is about learning and incorporating new stuff into your repertoire.
Additionally, practicing technique through slow work is essential to getting better, as is physical conditioning, mental preparation and stretching. I also believe very strongly in goal setting with your trainer, Knight or teacher.
I believe women do not need a different way to train or fight to be successful, they like any other fighter, just need to realize what is going to work well for them as an individual and then work really hard to achieve their potential.
There is not one path, but many paths. Find yours.
Richenza von Augsburg:
Train, train, train. First on the field and last off. It takes awhile to get to this point. If you’re serious, you need to train a minimum of 4 days a week. Fighting at least two of those days. Pell work is a must every day.
Rowan de la Garnison:
Have fun, challenge yourself. Focus on what your doing right and use that to your advantage, keep practicing.
