This started as a G+ post, but it became long enough that it should really go in here.
Fencing was really good yesterday. I was super not feeling like going out to fencing, but I know from prior experience that usually when I'm Very Not Feeling Like Going, then I will feel good about it by the time I am done.
I decided that the practice would be another day in which the only thing I really work on is focusing on keeping my hilt along the diameter line. That seemed to work out well, in terms of being a thing I can do that gives me good and useful feedback that I can learn from.
I fought Rodrigo a bunch, first bringing single Thibault, then switching over to sword and dagger to give him a chance to work on fighting against people who use the style of Gregor and Rowan. I gave him five things he could do against that style, inspired by people from Viedma, to Thibault, and even through Fabris. He tended more toward the solution inspired by Fabris, which was interesting. I want him to try the Thibault solution a bit more, even though it might not work quite as well for him as it works in similar situations for me, because he uses a sword that is short for his height, according to Thibault's proportions.
Rodrigo is super good at in-fighting. Fighting him single felt a lot like fighting Sorcha in weird ways. He heavily prefers cuts up close, but regardless, if I'm using my Thibault single rapier style and he gets close, I lose.
I then fought a succession of People Who Are Good At Case. I don't super like case as a style for fighting singles passes, because it's much easier to do well with it without being skilled, when compared to sword and dagger or single rapier.
My strategy was to keep my hilt on the diameter line of one of their shoulders (usually the one that is farther forward), and then point my tip toward the hilt that corresponds to the other shoulder. After that, I tried to cut into their blades as a distraction, breaking from pointing at their other hilt. Eventually I wanted to get both of their swords under mine, but that rarely happened for various reasons, depending on who I was fighting.
I think that my strategy could evolve a bit, there. I think that I need to do something different with my blade, depending on how far forward or backward their rear shoulder is. As well, I think that I need to try being on the diameter line of the shoulder corresponding to their hand which is lowest, regardless of which shoulder is forward, because otherwise I end up in a bit of an awkward place where my wrist is supinated in a weak-ish way, which can't parry a rising thrust without bringing my hilt off-line.
I also did a lot of voiding backwards, which I think is incorrect according to Thibault. I need to figure out better options for defending myself while still moving forwards or sideways, rather than backwards. I think that also would have helped against Robert, who did a lot of blitzing forwards, which I was not very able to deal with. He suggested I try using my off-hand more, but I think that I need to get into better positioning before I use my off-hand.
All in all, single versus case went better than I thought it would. I think my recent rigid adherence to Thibault is paying off, even in disadvantageous situations.
I also fought Donovan single as per usual these days, which was super interesting. It went well, rather than one, the other, or both of us feeling like shit afterwards. He applied a lot of celerity to our fights. I tried a few new things against celerity that I haven't tried before, mostly involving anticipating his actions rather than waiting to confirm what he is doing before acting.
In retrospect, anticipating movements is sort of what Thibault's idea of sentiment is all about. I likely just need to keep grinding away at this style to get a better feeling for sentiment in order to improve my anticipation, since the time scale that sentiment and anticipation happen in is very, very small. So I'll just submit the problem to my subconscious and eventually, my brain and body will come up with a solution.
I also very explicitly need to *not* drill at home for a while, since subconscious work tends to happen better for me when I'm not trying to consciously work on the same skills. Also, I've been over-drilling recently, which leads to an aching hand.
On the drive home, some thoughts about the advantages and disadvantages of longer arms coalesced. Frequently, I'll feel intuitively that my bladework needs to be tighter against people with shorter arms. The reason for this, I think, is the arc drawn by the arm when bending at the elbow. I need to think more before saying anything about it, but it's a thing.
