This is proprietary material and has been given permission to be reposted on SwordMaiden.com. © Copyright is retained by the author, Duke Sir Patrick Devilin of DarkWrath Keep (Jerry R. Chavez).
This article is only a digest of information from my book Trompe L’oeil. (www.spookyfx.com/book/tromp.html)
Haste minus Waste equals Pace
Speed is not just how fast you can throw the blow. In fact almost 1/3 of sword speed is mental! There are 3 basic categories that we need to consider:
Perception: To see an opening or opportunity on your target and relay the information to your brain takes around 100 to 200 milliseconds.
Consideration: to judge the situation and pick a sword blow takes
About 100 to 200 milliseconds.
Reaction: to articulate the muscles and complete the physical movement for your sword swing (depending on the kind of sword blow you choose) takes about 100 to 450 Milliseconds.
Most beginners start at lower speeds. Some people have the natural ability for slightly higher speeds, but all of these categories can be improved through training.
Perceptual speed is the pace of the senses to monitor the stimulus
it receives then determine the significance of the various stimulus and convey the information to the brain so that the mind can process the response. Perceptual speed can be increased by promoting alertness, properly using your senses, and by exercising the senses. If you lose sight of your opponent and his weapon for even a fraction of a second it can double the time it takes to use your perception. Get good sleep, play fast paced arcade games to train your perceptual speed.
Consideration speed is the quickness of the mind to process choices and select appropriate movements to effectively deal with the perceived stimulus. This involves committing physical movements and techniques to the subconscious or instinctive level. As you increases your knowledge of alternatives and choices then allocate these to muscle memory your mental or instinctive response become dramatically faster! Use the “hit to anywhere from anywhere pell drill” to train for this.
Reaction speed is the promptness of physical movement, it is the speed of the actual execution of a technique. Stretching, physical conditioning, and other methods of physical training can increase speed of this type. Stretching exercises to warm up and relax the body will increase elasticity and increase reaction speed as well as for increase the ability for longer periods of time.
Knowledge of economy of motion contributes tremendously to physical speed. Be relaxed when striking, tensing only at the moment before impact, use movements that follow direct angles, eliminate any other movement not necessary for locomotion or deceptive telegraphing. Use your strongest blow against their smallest and weakest target and rather then holding back the blow power use FULL POWER but SHORTEN the distance that you throw your blow, in other words keep your weapon as close to your target as the maximum power you can generate permits for an effective impact!
To obtain power (and to reduce your distance) you must use the proper body alignment, a proper mixture of speed and brut force by a precise recipe of rotating and horizontal momentum with diagonal and vertical movements, gravity, leverage, and the proper kinetic transmission of force.
Keep in mind that I am talking about SPEED with sufficient power! There are other methods that will create much more power but at a much slower speed and with a great deal of telegraphing.
Do NOT step into your blow, only shift your body weight a few inches from foot to foot with your series of speed shots!
Swing your weapon like a ball on a rope but make the movement with a VERY tight circle.
DROP your blow with gravity rather then push upward against gravity.
Start your swing bouncing off of the impact of the last swing.
Rotate most of your body at the same time and for a short distance using a bent arm to complete the blow. If done properly, this will work for even small fighters. More then this can give you more power then you need but is also much, MUCH slower to deliver!
Use 90 degree angles to hit your target, more or less of an angle promotes glancing strikes and will reduce the applied force to the target!
Maximum velocity occurs about 75% of the way through your movement, So this is when impact should occur. HOWEVER put all your THRUST into the blow BEFOR it lands! Remember that we are not punching thought the target the way a fencing foil does, we are impacting the target with impulse force using an airborne assault the way a bolder leaves catapult. A strike that tries to travel beyond the point intended is really no more than a wasted push.
