(Fight Training) Sword and Shield: Ground Zero Defense Training

When a fighter reaches a reasonable level of competence he/she often needs to employ more intense training methods than simply going out and sparring.

One of my favorite higher intensity defense training techniques is Ground Zero training.

In this method of training, the defending fighter stands his ground and is able to shift stance and rotate, but not move from where he is. The defender throws no shots, except perhaps an occasional shot to keep the attacker "honest" and in good form, but for the most part no shots, just defend.

The attacker of course attacks, moving in and out of range, rolling around the defender and using whatever legal methods to land a blow. The defender sits there and "takes" it. When the attacker lands a shot both fighters can stop and discuss what happened and make adjustments, however, in it's most advanced form the attacker will not let up the offense and will keep up the attack, forcing the defender to maintain his/her defense and presence in the fight.

When the attacker gets too tired, take a few minutes and switch defense/offense roles and have the attacker now defend. Working together you are both able to greatly aid each other in improving your offense and defense skills, primarily the defense.

This is where you will learn how to move and place your shield, learning it's exact size and just how far to move it to block without over committing. You will learn how to best use your sword to block and pick up fakes as well as how to move and roll your body to bring your defense to bear against incoming attacks with little effort.

When you can stand at Ground Zero with your opponent and block everything he can throw, you'll know that your defense is solid versus that attacker's offensive capabilities. Then it will be time to work with a more advanced partner and learn to defend against his offense.

One great advantage this training technique has is that you start to learn everyone's "style". Most SCA fighters are fairly predictable, using the same few shots, maybe 5 or 10, over and over again. Very few actually think outside of the box and will try something new. Therefore, once you learn how to block everything a particular fighter can throw at you then you effectively "have his number". When you fight for real you should be able to leisurely block hit attacks while waiting for the moment to hit him. Many fighters won't alter their style and will simply throw harder, somehow hoping that it will help the same shot get through.

But don't get cocky and get killed because your opponent threw something you didn't expect. Stay loose, your subconscious should be blocking for you eventually. Don't predict what will happen, simply let your subconscious mind and body react to the fight for you.

Defensive training will help you build a solid foundation that will advance your fighting further than almost anything else.

-Brand