From: comptec92024@camins.camosun.bc.ca
Subject: Re: style/SCA
Organization: Camosun College
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 10:08:52 GMT

In article <1992Dec21.182352.16904@news.duc.auburn.edu>, bwilson@eng.auburn.edu (Brian Scott Wilson) writes:
 
 Seems to me I recognize this as the snap blow bellatrix teaches, (yes he taught
 it to me too). 
 
 I generally modify this blow two ways. First I adopt what I refer 
 to as the universal fighting stance.  That is, feet shoulder width to shoulder
 width and a half, feet pointing outwards at a slight angle, knees bent, weight
 distributed as needed for the type of fighting you are doing. The head, not 
the hips, is pointed in the direction you are fighting- to the left for right
handed sword and shield.
> 
I also modify this by being able to lock in my arm to receive to energy from my 
body in any normal gaurd position. The way I teach, there are two arcs of
rotation that are available to position your sword. One arc runs from a
low gaurd with the hand at the waist to the rear gaurd which you describe. The
hand is held comfortably in any position in this arc. The other arc runs from
a high gaurd (sometimes called a hanging gaurd) to the low gaurd in an arc that
is parallel to the shield. The other arc is somewhat perpindicular to the
shield. The power can be conducted from the hips to the sword as you described
while in any position along these two arcs.
> 
As this is advanced technique, I generally start students in a natural gaurd
with the sword over the shoulder.
> 
Once again, I have found hat this stance only modified as needed for different
adversaries, is a universal stance for any type of fighting. I can fence from
this position, kick, punch, move quickly, grapple and throw. You may find a
need to stiffen a leg, straighten a leg, shift you weight occassionally, but
this is the best rest position to meet any attack, all other positions are
simply transitory, as is as it should be.
>


 The first posting was my poor attempt at discribing the Bellatrix snap.
 Which to my way of thinking is the core of SCA fighting style. The  basic idea
 in this technique being the ability to transfer energy developed in the lower
 body to the sword.

The  hanging guard that you discribe is when used with a heater an intergral
part of a style that in An tir is knowen as the Iron Chicken. It is a highly
defensive gunfighter style. It is characterized by precise shield work and
explosive snaps. Unfortunatly it seem also to be characterized by carpel tunnel
syndrome. This is likely due to a poor technique where people will do proper
power generation but change the direction of the sword by flicking the wrist.
It seem that the more proper technique to change the direction of the sword
is to cork screw the entire arm into the correct postion to hit. Even this
safer technique, which attemps to keep the wrists from being flicted, has risks.
These being due the fact that the sword is now rotateing in a plane directly in
front of the fighter. This will put stress on the wrist since it is a rotation
in a direction the wrist will not bend. 

That is all I have to say for now. I will pick this thread up in the New Year.
To all the best of the season. 
                              Mackenzie.
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