(SCA Fighting Tips) Defense, Building the Tower

The most critical foundation piece for creating rock solid fighting skill is Defense.

Unfortunately too many people are so wrapped up in trying to win the fight or just trying not to get one shotted, that they ignore true defensive training and only glean a little each year.

I stress so heavily to learn how to block, dodge and defend because I have seen it's training ignored by soo many fighters who could be so much better if they simply had faith in and seriously trained their defense.

First, try and overcome the "knee jerk" reaction to automatically throw a shot whenever your opponent is in range. Most people do this because they are afraid if they don't their opponent will hit them. But what if, just what if, your defense was so good that your opponent can throw all day long and never hit you? Can you imagine the advantages you would gain if your opponent could not touch you? Letting your opponent exhaust himself while you pick and choose where and when to strike? Imagine the calm and confidence you could have, even in the middle of the fight.

Can you do it? Yes. Why don't people have such amazing defenses? Because they do not train for it.

Nothing if for free and it will take time and effort, but you will see dramatic increases in your defense even with just a short time training it.

You need to "Build Your Tower" and when it is built then you can fight from it and pick and choose how to fight. From your tower you will be in control an be able to win many fights even before you throw a single shot.

But how?

First, stop going to practice to win fights, practice is for practicing specific things. There are generally 4 aspects to your defense in armoured combat with a sword and shield. There is your Shield, your Sword, Dodging and Range. I will go into greater detail later about each aspect in future Blogs.

But basically....

The Shield is used to actively and passively block shots, to blind opponents and to press and hook opponent's shields with.

The Sword is used to strike opponents and to actively block shots.

Dodging is effectively moving your body part out of the way of a blow, either drastically or with subtle shifts in position.

Range is the fourth aspect and one so very often overlooked in combat. If your enemy is not in range to hit you he cannot kill you. "When in doubt, get out", moving out of your opponent's range.

Now back to practice. The basics of defense practice is to try and build your skills at blocking and avoiding getting hit using one or multiple defense aspects. The greatest fighters will try and employ at least 2 defenses to each shot thrown at them, but for now you can stick to one at a time.

Getting hit is good. Sounds kind of counter productive, but in defensive drills when you get hit it shows you exactly where your weaknesses are and where to dedicate attention and training. Don't get frustrated if you get hit or don't block something. Lose the ego and simply accept that you need to train more to not get hit. Slowly but surely you will start closing the gaps and for those gaps that cannot fully be defeated by one defense aspect, you will learn to layer in a second defensive measure to close them.

Now work with a friend and have them throw shots at you. Don't throw back, just defend. Have him throw slowly at first and work up to full speed. You can work on a specific shot to block or just let him "go off" on you. Eventually you will start to block the shots and learn to reset your guard instantly.

Start off defending with just one aspect, like your shield, then after you get confident, or you feel the need to, start doubling up on your defenses, such as blocking with the sword and shield together, or the sword and dodging, or the shield and footwork to move out of range. Flow with the fighter, use your feet to keep moving as needed, with and around your attacker. Learn to defend against every type of shot with your shield, sword dodging and range.

Remember it's not about winning, it's about learning and getting better. Build your defense and your confidence will increase greatly, plus it will leave your mind free to attack your opponent without worries of being hit.

I cannot stress enough how incredibly important real defense training is and how it can change your fighting experience completely.

When you feel comfortable using range and footwork with you defense and you seem to be able to block most everything, then it is time for "Ground Zero" training to really tighten up your sword, shield and dodge skills.