The learning plateau

In any focussed skill development, there will be surges and lulls of progress. Sometimes these don't seem to even line up with something that makes obvious sense: "I used to do x and y happened, now x or even 2x still doesn't give me the increase." At these times you need to do something different, maybe even do nothing, stop doing it all together. But importantly, keep hold of the desire to excel, even if the motivation changes.

Here's something I wrote for someone having this trouble recently;
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Regarding the feeling of plateau, that's really common and something you will experience several times in your path to knighthood. You're like a multi-stage rocket headed for space, the first stage has just finished and the feeling of acceleration you've gotten used to is missing while you stabilise and prepare for the next, more subtle but just as powerful stage to kick in and accelerate you again. I know you compare yourself to others, but like the rocket, you're on a different path and have a different construction so while they appear to be getting ahead now, it may just be perspective making it look that way, or they just had a bigger first stage than you that you have a good chance of overtaking in later stages when they've run out of puff. So keep hope. In the meantime, there is something active you can do. Take yourself back to basics and re-learn them but with more intent and precision. I've read and re-read the various fighting handbooks out there and each time I learn something new, something I've learned wrong and something that I've just gotten lazy on. This is as much a mental exercise as an actual lesson, it's the start of looking at yourself in the context of yourself.

Entering Crown Tournament Pt2

Below is response No2 to what is becoming an FAQ chat.
In this one:
- What if I actually win? $'s, politics, current office responsibilities
- I don't want to miss the chance to fight the visiting top-guns

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I believe when entering you should be morally/emotionally willing to reign should you win, even if you have no idea how the hell to make it work. This is also something you need to take as a bit of a risk analysis. What's the REAL likelihood of winning? Rest assured that the tourney can and will be re-scheduled if something happens to a majority of the entrants. It's only fair to them and is in the interests of the kingdom.

Now say you have a GREAT day and everyone else is not and you do win. This puts you in the awesome and scary position of becoming rapidly famous. This will give you a whole heap of credit and attract a lot of support from across the kingdom which will help you fulfill the reign. If nothing else, all you have to do is send an email to the Peers lists and say "Help!!". Naturally there will be detractors, but that happens with every reign, some people just like to complain and chop down tall poppies.
Part of that support will also be political/emotional support to help deal with that aspect of the reign. I'd suggest talking to your favourite local peers and ask them directly if they would help with _advice and networking_ if you did win.

Regarding your consorts office as . It is a commitment, one that deserves serious regard and appropriate management. However, this can be quite easy if there is a good positive vibe in the group. Arranging with someone to be prepared to act as deputy should she win can be a good way to help people feel included. Plus imagine the vibe of "one of ours won!"

To balance out my "Yes, enter!" rave, if you do decide not to enter there will still be the chance to fight and train with the visiting top-guns, especially if you ask ahead of time (try "lochac fighters" email list) and help set-up an organised opportunity to do so. Naturally you need to be flexible with timing and access to particular people depending on what happens on the day.

Entering Crown Tournament

I'm a great proponent for people entering crown lists as I believe that the crown tournament is pivotal for so many things in our game. Some time ago I sent a challenge to all peers to band together and support people to enter the lists. My rationale being that with approximately 30 active knights, 60 active Pelicans and 60 active Laurels, groups of five (1k, 2P, 2L) and their support networks should be able to support the knight or someone in his place to enter the lists.
Surprisingly I received most response from non-peers, and some negative responses from a few peers.
My intent is not that people enter into onerous financial obligations to make it happen, rather that "sponsorship" takes the form of minor tangible and significant moral support for combatant and consort, with a pledge of support to help them during the reign should they win.

This post was prompted by a letter I received asking for advice regarding entering.

My response is below, which captures my central reasoning;

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My first and simple response is YES, do it!
There are several reasons to enter.

For the Kingdom: So much revolves around those who are our King and Queen, and often the tone of the reign is set by the manner in which they were chosen. Hence, it behooves all combatants and consorts who wish the Crown to be treated with respect, to make the selection process as rigorous as possible.

For you and your consort: It is a singular experience, one which taps directly into the magic and romance which we endeavour to bring to our game.

For your skill: I have never experienced the intensity of combat anywhere else that you get in crowns. The first time you face it will always be somewhat daunting, so the sooner the better. It will help you learn many things about yourself and your ability to fight for a real prize while maintaining your honour despite the over-whelming rush of adrenaline and testosterone pumping through your body. The most important lesson being to be able to recognise and admit defeat with grace.

Bushido - Samurai chivalric ethos

Bushido - Way of the Samurai (as summarised on Last Samurai special features)
Honesty and Justice - Gi
Be acutely honest throughout your dealings with all people. Believe injustice, not from other people, but from yourself. To the true samurai,there are no shades of grey in the question of honesty and justice.There is only right and wrong.
(Blayney Note: This is situational, right for one moment may not be right for another. The wisdom and self-confidence to identify and accept this is crucial.)
Polite Courtesy - Rei
Samurai have no reason to be cruel. They do not need to prove their strength. A samurai is courteous even to his enemies. Without this outward show of respect, we are nothing more than animals. A samurai is not only respected for his strength in battle, but also by his dealing with other men.The true strength of a samurai becomes apparent during difficult times. Heroic Courage - Yu
Rise up above the masses of people who are afraid to act. Hiding like a turtle in a shell is not living at all. A samurai must have heroic courage. It is absolutely risky. It is dangerous. It is living life completely, fully, wonderfully. Heroic courage is not blind. It is intelligent and strong.(Blayney Note: Seeking out danger and risk for their own sake is not Yu,it is Heroic Stupidity)
Honour - Meiyo
A true samurai has only one judge of honour, and this is himself.Decisions you make and how these decisions are carried out are a reflection of whom you truly are.You cannot hide from yourself.
Compassion - Jin
Through intense training the samurai becomes quick and strong. He is not as other men. He develops the power that must be used for the good of all. He has compassion. He helps his fellow man at every opportunity. If an opportunity does not arise, he goes out of his way to find one.
Complete Sincerity - Makoto
When a samurai has said he will perform an action, it is as good as done. Nothing will stop him from completing what he has said he will do.he does not have to "give his word". He does not have to "promise".Speaking and doing are the same action.
(Blayney Note: this requires the wisdom to discern what is achievable within your power, the self-confidence to trust your instincts and follow a way that is uncertain, the humility to admit limitations and the assertiveness to resist pressure of any form to go against your wisdom.)
Duty and Loyalty - Chu
For the samurai, having done some "thing" or said some "thing", he knows he owns that "thing". He is responsible for it and all the consequences that follow. A samurai is immensely loyal to those in his care. To those he is responsible for, he remains fiercely true.

Reflected perceptions (welcome to the public eye)

This was an email I sent to Bethan's Queen's Guard. As referenced, it applies particularly strongly to peer/student relationships.

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My Lords and Lady,
I speak to you now on a subtle point regarding how to maintain the populaces' regard for our merry band and our Queen. This is not an admonishment to anything witnessed thus far as twelfth night was exemplary, rather it is a sharing of knowledge in line with what I take my responsibility to be to you all.
Some of you may be aware of this, hopefully those of you linked in a peer/student relationship are definitely aware of this, but in my experience leaving things unsaid on an assumption of knowledge is fraught with danger.

Reflected perceptions is simply that the behaviour of one, reflects on all. To a certain degree, you are no longer just an individual, you are now a "member of the Queen's guard" . This means that people will take more notice of you and either judge you against their pre-conceived ideas or fill in a mental blank with your observed behaviour. In either case, you are an ambassador for all of the other members of the guard, myself and to some extent Her Majesty.

This lesson is one that I have seen new Peers learn the hard way. Most often they are Peers due to their strong self-confidence, but at some point, they will be the first Pelican/Laurel/Knight that some newcommer meets. If they are anything less than courteous, that newcommer will label all members of that order as bad people. They may even label all peers or even the whole SCA (as peers are the perceived cultural leaders) negatively.

Hence, I entreat you to think on and choose your behaviour in this context. I do not think it will be too hard for you, as you have been recommended and chosen due to a combination of positive virtues. So be yourself and be ready to take a deep breath when you feel frustration or spite tempt you. And as we are all in this boat together, if you need guidance on avoiding or correcting a faux pas, either talk to each other or me.

warmest regards,
Sir Blayney

Functional Fitness

I subscribe to the philosophies of fitness described by Matt Furey (mattfurey.com)
More than just his combat conditioning exercises, I like the definition and goal of functional fitness as he describes it "Do you have the speed, strength, agility and endurance to get yourself out of a life threatening situation?" Can you swim in your clothes, climb a steep slope, climb a rope, run to catch something or get away? Basically, do you have the strength to move your own body where you need it to go?

This naturally meshes well with his exercise philsophy of calisthenics: exercises where the only resistance comes from your own body weight.
His three key exercises, or "Royal Court" as he calls them, are a great minimum if they are the only "exercise" you do. They work well as they build strength and flexibility through your whole body and particularly the core. Done with the right breathing (the only way you'll get enough endurance to do lots of them) it also gives a good cardio work-out.
The three exercises are:
Hindu Squats, Hindu Push-ups and back-bridge. He sells this for a living so go buy the instructional book or DVD (DVD is better) or ask me to show you one-on-one. Apparently it's very much like "Farmer Burns" as well.

I've found I don't have a lot of time or motivation for extended training at the end of the day so after trial and error I found that I can reliably motivate myself to do a short set every morning when I first get up. It also has the added advantage of waking me up and making me feel relaxed and energised to face the day (gotta love those endorphins).
Rather than trying to do lots, I focus on just reliably doing it. Each morning I set a goal of how many I feel I can do. Most mornings I just do 20-20-20 (20 breaths of squats, pushups and bridge). If I feel a bit off colour, I set my goal lower, but I always make myself hit my goal unless I fall on my face or pass out.

I recently worked out that doing a single set leads to tightening and cramping of muscles after the exercise. So I now do two sets of 15 push-ups and squats instead of the original one set of 20.

For SCA combat I found that I wanted a bit more oblique abdominal workout so I've incorporated a set of 20 knee-to-elbow crunches. I also find this quicker breathing exercise really shakes the cobwebs out and picks the heart rate up.

It's all about the breathing. If you ever find yourself unable to do one or all of the exercises, sit or stand somewhere and breathe as if you were doing them. You can maintain or even improve on poor fitness just by doing focussed breathing.

Uther's Training Notes

Uther's School

1. Philosophy
1.1 What's your goal?
You've probably spent a lot of time and money getting where you're at infighting, so why are you doing it? What do you want to get out of it? Pick a goal that's a stretch but is achievable. Make sure it's specific and not broad in description.
Now, how are you going to know you've reached your goal or some milestone on the way? How can you measure it discretely/specifically?
Good goals often take the form: "I want to go four rounds in major tourney's, irrespective of who is in the lists". This is great because you've got the specific target of "4", you've made it a stretch by not giving yourself an excuse in the form of "I would have got to four except I fought Duke Hotstick". And lastly, there's easy milestones of getting past 2 rounds, then getting past 3 rounds.

1.1.1 What's beyond your goal?
When you're approaching a goal, look beyond it to see what interests you and what may become your next goal. Too often people achieve some great goal but the stop, confused about "what's next?". This can lead to lots of problems and a loss of enjoyment from reaching the original goal.

1.2 Advancing your fight
Develop and train so that each shot puts you further ahead of your opponent.
Throw shots that set you up for a blocking return and/or roll straight into another valid attack. It should not leave you exposed or off balance to your opponent after you have thrown it, basically do not count on it landing.
Don't throw dead end shots that take a full beat or more to recover. A good shot always sets up your next attack, it does not require a full reset.

1.3 Thinking in terms of an engagment
Sometimes you'll end up in a position where your opponent keeps getting through. The answer is not always to block quicker, instead change your engagement or shots thrown, or timing of when thrown, or steps beforehand or something, so that you don't end up there in the first place.

1.4 Timing and rhythm
Instead of setting up a "my turn, your turn" fight, break the rhythm at some point and get a half beat ahead. This can be easily done by pausing a half beat rather than trying to quickly do two shots. Changing how you return your sword also can change your timing without slowing your flow down.

2 Foundation Training (done alone)
Once you can throw a snap and wrap without hurting yourself, set up a pell and a regular and frequent time that you can work on it. In your mind label the 6 main target areas with 1 to 6. (head, body, leg - onside & offside).
Now throw shots in pairs at the targets in the order;
1/1,1/2,1/3,1/4,1/5,1/6,2/1,2/2,2/3...6/4,/6/5,6/6.
Go slow. Do not hit hard. Did I say go slow. Anyone can bounce/pound a stick around a pell in a sloppy manor. You should be able to feel if you can throw a shot hard or not, try it full power if you are unclear. Do not spend your time pounding the pell, it should be a smooth whack not a full power shoot.
This exercise trains you to be able to throw to the open target, not just throw the easiest shot. You should be able to throw from any target to any other target. It has the added advantage of being a focussed exercise at the end of which you've thrown 72 shots in a much more fun way than just 72 head snaps.
After you have this down perfectly, step and move around the pell, make sure you change the range, as you throw the shots, like you might when trying to get an angle on a real opponent. Mix it up, try different things, give yourself permission to get it wrong so that you know what won't work and why.

3 Trigger Drills (done with a partner as slow work with sword/shield/helm*)
Face each other in stance and at comfortable attack range. Nominate who will be assistant and who trainee.

3.1 Single shot trigger drill
Assistant throws a shot slowly and pauses at point of contact.
Trainee blocks shot and pauses to see what targets are now open.
Throw that shot (assistant doesn't block) and reflect on it's merits and problems.
Reset.
Assistant throws same shot as before and pauses at point of contact.
Trainee blocks shot and asks self (or trainer asks) "What else is open and
what's better?"
Throw that shot and reflect on it's merits and problems.
Reset and repeat until you can't think of any different methods to engage the attack (see 1.3)
Choose one form of engagment and drill it three times without the pause to think. This is so the counter-attack is mentally locked in.

3.2 Two shot trigger drill
Same as above for setup.
Trainee throws first shot.
Assistant blocks and counters with a typical shot.
Trainee blocks and then assesses and practices a second/follow-through shot.
Reflect on the merits of the engagement and try something different ("What else? What's better?")
Note: When the trainee throws a different opening shot, the assistant can change their counter-attack.

3.3 Combined 1&2 Shot drill
If you are doing this with evenly matched fighters, there is the opportunity in the 2 shot drill for the assistant to also have a pause and try something different, as if it was the 1 shot drill. However, they need to relatively quickly pick something and then do that repeatedly for a while so that the primary trainee can actually achieve the end result of the two shot drill. If one of you finds this confusing or you get too excited at the possibilities and lose focus of the intent of the drill, STOP and go back to the simple form of trainee and assistant. Just change roles frequently so you both have a chance at trying things.

Over time this should work in to a fast but controlled rhythm, always wear a helmet. Be sure to touch the target with your shot, each time you throw it. FOLLOW THROUGH AND DO A COMPLETE RETURN TO STANCE EVERY TIME.

Addendum
*Slow work and wearing a helm
Uther only ever trains slow work while wearing a helm for two reasons. Firstly it allows you to finish the shot against a target rather than training yourself to pull short. Also, after witnessing a good friend lose the vision in one eye from the tip of a rattan sword scratching into the lens, he came to the realisation it's just not worth the risk. Eyes work as a pair, and you've only got one pair with no chance for replacement. If you are in the situation that there is only one helm, make sure there is one very experienced fighter. The helm goes on the trainer as the trainee doesn't have the sword control to not jab them in the eye, plus the trainee is the one that needs the base training of finishing a shot against the target.