The one thing I can do 1
I had real, real trouble getting myself into class today. Real glad I went though. We were just three in the rapier section, and it was really a good and fun doing things that way; when we were changing often there was the option to observe a couple of goes of a drill and then have a go yourself, which was really, really helpful for me.
For laughs, I wish someone could really see all the visualizations I use. At some point today, I think I had water sprouting from my wrists, a stick pointing to my hip, a random guy balancing on my shoulders, and Ilkka standing on my left foot. (He does that when I lunge occasionally; I found out that an imaginary version of him does quite as well to keep the foot from sliding as the real one.)
I can do one thing well with rapier and that is counter-attack in seconda. Preferably coming from cavazione, but I can live with just a change of line. My parries were terrible, again, but at least they are now parries. Go me. Other than, we did some very nice work on stepping without rocking back and forth, and some very clear and basic stuff with attacks and cavaziones and counter-attacks and parries. Nothing fancy, nothing complicated, just simple, brilliant rapier basics. I really do love the style.
I claimed before class that I am still in total crap condition, but I noticed in the warm-up that I had actually zero trouble maintaining the push-up position, changing hands, etc, so at least doing those planks seems to have paid off.
In other news, I hereby sulk about the new class schedule for fall not having a rapier class on Thursday. Yes, I know I have not joined any of the mailing lists where I might have actually discussed it beforehand and stated my opinion, but I still reserve the right to sulk in my own blog.
Edited to add: the way the counter-attack in seconda feels is probably how all swordsmanship should feel. It feels like I do not really actually do anything. The sword goes where it belongs and I simply mostly just stand there. There’s no real “movement” or “action”, just a quick change in the “being” of the current… flow or stance or the Thing, you know what I am talking about, right? (I seriously lack words.)
Yes, I know what you mean about techniques that feel how swordsmanship should always feel :) :) But now that I’m trying to think of what technique does that to me… hm. Maybe the counter to the colpo di villano. But that may be just that it feels sooooo cool, just like many other techniques.