Last night’s practice was much better than Monday’s. I still made mistakes, but they were the kind that I could see and fix. When I left class last night, I realized that this is the best I’ve felt in a couple of weeks. I’m finding my way out of the Dark Place. It’s a slow process, but I’ll see some changes in my fight and in my desire to practice, and that’s good enough for me. My class is taking an official break for the month of June, but some of us will still meet informally during that time. My plan is to keep doing Krav on Wednesdays but take advantage of having Mondays off by going to fencing.
This weekend is Art/Sci/Crown. I’m looking forward to seeing my SCA friends this weekend and possibly having some guests come to UWF fencing practice on Friday.
I didn’t feel well enough to go to UWF fencing on Friday, and the extra Krav practice on Thursday didn’t happen, so things have been quiet on here.
I did have SCA fencing practice on Sunday. A bunch of people came over from Terra Terminus, and a couple of new fencers came out. It was a busy afternoon!
Now Nik and I are gearing up for Art/Sci/Crown this weekend. We’ll have some of our friends visiting and staying with us, and we’re hoping to introduce some of them to our students. It’s been awhile since we’ve attended an event, and I’m looking forward to getting out there!
On Wednesday, I helped the P1 group. I realized I’d forgotten a lot of terminology, so I was glad I had the practice.
I got to go to UWF fencing on Friday night. I worked with some new fencers and did some bouts with Nik and one of our older students.
Today I went to the park for SCA practice. Instead of rapier, I did a lot of cut and thrust (specifically MS I.33). That’s something else I haven’t been studying as well as I should! Nik and I worked with someone who has been doing rapier and armored combat for awhile but is new to CT. He’s a lefty and primarily and armored fighter, so I learned a lot from him.
I’m in kind of a slump, and I don’t really feel like going to practice, but doing CT seemed to help me a little bit. I love fencing, so this is really frustrating for me.
Does anyone else deal with occasionally having trouble gearing up to participate in your hobbies?
Last week Krav was great on Monday and Wednesday, and yoga was a nice stretch break in between. I was studying hard, going to Ladies’ Night to study, doing my thing.
Friday rolled around, and I came home from work and crashed out. I missed the last UWF fencing day of the semester. I woke up Saturday to find that I was very very sick, so I cancelled SCA fencing on Sunday (I was sick enough that I didn’t want to be left alone, so Nik couldn’t fill in for me). I ended up missing work (and, by extension, Krav) on Monday.
I went to yoga yesterday to ease back into activity and because i was so stiff from lying around all weekend. I’m wicked sore today. I honestly doubt it’s from yoga since we did literally the most minimal form you could do short of yoga nidra. I’m suspicious of the uphill trek to my office at that campus.
Regardless of the cause, I figure I shouldn’t go to Krav tonight, not even to watch. It kills me, but my test date has been pushed back, and I’d rather have some gas in my metaphorical tank for the demo on Friday.
Rehab is still happening. I’m noticing some improvement in my range of motion but haven’t tried holding a sword, striking an object, or anything of that nature. I’m optimistic.
True to my word, I was back at work on Wednesday, but I didn’t go to Krav, and Ladies’ Night was cancelled. I was wrestling with whether or not to go to fencing on Friday when Nik reminded me that we were foregoing practice for the sport club banquet.
I made it to fencing on Sunday! It was nice to move around and fight for the first time in ages. There’s a new guy in town who has done rapier before and just authorized with us. I also talked to a gal who is interested in taking up the hobby, but I got pulled away and didn’t get a chance to fill her in on any more details, so I hope she comes back.
Tonight I go back to Krav, but I’m going to try to take it easy. I still have a bit of a cough from the sinus stuff that came with the ear infection, so I’m not looking forward to running around, but I am excited to go back because…
…I need to start cramming for my P2 test next month! I’m super stoked and a little bit nervous. I’m sure I’ll be ready when the big day comes. In the meantime,I’m trying to remember what everything is called so that I can be a good partner as well as get my hand rehabbed so that I can use it.
I started therapy last week, and I have exercises I’m supposed to do on the finger every day. Range of motion is improving, but it’s still painful. It’s coming along. We’ll see where I am in four week!
Wednesday night in Krav we worked on some kick defenses. Those were pretty cool. I have no idea how my training partner ended up with a bruise on her upper arm, but it was an evening well-spent nonetheless.
On Thursday I missed ladies’ night so that Nik and I could hunt for fabric for his elevation. We came back empty-handed, but we did spend a nice evening together.
We went to UWF practice on Friday night. It was just us and Quinn, so we just played King of the Hill for awhile and called it a night. We also did some knife fighting, just for fun. Nik and I compared notes on knife fighting, me from Krav Maga and him from historical texts. It was pretty dynamic.
I spent Saturday at the beach dressed like a mermaid and rolling around in the surf because I can.
Sunday was SCA fencing practice. We’re in the midst of planning an event, and I got stressed out and frustrated at one point, but Nik and I fenced it out, and I think I’ll make it. It was our first practice coming back from Gulf Wars, and we have a new person showing interest, so that’s cool.
Last night we did a different set of kick defenses in Krav. I’m going to need help keeping the names straight so that I don’t do the wrong thing during testing.
This morning I woke up bright and early and went in for an MRI on that injured finger. I’m a little over 6 months past the injury, and my range of motion isn’t getting better. I’ll follow up with the ortho on Friday. I’m hoping for good news – proceed with PT. Friendly readers, keep your fingers crossed because I sure can’t do it.
My shoulder felt better on Thursday, so I went to Ladies’ Night and went over the material I missed at Krav on Wednesday.
On Friday, I went to UWF fencing. I can hold the sword in my right hand! I figure it’s a good idea to use a lighter sword if I’m using my right hand, and I can’t attack in all hand positions, but I can use it, and I intend to (responsibly) at War.
Speaking of Gulf Wars, I’m working on getting my act together to go. I leave in three days!
Man, i’m bad at this, haha.
Okay, so I left off last Wednesday, right? Thursday was Ladies’ Night. I got together with some other lady Kravists and went over some techniques that weren’t quite solid for me yet.
Last weekend was the Pensacola Renaissance Faire (and Pirate Festival). I was there for both days doing fencing demonstrations with the SCA and the UWF club. It looks like people are interested in trying it out. One of my favorite things about Ren Faire is seeing little girls (especially ones dressed like princesses) interested in swords. Nothing is better than a sword fighting princess!
Last night was Krav practice.I’m working on using combinations instead of just relying on the same one or two strikes. unfortunately, somewhere between “throw what you know” and “don’t overthink it,” I end up doing weird things that may not be martially sound. I’ll sleep on it.
My finger is getting better, but I still don’t have range of motion. I’m hoping to try holding a sword with that hand this Friday night at practice. Wish me luck.
Now it’s time to prepare for Gulf Wars. I have a week until I pack up and ship out!
This week has been wild. I hardly even know where to start.
I guess I’ll start with skipping practice on Monday. I hate skipping practice, but my finger really hurt from being in the splint, so I took the splint off, took my pain meds, and rested.
On Tuesday I thought I’d get back into things slowly with yoga, but yoga was cancelled when the campus closed because of inclement weather. A storm system with a lot of tornadoes was headed our way. One of those tornadoes touched down in my neighborhood. I lost power for about 36 hours, but my neighbors weren’t so lucky. I am grateful for my life, my loved ones, my pets, and my home.
On Wednesday morning I saw the orthopedist. He confirmed that the finger is not broken, told me I didn’t have to wear the splint anymore (yay!), and cleared me to fence with caution (double yay!). I’m buddy taping most of the time and slowly and carefully working and massaging the finger to get my range of motion back. I still have trouble picking things up, and I swear everything around me wants to bump into it, but I’m seeing some definite progress.
I went to UWF fencing on Wednesday night and practiced left handed (and took a hot shower). When we went to bed that night, we had no idea how our weekend would go. Fortunately life got back to normal on Thursday, so Nik was able to pack us up on Friday, and we headed up to Atlanta that night.
We woke up bright and early on Saturday for Meridian Challenge of Arms (MCA). This was the first ever MCA, and the turnout was fantastic (over 60 fencers!). Before the fencing started, my longtime friend and mentor took me on as a formal student under the new rapier peerage. Then the real fun began! I signed up for every tournament, and I fought all day with my left hand (with my finger back in the splint and refused as much as possible to protect it). I had some really awesome fights. Then I had some fights that I lost and just couldn’t figure out how. Then I had some more good fights. Then I had a few more not-so-good ones. It was an erratic day, and at times it was frustrating, especially since I had trouble looking back and figuring out what went wrong (more on that in a couple of paragraphs).
That evening at court, however, one of my dreams came true. I don’t care if it sounds cheesy – it happened. I was induced into the Meridian Order of the Blade.
If you aren’t familiar with the SCA and its awards, the MOB is “an armigerous [meaning it bears heraldic arms] polling order given in recognition of excellence in skill, instruction, leadership, and service to the sport of rapier, the rapier community, and the Kingdom.” In other words, a bunch of people I really respect voted and decided that I am on their level. I’ve aspired to this honor since I heard about it because I wanted to be part of that group of elite fencers. They recognized me and welcomed me as one of their own last night, and I’m just floored.
Today I have felt every movement I’ve made with my left arm. I try to condition both sides, but I used those muscles in a way they haven’t ever been used. I think I was having a decent amount of fatigue, but I was so hyped I didn’t recognize what it was. I’m home now, though, so I see a bath with Epsom salts in my future.
Tomorrow I should be back to my normal routine. Thanks for staying patient, and I’ll try not to be such a slouch about updating (no promises until after War).
It’s time for another catch-up post!
Wednesday
Krav happened. I’m having issues working on the body mechanics for some of these elbow strikes. Other than that, all is well.
Thursday
I met up with the Krav ladies, had a short practice (lots of kicking), and then went out for TCBY. After TCBY, I helped my fencing students finish their rapier fighting shirts. They’re going to look really sharp out on the field.
Saturday
I went to the SCA event Midwinter Arts & Sciences. I taught a class on making period fencing accessible to new fencers, and I attended some classes. I learned a lot about Paschen’s disarms and also some drills and exercises to help my students with fundamentals of fencing (explosive movement, distance, etc.). It was really neat breaking it down that way.
Sunday
I went to SCA fencing practice in Atlanta before making the long trek back home (even longer since we stopped to visit in Birmingham on the way). Worth it.
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