From: comptec92024@camins.camosun.bc.ca
Subject: style/SCA
Organization: Camosun College
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 04:27:02 GMT


Power generation in SCA style Sword Work.

I would like to start reasonably serious discusion on technique and style in
SCA combat. To that end I would like to start with some observations that I
have made or things that I have been taught.

The basic idea in the style of sword work that have been taught is that a
proper killing blow is the result of power generation from the lower body
coupled with directional control provided by the upper body. Of the two I would
like to begin by talking about power generation.

Broadswords were designed to kill men in armor, and since armor protects the
man from being cut you can not kill him by chopping him up as you might do with
an unarmored man. The broadsword kills by generating generating enought force
to produce a hydrostatic shock wave that,much like a bullet, will break bones
rupture internal organs and scrammble brains.

To generate such forces it is nessicary to get as strong a connection between
the large muscles of the legs, guts and butt and the sword as posible.
One technique to do this may be discribed thusly:
Begin by standing in a front stance left leg in front of your right at a
distance of about a pace and a half. Your knees should be slightly bent such
that your knee just cover your big toe if you look down. Make sure you have a
good pelvic tilt, that is as on old wrestling coach said "try and pee on the
ceiling". Your feet should form an angle of less than 90. Keep your head up and
your back straight: your eyes should looking in a direction that aproximates
the direction that your frount knee is pointing. Your arm should be above and
behind your head with your elbow pointing back.

The movement.
Note: It is importaint to remember that the power is coming from the legs, in
martial art terms the movement is very much earth.
The movement is begun with the back foot big toe pushing into the earth. The
back knee begins to straighten and the right hip begins to swing forward.
Do not raise off the ground if anything lower your self sightly. Think about
hitting your target with your right hip. The left leg does not move very much
at all. You are rotating waist about a center of rotation that is centered on
the left hips ball joint. I often imagine that I have a large steel pin that
drops throught my shoulder and my hip into the ground (OUCH!) and this is what
I rotate around. Throught out this rotation the upper body should remain in a
verical plain made up of the points of the shoulder and the two points of the
hips that rotates with the hips. Keep your stomach slightly tense and pushing
down. Throughout the movement the arm has not move relative  to shoulder. It is
the last piece to move, and it moves indepently of the rest  of the body. It
only moves once the full power of the shot has been generated. The first
movement the arm makes is to allow the shoulder to rotate thereby pointing the
elbow towards the intended target.Finally the forearm extends rotating to bring
the edge of the sword on target. At the end of the movement the body should be
relaxed and ballanced the right hip still pointing to the target and the hand
extended. To return to the starting postion simply let the hand fall and pull
your hips back into the starting postion. By doing this it is not hard to learn 
to return to the starting postion.

Some  thoughts: The arm should  always have a bend in it. Keep relaxed this
makes the movement more fun and in a fight you will move faster with more power
and less energy. Practice slowly to learn the movements, think tie chi. Be
focused on each movement. Enjoy your self.

There is a begining something basic that just about every fighter knows. Now
are there any comments, thougths or different techniques?

Thanks for the time sorry about the spelling.

			Mackenzie.

Thankyou to all the people  who took the time to teach me.