Tag: uwf fencing

Today I had a good day at fencing. I loved running around and playing freeze tag during the warm up.

After that, I took the new students (1 or 2 practices in) aside and went over the basics. I really like going over the fundamentals, and I had a great group today.

I got to fence with Nik a bit. I geared down because practice was wrapping up, but we didn’t leave right away.

Instead we stayed late so that Nik and some of the others could practice ringen. I didn’t participate in the wrestling since I don’t trust myself not to deck somebody. I did answer some questions about practical defense and tumbling. We stayed later than I wanted too, but we had a nice night.

Last week was Gulf Wars. Nik and I went and brought 9 students with us.

We rolled in Wednesday morning, and I and my students participated in the rapier field battle. There was some miscommunication regarding our orders, but once that was cleared up, we did our job efficiently on the field. We won one battle out of three.

On Thursday, I was a water bearer during the Champions Tourney and watched my leof fight well and honorably. After that, I signed up for the Women’s Tournament. I didn’t make it out of the pools (I was evenly split at 5 wins and 5 losses), but I felt like I did good fighting and stayed in my head space. I also got some feedback on weight distribution that I need to think about some more; apparently I’m over compensating and putting too much weight on the back foot now (where before I was too eager and putting too much weight on the front foot). After that, I participated in the Cut & Thrust Pas d’ Armes. That was hands-down the most fun I had all War. I received tokens from several combatants who fought with me. I actually had to be removed from the field to make it to court on time; I addressed my king in my armor and with my arming sword and buckler on my person. I absolutely love my I.33 fight, and I need to practice it more often.

Friday activities were rained out, so I did not get the chance to fight for Duchess Katrina at the Rose Tournament or do foolish and heroic things in the rapier ravine battle. I enjoyed taking time to visit with my friends, and I heard some things I needed to hear. It’s one thing to tell yourself you can’t do it all or be all things to all people, but having that sentiment supported by someone I respect makes a difference. I felt that telltale tickle in my throat, so when some of my crew talked about leaving early (Friday night instead of Saturday morning), I jumped on that chance.

Since we got home, I’ve been unpacking, ruminating, and fighting a sinus infection.

I still intend to take some time off from fencing to focus on Krav (one or two fencing days per week). CIC 2 is just around the corner. I hope that focusing on Krav while having the feedback I received last week in the back of my mind will make my fight stronger when I come back in June.

This morning I met up with my friends and did shoulder day. I forgot to take a photo of my set list, so I’ll upload it later.

I didn’t get the chance to fence or drill with another person, so I used the pell at Francois’ house instead. For those of you unfamiliar with pell work, a pell is a target you use for solo practice. In this case, it’s a 4×4 mounted vertically on a base and wrapped in rope with extra tape at the top. The rope and tape cushion the 4×4 so that hitting it doesn’t hurt your sword or chew up your target. Since the ceilings are high at Francois’ house, I was able to practice some cuts indoors with my arming sword.

Tomorrow I may get another 100 cuts in before we start our day. If we don’t have time, I’ll come up with something to do once we return to Pensacola.

This morning I hit the gym with Tiny Nick, Emmers, and one of our new fencers. We did chest & triceps today. Here’s the set list.

Our new fitness friend is used to playing team sports and is super encouraging. It’s pretty cool. I realized that I generally do individual sports in the vicinity of other people (fencing, swimming, etc.), so that was a nice change.

I also worked on some cardio between sets. I like the amount of time I spend at the gym and don’t want to spend an extra half hour on an elliptical, so between sets, I jogged in place, did box steps (since I’m too scared of jumping), and did some weighted walks.

My fitbit still isn’t acknowledging my physical activity, so I guess I’m still not doing enough cardio. I’m considering getting a second one that will measure my heart rate when I have a little more disposable income (maybe a Charge?). The one I have now (Flex 2) is swim proof, and that was a huge factor when I decided what I wanted. Now that I’ve had it for a year, I’m open to trying something new. Besides, I can always sync the one I have if I want to wear a fitness tracker in the water.

I wasn’t up for fencing practice tonight, so I didn’t go. Tomorrow I’ll work out again in the morning. On Wednesday, we start our 30 days of #fencingeverydamnday to gear up for Meridian Challenge of Arms. I’ll be ready then.

This morning we hit the gym and did Monday’s workout (since I was on the road yesterday). Here’s the set list.

Tomorrow will throw off our routine even more since the gym will be closed when we usually work out. I’m game to go another time since my schedule is open, but we’ll see what works for my workout friends.

In the meantime, we’re all buckling down for cold weather. Schools and colleges are closed, and military bases are locked down. Don’t hate. Floridians have no reason to understand how to deal with snow/ice. It looks like fencing is still on for tomorrow night (assuming everyone can get there safely).

In the meantime, I’m irritable and feeling low. I think I’ll do the human version of turning it off and on again by going to bed now.

Friday morning I met my fellow gym rats for leg day. The set list is at the end of this post because Tumblr is dumb.

Friday afternoon/evening, Nik and I drove up to Perry, GA, for an SCA event, Meridies 40th Anniversary .

On Saturday we had an individual tourney and a melee tourney. I went 4 rounds in the individual tourney, and I don’t feel bad about my losses at all. My team won the melee.

On Sunday there were several tourneys: an armatura, two single-elims, and a bear pit (plus a championship among the highest-placing fencers in each tourney). I do notoriously poorly in bear pits (statistically), but I did good fencing. The armatura was pretty good, but I found that I had a target on me during a few rounds (that’s a good thing). I went one round in the single sword tournament and two in the sword & dagger tournament. Again, I feel good about my losses.

I also watched my students and my spouse clean house and represent our school wonderfully. It was just a fantastic weekend full of good fencing among friends.

After two days of fencing, we came home and fenced some more. No kidding.

Tomorrow we’ll be back at the gym bright and early.

Serfo 2017 has come and gone. UWF Fencing brought 8 fencers to the tournament this year. Nik medaled in ringen, conventional rapier, and first blood rapier, and one of our students won the Franco-Belgian tournament. I’m proud of both of them.

Leading up to Serfo, we had to lift less because I was experiencing muscle fatofue when training, but we did still did both (just less intense lifting). In addition to all that, I got a sinus infection the Monday night before the event. I medicated it aggressively and felt better for the tournament – not 100% but better.

Believe it or not, I felt at my best when I was fencing. I never made it out of pools, but I did some good fencing, especially on Sunday (I don’t feel proud of my performance in the first blood tourney). I competed in Women’s Longsword, First Blood Rapier, Conventional Rapier, and Sword and Buckler. Women’s Longsword conflicted with Franco-Belgian Rapier, and I didn’t care to do the Open Longsword or Ringen. I’m pleased with my longsword and conventional rapier fights, and I feel like I absolutely crushed the buckler tourney in the last fight of my pool.

In addition to competing, I attended a Friday night class on rapier and observed part of a cutting class on Friday morning. I took a lot of notes on drills we can do in the club.

I also took notes on what needs to change about my own fight and my expectations for tournaments. I want to increase my muscular endurance, my cardio capacity, and my timing. I have the skills, but I got caught flat footed more than I’d like. We debriefed our students and have some feedback on things they want to improve as well. It’s never too late to start preparing for next year, right?

We drove back Sunday night, rested Monday day, and returned to fencing Monday night. Nik and I hit the weights again today. I intend to have a fitness assessment done in the next month or two so that I’ll have a direction for my physical training. As far as fencing in particular goes, I think I need more drills, more conditioning – all the tedious stuff that really makes a difference.

It’s almost time. Here’s what I’ve been up to since my last update.

I hit the elliptical after work Friday (3/31). I went to fencing that night as well. We had a good time even though we had a little scare – at one point the gym staff asked that all patrons stay where we were since there was an incident outside. It sounds like some people had a beef at the outdoor basketball courts, and a firearm was involved. I’m glad we have a safe indoor space to practice.

That Saturday I went to work and played with kids.

On Sunday, since most of the people in my SCA group were at an event, I called practice off and went stand-up paddle boarding with Nik instead.I did end up in the water once – not on purpose! The wind was pretty strong, so paddling was a challenge. We had a great day.

Monday and Wednesday were Krav nights, as usual. Michael and I worked on getting Jacob ready for his P2 test, and we brushed up on P3 materials as well.

I usually hit the gym on Tuesdays, but I was exhausted and needed sleep more than I needed cardio, so I took it easy that day. Thursdays are usually rest days, so I had two last week.

On Friday I got back to the grind and went to the gym after work. Then I got home, had a little rest, and was walking out the door to go to fencing when anxiety hit me. I did NOT feel prepared for CIC. I sent my apologies to the fencers and stayed home packing and getting organized. I was more prepared than I thought, and Nik and I went to the store to pick up a few more supplies as well, so I feel much better about it now. I kind of feel silly for missing the fun at fencing, but it was worth it to have some peace of mind.

On Saturday I walked around the island before work, where I walked around some more when I wasn’t playing games.

Sunday morning was the moment of truth. I woke up bright and early to be at the gym in Gulf Breeze at 9:30. Eddie, Kita, Michael, Jacob, and I were all there to test. Everyone did really well, and I got over half my steps in before noon. Michael dropped an elbow on my back a little too hard at one point, so I’m getting a neat bruise back there, and Kita clipped my chin with a hammer fist, but I DIDN’T GET PUNCHED IN THE FACE. This is a first for me. 

After that I went home and changed clothes for fencing. I took it easy-ish and kept enough gas in my metaphorical tank to fence everyone who brought gear. I was mostly in teaching mode, but that doesn’t mean that I wasn’t moving around a lot!

Tonight is my last Krav class before I leave for CIC. I’m debating going to the gym tomorrow after work (it’s only half an hour). I’d like to have more time to pack, and I’m already incredibly sore, so I would like to rest my muscles before I go murder them for a week, but I also kind of want to keep the hype train rolling over here. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow.

No promises on updates while I’m on the road.

Last Wednesday I worked out at Krav along with the class and then put in some extra practice with Michael and the Three Bears afterwards to work on P4 skills to get us ready for CIC 1.

On Thursday I took a Lyra class. It was all bodyweight – no cardio – but a fun challenge for me. I was able to do the moves and felt super proud of myself!

Starting Friday after work, my students and I helped with the SCA demo at Pensacon… in addition to regularly scheduled practice. Tiny Nick! and I met at the Bay Center to do a very brief demo and then cut out to go to UWF practice. My kiddo came into town just in time to go with us, so that was pretty cool. We also had some newcomers that night.

On Saturday and Sunday, we fenced intermittently more or less all day. Demo fighting is fun because you can do weird and flashy stuff you’d never do in a tournament. I wore my “Merida dress” with chain maille under, and that seemed to be a big hit. It’s important to me that little girls see that you can be a pretty princess and still sword fight.

Monday was another Krav night. I let Michael take the lead on that once since I wasn’t really prepared after my busy weekend. We stayed after and worked on a few more P4 skills. We’re almost finished working our way through that level!

Yesterday morning I got some bad news and stayed home from work. I slept a lot in the morning hours, but in the late afternoon, I felt well enough to go to the gym with Nik. We fenced with Tiny Nick!, lifted some weights, did some cardio, and then met up with more students and fenced a little more. When I was working out, I wasn’t so sad. I really appreciate my friends and students – more than they know.

Tonight is a Krav night. I actually organized the lesson and feel pretty good about it. February seems to be moving as quickly as January did slowly (if that makes sense), so I want to get as much floor time in as possible before April!

I’m two weeks post-op from LASIK. I can get sweat and tap water in my eyes, I don’t wear the shield when I sleep, and I’m allowed to enjoy swimming pools and hot tubs. I still take eye drops more than usual, but other than that, it’s a dream come true.

Monday’s post-practice Krav practice went well. Michael and I burned through four skills fairly easily (without breaking a sweat). Then we talked about pedagogy stuff and whether or not we want to pare down how much we teach in a given day. I’m working on tonight’s lesson now, and I think I have a decent plan going with two skills plus a backup if the class is picking it up quickly.

Last night Nik and I hit the gym. We skipped the rock wall but will be back at it next week. I thought hauling my body weight up the sheer surface might count as strenuous lifting. Instead, I did very light weights but with more reps. I can feel it today, so I’m happy with it. I also did some cardio. I alternated laps (walk 1 / run 1) and did my mile in 13 minutes while keeping sweat out of my eyes.

After that we met up with a bunch of our students (I think there were seven of us total) for extra UWF fencing practice. It was a fun day – plenty of goofing off. I mostly took films, corrected form, and hung out, but I did get some Valentine’s bouts in with my loaf.

Today I am one week post-op. As of tonight, I don’t have to take the drops anymore, and I can get sweat and tap water into my eyes. Should the occasion arise, I can now wear make-up. My next milestone will be 10 days, when I no longer have to wear my super high-tech eye shield when I sleep.