rear stabilizers at 50%
Feb. 11th, 2009 09:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
anotheranonLast night was the first of perhaps an every-other-weekly group lesson that my coach is trying out, to see how it goes. Four of us were at this pilot class, and while I can't speak for the others I was/am hoping to practice the basics and get feedback from coach and fellow fencers re: what I'm doing wrong.
If this class was representative, I think it's going to be helpful, as it's mostly footwork and drills, fine-tuning what we already know to make it faster, better more: quick recovery from lunge, fast reverse in direction, more precise bladework.
So here's what I need to work on:
V.'s fencing style is dependent on extending all blade motion from the elbow - I am constantly scolded for moving my wrist. Discovery: it's hard to see whether my own wrist is bending due to the angle, and either I don't know what it feels like when I'm bending or I can't feel it at all (not impossible because I think I do have a bit of carpal tunnel). We did a lunge exercise at short distance with the aim to adjust final distance by pulling our arms back, and simply cannot tell without the third (and fourth, and fifth) pairs of eyes as feedback whether I'm doing it correctly. I'm going to try the exercise on my own in front of a mirror (if I can do this in the bathroom without dinging the wall!).
Footwork included advance, retreat, lunge and retreat, and distance parry. Now that I've ironed out my foot problems, the next thing to correct is my balance/thrust, if you will. Short version: the muscles in my waist, hips, and ass aren't strong enough for me to "switch gears" easily, and I'm sure I'm obvious when I change direction because I have to work harder to readjust.
I also have difficulty keeping balance at the best of times, and the ongoing construction (expansion of the space, yay!) at club keeps adding fine layers of slippery dust to the floor that doesn't help matters AT ALL. Once everything's done I'm sure it can be cleaned up once and for all, but until then we're all carrying towels onto the strip to wipe our feet (Douglas Adams was right!)
If this class was representative, I think it's going to be helpful, as it's mostly footwork and drills, fine-tuning what we already know to make it faster, better more: quick recovery from lunge, fast reverse in direction, more precise bladework.
So here's what I need to work on:
V.'s fencing style is dependent on extending all blade motion from the elbow - I am constantly scolded for moving my wrist. Discovery: it's hard to see whether my own wrist is bending due to the angle, and either I don't know what it feels like when I'm bending or I can't feel it at all (not impossible because I think I do have a bit of carpal tunnel). We did a lunge exercise at short distance with the aim to adjust final distance by pulling our arms back, and simply cannot tell without the third (and fourth, and fifth) pairs of eyes as feedback whether I'm doing it correctly. I'm going to try the exercise on my own in front of a mirror (if I can do this in the bathroom without dinging the wall!).
Footwork included advance, retreat, lunge and retreat, and distance parry. Now that I've ironed out my foot problems, the next thing to correct is my balance/thrust, if you will. Short version: the muscles in my waist, hips, and ass aren't strong enough for me to "switch gears" easily, and I'm sure I'm obvious when I change direction because I have to work harder to readjust.
I also have difficulty keeping balance at the best of times, and the ongoing construction (expansion of the space, yay!) at club keeps adding fine layers of slippery dust to the floor that doesn't help matters AT ALL. Once everything's done I'm sure it can be cleaned up once and for all, but until then we're all carrying towels onto the strip to wipe our feet (Douglas Adams was right!)
