Fascinating story from Discovery News:
Gladiator Stabbed, Tossed as Trash?
It's interesting hisrotically, and also regarding the kinds of injuries he suffered.
http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/gladiator-stabbed-tossed-as-trash.html#mkcpgn=emnws1
"The bones of a Roman man, who was stabbed to death and left to rot with the rubbish, have revealed gruesome details of what appears to be a gladiator combat, according to British researchers who have examined the skeletal remains.
Unearthed in January only 12 inches under the grass the Yorkshire Museum’s gardens, in York, England, the bones show that the man, most likely a disgraced gladiator, met a violent and bloody death.
"The physical evidence reveals he was a swordsman and that his body was literally dumped with the rubbish –- there was no hint that he had been buried in a ceremonial way," said Andrew Morrison, head curator of the Yorkshire Museum, where the bones are going on display this week..."
Read the whole story here:
http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/gladiator-stabbed-tossed-as-trash.html#mkcpgn=emnws1
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Time Warp Reaction Speed Video
It's back, and now on YouTube. This video is GREAT for people interested in reaction speed and the nervous system (people like fencers and martial artists). If you read our Reaction Speed Report, you'll especially appreciate this video. In a nutshell, you can see the difference in reaction time depending on how close the stimulus is to the brain of the responder.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsSd58jjih0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsSd58jjih0
Friday, July 23, 2010
Here it is--The Reaction Speed Report!
(PLEASE NOTE THE REACTION SPEED REPORT HAS BEEN TAKEN DOWN! IT WAS ONLY BEING OFFERED FOR A LIMITED TIME. A REVISED VERSION MAY BE OFFERED FOR SALE AT SOME TIME IN THE FUTURE. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN OTHER, SIMILAR FENCING REPORTS, PLEASE LET US KNOW.)
I'm very pleased to be able to offer this to all of you. I'm also a little bit embarrassed, since we've been promising to deliver this for a long time now, but technical and other difficulties have prevented us from getting it to you sooner.
I truly believe that this little PDF will have a real impact on improving the fencing ability of anyone who applies the techniques contained in it.
With out any further ado, here it is. Please read it and give the material in it a fair trial. I think you'll be very pleased!!
And remember to check back to this blog--we don't update it too often, but when we do, the material will be practical and topical and fun!
You can download it here:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/34756952/Reaction-Speed-Report
Please note: The "Timewarp" video referred to in the report (Season 1, Episode 18, "Body Modification") currently does not seem to be available anywhere on line. If we can locate a link to it again, we'll post it to this blog.
Cheers,
Jeff Sauber
www.cavalierattitude.com
I'm very pleased to be able to offer this to all of you. I'm also a little bit embarrassed, since we've been promising to deliver this for a long time now, but technical and other difficulties have prevented us from getting it to you sooner.
I truly believe that this little PDF will have a real impact on improving the fencing ability of anyone who applies the techniques contained in it.
With out any further ado, here it is. Please read it and give the material in it a fair trial. I think you'll be very pleased!!
And remember to check back to this blog--we don't update it too often, but when we do, the material will be practical and topical and fun!
You can download it here:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/34756952/Reaction-Speed-Report
Please note: The "Timewarp" video referred to in the report (Season 1, Episode 18, "Body Modification") currently does not seem to be available anywhere on line. If we can locate a link to it again, we'll post it to this blog.
Cheers,
Jeff Sauber
www.cavalierattitude.com
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Occam’s Razor
William of Ockham must have been a swordsman. 700 years ago, he penned the following, which stands today as one of the most common sense standards of scientific method. It’s also one of the best possible pieces of advice a fencer can take to heart:
entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem
which translates to:
entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity
and in practice means:
The simplest solution is usually the most correct one.
In science, when a researcher is experimenting to prove a point, or laboring under an overriding belief system, it’s not uncommon for a researcher to overlook the most apparent solution to a situation. For example, when Lister, the 19th century doctor, suggested that doctors might actually be spreading disease between patients, and could stop this by simply washing their hands after each examination, the medical establishment was outraged, and Lister was drummed out. After all, patients got sick because of their lifestyles, or evil humors, or other possibilities that science could not then account for. But the idea that germs could be passed from hand to hand? Outrageous! Childishly simplistic!
And, as history has proven, correct.
One of the wonderful things about fencing are the amazing number of combinations and finesse of blade-work, and we work very hard to master those. But I’m always surprised to see how often good fencers will exercise poor choices when it comes to crossing swords, by applying overly complex or poorly practiced techniques.
In fact, the evolution of fencing is one of continually distilling and refining. The correct solution to any situation was the simplest. If you study the history of the art, you can see that the weapon and the way it was used was continually refined, and old methods and swords left behind to history.
I’m not a great fencer, but I have been lucky enough to train with some of the best in the world, and while they all had different styles, one thing that was abundantly clear, after learning the gross motions, the true art was in continually simplifying, distilling, every move. Sometimes the simplest was as easy as a thrust, sometimes the simplest was a beat-feint-coupe with a ballestra-fleche. But it was always the purest, most direct that won the day.
Some more theatrical teachers may poo poo this idea as a modern concept, something like “that’s just trying to score quickly,” but if you think about it, you can see the value in a real life and death situation: The more time you spend fencing with an opponent, the more you give him to use against you. In bullfighting, the fights don’t last longer than 10 minutes because if it continues longer than that, the bull will have figured out the toreador, and the man has little chance defeating the bull. How much faster can another swordsman do the same? In a real fight, you don’t want your opponent to know any more about your ability.
Once, in college, I had the opportunity to lose brilliantly against a high ranking Polish fencer who had years developing his basics, and nothing I could do could get me past his simple beat attack or parry riposte. No doubt he had more complicated attacks, but I wasn’t good enough ever to find out. It was a good lesson.
Several years ago, at a rapier event, I was free-fencing with a guy who seemed to be quite good, yet never protected his arms. I landed two hits to his wrist and was surprised that he didn’t even try to defend. The rapier I was using was a pretty heavy 4 foot Del Tin, and I felt a little bad, since even with a moderate hit, I could feel it impact with bone. Finally, I stopped and suggested that he might want to displace his arm to avoid the touch. He just shrugged: “My teacher says hitting the hand is dishonorable, and so we don’t deal with it.” Dishonorable? Fencing, as at least one renaissance master said, “is the art of deception.” It’s arguable how much is really honorable in meeting someone for a game of murder with big knives. It’s not arguable that a cut to the wrist of an armed assailant can save your life, and if honor is in question, win the duel whilst sparing the life of your opponent.
Nuts and bolts: Simplify! Drill the bits and pieces until they’re “airtight.” If you’re doing a beat attack, drill that until you know with 99% certainty that as soon as you’ve made contact with the opponent’s blade, he’s hit. If you’re doing a disengage or a coupe, practice it until it’s as reliable as humanly possible, or more.
Try this: Pick one simple attach and one simple defense, and use only those for a night, or a week, even if it means you get hit a lot. After a while, you will find you get hit a lot less.
Think about your fencing—you can be your own best coach—analyze it for anyplace you can simplify and purify. Never give the opponent a stronger dose of your skill than it takes to defeat him. Leave him wondering.
Compound attacks are comprised of these simple pieces all put together, anyway, and the better your “alphabet” of simple techniques, the better your “dialog of the blade will be.”
entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem
which translates to:
entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity
and in practice means:
The simplest solution is usually the most correct one.
In science, when a researcher is experimenting to prove a point, or laboring under an overriding belief system, it’s not uncommon for a researcher to overlook the most apparent solution to a situation. For example, when Lister, the 19th century doctor, suggested that doctors might actually be spreading disease between patients, and could stop this by simply washing their hands after each examination, the medical establishment was outraged, and Lister was drummed out. After all, patients got sick because of their lifestyles, or evil humors, or other possibilities that science could not then account for. But the idea that germs could be passed from hand to hand? Outrageous! Childishly simplistic!
And, as history has proven, correct.
One of the wonderful things about fencing are the amazing number of combinations and finesse of blade-work, and we work very hard to master those. But I’m always surprised to see how often good fencers will exercise poor choices when it comes to crossing swords, by applying overly complex or poorly practiced techniques.
In fact, the evolution of fencing is one of continually distilling and refining. The correct solution to any situation was the simplest. If you study the history of the art, you can see that the weapon and the way it was used was continually refined, and old methods and swords left behind to history.
I’m not a great fencer, but I have been lucky enough to train with some of the best in the world, and while they all had different styles, one thing that was abundantly clear, after learning the gross motions, the true art was in continually simplifying, distilling, every move. Sometimes the simplest was as easy as a thrust, sometimes the simplest was a beat-feint-coupe with a ballestra-fleche. But it was always the purest, most direct that won the day.
Some more theatrical teachers may poo poo this idea as a modern concept, something like “that’s just trying to score quickly,” but if you think about it, you can see the value in a real life and death situation: The more time you spend fencing with an opponent, the more you give him to use against you. In bullfighting, the fights don’t last longer than 10 minutes because if it continues longer than that, the bull will have figured out the toreador, and the man has little chance defeating the bull. How much faster can another swordsman do the same? In a real fight, you don’t want your opponent to know any more about your ability.
Once, in college, I had the opportunity to lose brilliantly against a high ranking Polish fencer who had years developing his basics, and nothing I could do could get me past his simple beat attack or parry riposte. No doubt he had more complicated attacks, but I wasn’t good enough ever to find out. It was a good lesson.
Several years ago, at a rapier event, I was free-fencing with a guy who seemed to be quite good, yet never protected his arms. I landed two hits to his wrist and was surprised that he didn’t even try to defend. The rapier I was using was a pretty heavy 4 foot Del Tin, and I felt a little bad, since even with a moderate hit, I could feel it impact with bone. Finally, I stopped and suggested that he might want to displace his arm to avoid the touch. He just shrugged: “My teacher says hitting the hand is dishonorable, and so we don’t deal with it.” Dishonorable? Fencing, as at least one renaissance master said, “is the art of deception.” It’s arguable how much is really honorable in meeting someone for a game of murder with big knives. It’s not arguable that a cut to the wrist of an armed assailant can save your life, and if honor is in question, win the duel whilst sparing the life of your opponent.
Nuts and bolts: Simplify! Drill the bits and pieces until they’re “airtight.” If you’re doing a beat attack, drill that until you know with 99% certainty that as soon as you’ve made contact with the opponent’s blade, he’s hit. If you’re doing a disengage or a coupe, practice it until it’s as reliable as humanly possible, or more.
Try this: Pick one simple attach and one simple defense, and use only those for a night, or a week, even if it means you get hit a lot. After a while, you will find you get hit a lot less.
Think about your fencing—you can be your own best coach—analyze it for anyplace you can simplify and purify. Never give the opponent a stronger dose of your skill than it takes to defeat him. Leave him wondering.
Compound attacks are comprised of these simple pieces all put together, anyway, and the better your “alphabet” of simple techniques, the better your “dialog of the blade will be.”
Friday, April 16, 2010
Some news
Hi folks!
First off, I have to issue a huge apology for people who signed up to the mailing list and then didn't get the promised Reaction Speed Report. Seems some people got it and some didn't. If you didn't, we didn't forget you, and you don't have to do anything--we'll be getting it out shortly. (If you can't wait, email us and we'll send it).
We're going to be posting more regularly to this blog--articles with meaningful content. If there's a particular topic that interests you, let us know and we'll try to cover it. And don't be shy about responding to anything we've written, even if you think it's full of hooey. We're always interested in feedback.
If you haven't seen our cool, classic t-shirts, have a look! We'll be adding some new designs in the coming weeks, too!
http://www.cavalierattitude.com/New%20T-shirt%20Page.htm
Visitors to the website may have seen the unfinished link to a special arm-exercise book for historical fencers. Sadly, I've had to put the update in the back burner for the last few months. That product, when it will be finished, is an update of an older ebook that I wrote a few years ago. The exercises in that book gave great results to people who used it. On the bright side, we're probably going to give away the original one as soon as we can deacrchive & re upload it.
More, soon!
--Jeff
First off, I have to issue a huge apology for people who signed up to the mailing list and then didn't get the promised Reaction Speed Report. Seems some people got it and some didn't. If you didn't, we didn't forget you, and you don't have to do anything--we'll be getting it out shortly. (If you can't wait, email us and we'll send it).
We're going to be posting more regularly to this blog--articles with meaningful content. If there's a particular topic that interests you, let us know and we'll try to cover it. And don't be shy about responding to anything we've written, even if you think it's full of hooey. We're always interested in feedback.
If you haven't seen our cool, classic t-shirts, have a look! We'll be adding some new designs in the coming weeks, too!
http://www.cavalierattitude.com/New%20T-shirt%20Page.htm
Visitors to the website may have seen the unfinished link to a special arm-exercise book for historical fencers. Sadly, I've had to put the update in the back burner for the last few months. That product, when it will be finished, is an update of an older ebook that I wrote a few years ago. The exercises in that book gave great results to people who used it. On the bright side, we're probably going to give away the original one as soon as we can deacrchive & re upload it.
More, soon!
--Jeff
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
