[Artemisia] Actual learning ... was 4 Dons

[Mike Bradley]

On Feb 11, 2008 11:45 AM, Marten van Rosenveldt <kendofencer at yahoo.com>
wrote:

> Thanks,
>
> You've made my points for me.
>
> See, I've introduced Castiglione into a fighting thread.....all the not so
> fortunate and well read cadets and fencers and others in the Kingdom are now
> scurrying to the web.....Research is a good thing.
>

I knew I shouldn't have actually mentioned an Italian master by name.  Now I
had to go and change the subject to warn people that they might actually
learn something if they read this.  I certainly wouldn't wany anyone gaining
more knowlege by accident. :)

>
> As to the pose, it's the contrapposto.  See Michealgelo's David,
> Donatello's David, and......John Wayne in the Searchers.
>
> Finally, stesso tempo is the ultimate stroke, lo botto secrete as they
> used to say.  M. Guillaume is the master of this.
>

Really, I never noticed.  I'm usually to busy wondering why his point is in
my chest and mine is off in the clouds. ;)

>
> <snip a good technical explaination of stesso tempo>


The problem, as I see it, with newer fighters, especially those with Olympic
style training is twofold.  (1) They think that they are supposed to do a
give and take, back and forth, one attacks while the other defends, right of
way to score the point type stuff.  These modern concepts add some convience
and structure to sport fencing, but, as you said, do not lend themselves
well to our simulated rapiers (and less so if we had edges, points, and no
rules or concern for the safety of our opponents and selves).  (2) Properly
done stesso tempo is *really* hard to see at full speed between two
opponents unless you already know what to be looking for.  It either looks
like a lot of nothing happening or a lot of really close misses.  And while
it can (and should) be demonstrated at slow speed, being in the proper
mindset to fight that way requires practicing at full speed.  Both to get
the body and the mind used to performing what the brain is saying should be
two opposite and distinct things at the same time.  This is even harder with
newer fighters since they are probably not up to speed on either attack or
defense, so combining them just makes them less effective.

>
> YIS, Marten; contrappostoing, effortlessly
>
>
Conchobhar (who is sure he doesn't remember anything about contributing to
intelligent discourse about technique and training being anywhere in his WS
ceremony...)