[Artemisia] Something to say

[azirlt at aol.com]

My Dear Friends and fellow fighters

In case any one cares I am doing from my injury at Defenders this past weekend.
As I sat at home on Sunday and thought about my many years of fighting on both the heavy and the rapier field
a few things came to me:

First that I truly love this sport and I love to fight as many of you do.

And do not worry I do not intend to quit fighting, but the thing that should worry you and it dose worry me.
Is that we are HITTING WAY TOO HARD!!! I do not need to be knocked down and stunned or knocked out to take a
blow. God knows and many of you know that I have taken and given my share of hard hits. and a few times I have had to be 
carried off the field. Luckily the injuries for me have not been server, concussions yes but not career ending.

Time and time again I hear "well we should be policing ourselves and calling those on the carpet that are hitting with excessive force."
My question to you is what is excessive force? and what is a good hit and what is too hard. Dose a fighter have to be injured to classify 
as excessive force? I did not enjoy watching most of the tournament from the side lines. I would of rather be out the with all of you and mixing it up. 

look at why we feel the need to hit hard. how many times have you heard this "well he wasn't taking any of my shots and so I hit him harder."
and then that same fighter goes out and hits the next three guys in a row just as hard as the first guy because the first fighter wasn't taking his shots.

Now he thinks he needs to hit that hard for the fighters to take his shots because no one said anything to him. 
Is it just easier for us to say nothing then it is to make waves and raise you voice and say enough?

I am very thankful to have a helmet that I can count on to protect me from serious injury. I was knocked out at Estrella War last year.
and stunned at Defenders but thankfuly no concussions. I don't thing it would have been the same story with my old helmet.
But I should not have to rely on my equipment to prevent injury.

so then I ask all of you what can be done to make the dream we all share and love SAFE again?
and I ask you all to act and not just talk about. something must be done.

I am not pointing fingers I am just wanting us all to look at how we play the game.

In service to the Dream
Maestro Azir de Lucera