Normally V. sets the agenda for lessons, but this week he was taking requests. I asked to work on my feints, as I can't do a convincing one to save my life.
This really hit home for me looking at the video Badger took at the NAC - I start lots of poking and posturing WAY too far out for it to be a threat to any opponent who's paying attention. I'm getting better about getting within a believable range, but when I'm there, it's hard not to keep going.
Even if I was able to hit every time, it's still good to know how to feint convincingly. It's useful for gathering information about how an opponent will react, and for deceiving them - attack one line, disengage to another when they go to parry. It also saves energy - pulling up short is less wearing than a full-out lunge.
Part of the problem is habit, but a lot of it is psychology. V. exhorts that in order for a feint to be believable,
I have to believe it as well,
yet still pull up short. Though intellectually, I understand this, viscerally I don't - if my lizard brain thinks all systems are go, it is downright
unnatural to NOT GO ALREADY!
I'm reminded of this Red Dwarf bit where Lister is teaching Kryten how to lie - sometimes it is essential to conceal your intentions from others, yet poor Krytie has a very hard time breaking programming:
V. did show me one thing that might help hammer it in - feint attack/parry and then retreat a step. If I couple the attack/retreat in my mind before I do it, I might be able to create enough of a difference between real and feint in my mind that I can successfully feint, yet still fake out my opponent.
I need to keep working on this until I can convince opponents that an orange really IS a red and white striped beach umbrella, and vice versa...
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