anotheranon | start what ya finish

So I pulled my brain out from under the rock it's been under all week and took in a fencing lesson tonight. Objective: stop my freeze-ups after the first action and actually execute some of those swank counter-parries and disengages I've been hearing so much about :P

Much as I love the mental challenges of fencing, sometimes my mind tends to keep ticking when I should be relying on muscle memory - V. says a lot of it comes with practice; if I get in the habit of continuing to move when I don't score my touch on the first go then it gives intuition a chance to take over. This will take some work - I notoriously distrust my intuition, especially when it comes to motion.

I'm also trying to get in the habit of playing back and forth - I think I'm so perfectionistic that I'm reluctant to do anything until I've got it, which is not how this game is played. I just irk myself when I do score touches on remises or other such flailing around because they feel like happy accidents, not planned outcomes.

I guess I'm a fighter who aspires to be a fencer in some ways, still...

I think for the next spell I'm going to work on these continuations, keeping moving, combined with more efficient/controlled bladework.

I'm also taking smaller steps back and forth, as it gives me finer distance control. Not as hard to get used to as I'd feared.