Part One: The Question
We all have different reasons for coming to the fencing hall and a variety of ambitions that result in our sticking around. As a teacher at Gotham Swords I want to do my part in helping everyone achieve their goals.
- Want to incorporate more cardio?
- Get more into free-play fencing?
- Sharpen your skills for an upcoming competition?
Don’t hesitate to reach out to your teacher(s) or me directly via e-mail or Discord [peterjhaas#7618] and let us know what you’re aiming to do this year — we’ll work together to make a plan!
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| Longsword: Concepts & Techniques Class |
Part Two: Introspection
It would be unfitting of me to ask everyone to engage in this deeply personal exercise without participating in it myself.
My goals this year are:
- Work towards being more concise in my teaching
- Be more analytical and reflective of my personal time in the fencing hall.
- Work on the "openings" I'm creating and consider more often "the etiquette of the heart".
My earnest study of martial arts began amid a difficult period of my life. The ability to focus on training helped me bare the misery I was experiencing at the time. During this period I trained with a mindset geared towards competition. However, the ensuing years have substantially challenged that approach. I will speak to some of the details in a later post, but for an assortment of reasons I have reached a point in which tournaments have become difficult to attend.
Yet, I still train every day.
Why? Because I believe there is something deeper and more meaningful to the art of swordplay. I will address it in greater detail in a later post, but to paraphrase one-a-many coaching books: It's an internal game as much as it is external. There is a formal etiquette and approach to what we do in our fencing hall, but there is also “the etiquette of the heart,” which is to approach swordplay with an open and frank attitude with the aim of self-improvement.
I wanted to share this, admittedly extensive quote from Hiroshi Ozawa Sensei, which I believe sums up the sentiment pretty well:
"Swordplay involves putting on your uniform and practicing with a partner. The relationship between you and your partner may be thought of as one in which each person discovers their own particular weak points through an exchange of strikes and thrusts. When you receive a strike, it should make you aware that you have a weak spot in that particular place.
Being on the receiving end of a strike, however, will inevitably make you feel disappointed and consequently practice can turn quite rough. As a result, more openings to attacks will appear, causing you even more problems and leaving you open to even more strikes. You must always take care that this does not happen.
Paradoxically, successful swordplay depends on your ability to keep up a fighting spirit while continually showing appropriate respect to your partner. Your swordplay will become very unbalanced if one of these complementary elements is missing. Observance of etiquette helps you make the most of practice, and find the beauty in fencing.
When you receive a strike, it is because there is an opening. You opponent draws your attention to your weak spots, and you endeavor to ensure that you do not receive a strike in the same place again. Through endless repetition and practice, the openings will gradually disappear.
No one can ever rest on their laurels, however, even when they have reached the top level: because in swordplay there is always unlimited room for improvement."