anotheranon | fencing deconstruction

kiya mentioned this evening that she keeps a journal of her fencing practices - what worked, what didn't, where she needs to improve, things to try, etc. She keeps the journal with her fencing gear and makes notes as she goes along.

I think this is a splendid idea, but I know that I'll never do it if I rely on paper and pencil - I will forget to get it out of my bag, and my handwriting is so poor I'd end up transcribing it to digital format anyway. So:

Went to the Yet Another Fencing Club again this evening - it's nearby, and has no floor fee for the entire month of September, so IMHO it would be foolish not to take advantage of the convenience.

The coach is also offering free mini-lessons, one of which I had last week. The coach pointed out that I tend to hunch my shoulders when I lunge. I think this is an artifact of both 1) learning to fence, when I had to really struggle to keep my arm up, and 2) rapier, which is heavier and requires more work. He rightly pointed out that the hunching was interfering with my reach, and I needed to loosen up in order to gain some distance. He jostled my arm around until I was in the right position, and I practiced some lunges and guards with it this week to get used to the feeling, and fenced this week making a concious effort to keep my shoulder down.

This does make a difference. I'm able to reach further because relaxed shoulder = not holding the arm as close to my body, so I'm further forward before I even begin to lunge or advance. Also, the big muscle of my shoulder/neck doesn't tire out as easily, because I'm not working as hard. Score!

Further refinement:

kiya suggested I drop my back arm a little out of my standard "little teapot" on-guard position to make it easier on my front arm. I was reluctant because throwing the back arm back while lunging results in a helpful forward thrust, but, I figured, what the hell. Results: It DOES make it easier to maintain the new relaxed arm position, but I do still have some arm to throw back. But hey, if I've got more reach, maybe I don't as much momentum :P

I think it may take a few more weeks for the lowered shoulder to feel natural, but it certainly offers an advantage. Maybe I'll get the nerve to go up against the tall epee/foil guy next week.