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I am a father of 3 sons and yet I participate and compete ;-)

@@alexanderdiesel7609 that’s awesome

Run

Easier how? If you stand with your shield leg forward, it allows you to step forward with your strike, giving you more reach an minimising the time your arm and leg is unprotected.

@@TheCraziestFox Your sword arm can defend itself. By having your sword forward, you shorten the path between your weapon and it’s target. Your thrust gets to the target much quicker, and is more balanced. Your shield bash gains much more power when the shield is held with the rear hand. I’m not saying you can’t stand that way. It’s just not as easy.

@@AndrewMilesMurphy Your sword arm is the single juiciest target in the fight. That's why half the treatises end with the arm cut or chopped off. It's half the reason why bucklers are so useful. Shield bash? I have in my four years of fencing never been touched by the opponents shield. If you bash with your shield, you're already well within the range of the other guy's sword and shield. And that's just sword and board. For longer reach weapon, you're simply not getting that close, which is where stepping in with a sword arm is useful; something you cannot do if you stand sword leg forward.

Yeah it's not an unjuicy target. Treatises typically have a strong cryptographic component. It's expected that some people will be smart enough to decipher the images. You can see that the legs are reversed in many images, and there is a corresponding technique for each side. The defensive stance, with shield forward, is not useless, at all. However, you are doing what Lichtenauer and company called "cutting against the leg." It lacks power. You are also forced to take passing steps, which he also taught, but which are brutally vulnerable against tactics which primarily use shuffling steps instead. Again, this is a primary tactic against a polearm, especially when you don't have any armor on the leg. Now by his time armor had overtaken the shield by quite a lot. So you can take it with a grain of salt. You also mentioned shield bashing. If you look up Medieval MMA, or shield knockouts, you will see that a targe can knock someone entirely out very easily. I would even argue that the shield is the mightiest weapon in all of martial arts, certainly the most brutal and damaging. If you haven't been struck with a shield, it's either not allowed, or you haven't fought with someone who knows how to use both weapons.

I'll add, just for clarity, that a larger shield is even *more* vulnerable against my preferred stance as well. The reason is that the lead leg can kick the bottom edge of a big shield, brining the top forward, exposing your enemies shoulder and head. With the sword in back, you can't reach this opening in time. With it in front, you can reach the opening.

We never stop learning. So why not start? You got this!

@@FezzikFoehammer ask Nick lol

@@colbysparrow4928 This is Nick : D

Coming from Belegarth, I have been taught to avoid rotating my wrists a bunch to avoid straining or slowly injuring them. I have been told by SCA crossgamers that in the SCA where their swords are heavier than Belegarth's, it is critical that they don't rotate their wrist, as only a few instances of wrist rotation can cause injury (try throwing a wrap from your wrist using a heavy object to test this out). In Belegarth, where our swords are generally between 12-14oz, we don't have to worry about this as much, and some people will use a bit of wrist rotation to land uniquly angled shots. That said, if you were to use a lot of wrist rotation for a long period of time in Belegarth, you would eventually damage your wrists and other joints. In Amtgard, where their swords are even lighter than Belegarth's and the force requirements are lower, I'd imagine that you could get away with even more wrist rotation than Belegarth, but it should still be important that most shots are powered by the shoulder and torso for the same reasons. I can't confidentally say that for your specifc LARP, you should do one thing or another (also as far as skill level goes, I'm by no means a top fighter yet), but in my opinion, I think you should probably be using your shoulder over your wrist.

@@maxbromet8005 this is a great explanation, thank you! I play Alliance, which is lightest touch combat, and as light as possible for boffers. (Like, kite spar instead of pvc, etc.) The point about heavier equipment makes a ton of sense. I was even recently chatting about how far down/up to hold on a hilt - all based on weapon weight! Light boffers and lightest touch combat sure do make for some different mechanics, it seems! :)

Howdy!! So the pole I have is 8 ft I believe. I have weighed it, but it's about as light as a bandshoppe pole that size can be. It was built by Spaz, but he unfortunately has not made a tutorial on how to build them. Here is what I know though: He uses bandshoppe (black fiberglass) for the core of the poles, and then, to reduce weight, he attaches a graphite golf core to the tip and put the bladed part on that. Because it's just a graphite golf core he can use typical sword foam material, such as Aethertube from Warlord Sports, or drill spot foam. He also drew a picture of how he attaches the golf shaft to the bandshoppe, here it is: ibb.co/xmKtYLs I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.

They're lacrosse gloves

Howdy!! So the pole I have was built by Spaz, but he unfortunately has not made a tutorial on how to build them. Here is what I know though: He uses bandshoppe (black fiberglass) for the core of the poles, and then, to reduce weight, he attaches a graphite golf core to the tip and put the bladed part on that. Because it's just a graphite golf core he can use typical sword foam material, such as Aethertube from Warlord Sports, or drill spot foam. He also drew a picture of how he attaches the golf shaft to the bandshoppe, here it is: ibb.co/xmKtYLs In regards to your second question, my favorite class to play speed pole with is Monk. I feel it pairs well with inherent anti-magic and anti-projectile abilities built into the class. Give it a shot, it's tons of fun! I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.

I find one of the most effective ways to get in quick on polearms is to stutter your gap closer. Every polearm fighter is waiting for you to rush in on them, and they're likely to throw a shot as you attempt to do so as they back up. If you take a quick stutter step forward, but don't rush yet, you can often get them to throw a shot prematurely. Block that out with your sword and rush in, keeping your blade in contact with their pole (that way you control any inwards movement.) Hope that makes sense! Aside from that, it's all about choosing your moment. If you aren't rushing in, be sure not to stay long in the range where they can hit you without you hitting them. Have fun!

@@FezzikFoehammer thank you

A "heater" simply refers to a type of shield, specifically the shape. Heater shields have a square shaped top with a triangular bottom. If you google "heater shield" you'll see what they look like.

@@FezzikFoehammer oh ok turns out I've fought those already and they're certainly a pain for the glaive, especially in the hands of the guy using it...

I mean in Amtgard larp, headshots aren’t legal strike areas, and are to deliberately be avoided. As in, Play MAY stop if you hit them in the head. And then, keep in mind that a lot of things like edge alignment and the like, are not relevant. So it’s essentially just speed tag with a stick. Form is less important (still relevant of course) It’s more whatever technique allows YOU to hit faster and more effectively, is what you should use. And for some the technique in the video works very well.

Hey! Sorry for the late reply. I replied initially, but TH-cam must have deleted the comment since I included some external links. In a nut shell: The guy who made my polearm no longer plays or makes equipment, but you can find good polearms from both Optimum Foam Sports and Gorg the Blacksmith, both of which can be found on Facebook.

Howdy!! So the pole I have was built by Spaz, but he unfortunately has not made a tutorial on how to build them. Here is what I know though: He uses bandshoppe (black fiberglass) for the core of the poles, and then, to reduce weight, he attaches a graphite golf core to the tip and put the bladed part on that. Because it's just a graphite golf core he can use typical sword foam material, such as Aethertube from Warlord Sports, or drill spot foam. He also drew a picture of how he attaches the golf shaft to the bandshoppe, here it is: ibb.co/xmKtYLs In regards to your second question, my favorite class to play speed pole with is Monk. I feel it pairs well with inherent anti-magic and anti-projectile abilities built into the class. Give it a shot, it's tons of fun! I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.

who's style?

@@itisevolvingjustbackwards2389 its a game which has polarm's

@@jcn268 yeah, I know. I'm asking was it xiangling, zhongli or xiao?

@@itisevolvingjustbackwards2389 oh sorry

@@itisevolvingjustbackwards2389 tell me right now, how can I plung dive by jumping irl

They use polearms in fencing?

@@ComradeSulomon yes, but it requires full kit and you cannot use full force

8 feet long, I feel any longer gets a bit too cumbersome (granted I'm 5'7" so the max comfortable length for others may vary)

@@FezzikFoehammer Would a 5 foot long polearm be viable at all?

I wouldn't recommend a 5ft, as it's certainly a handicap, but at the end of the day all the same concepts apply. It's just that much more important to keep your range in mind when fighting, especially when versus another polearm. You'll have to play more aggressive versus other polearms that usual, but you'll also have a more manageable defense in close range, so try and use that.

L.A.R.P., specifically Amtgard. The class is definitely focused on lighter "speedpoles" rather than the heavier polearms used in other larps or H.E.M.A.

So at least in Amtgard, when a hand that is holding a weapon is struck it is considered invulnerable. So as long as you're holding your polearm it won't count as a hit to your arm. If you are worried about them striking your wrist, which would count as a hit, the mos important thing to remember is to control the inside lane. As long as their pole is on the outside lane (with your pole between theirs and your body) most slashing shots will be easily blocked by your pole. Does that all make sense? Lemme know if I misunderstood.

@@FezzikFoehammer I think that makes sense. Thanks mate

@@WearyFeline It's a bit hard to describe in writing, but I talk about the inside vs. outside lane at 7:44. Hope that helps bring more clarity!

I'm working to try and get more content out! If you have any ideas please let us know!!!

​@@FezzikFoehammer Oh, dude. I'm full of ideas. 1) "Bad Habits: You've been doing this wrong and here's how you fix it." 2) "Light vs Heavy: Weapons, shields, and armor. When to use what in Amtgard." 3) "Seasonal Garb: Do's and don'ts of summer and winter garb when fighting." 4) What is that spin shot called... 512? 5) "Warlords: And how to kill them." 6) "Training Time: Your daily/weekly training regimen." 7) "Thy Feet Sir: What kinds of foot wear to wear in what conditions."

@@bravegrayknight8608 I like it! We're trying to keep CG Dojo combat focused, so I'm not sure if we'll upload vids about garb, but then again who knows? Thanks for the ideas, I'll try to gather some thoughts in one place and put a video together!

That's why I quit Amtgard. They act like they are serious about foam fighting but never met a bigger bunch of babies.

You're allowed to manipulate equipment with equipment in Amtgard, so most of these shield techniques can still be utilized there. The line for Amtgard is moving someones body, so no big shield checks or duck walks, which, admittedly, are a lot of what I enjoy when I go to Darkon.

You can do all these things in Amtgard. The only stuff you can't is the stuff at the end that I say is for people who cross game.

​@@k3n0bi28you can't shield bash in amtgard

@@Barbariandisks Yeah, and I say that in this video. If your feet don't get moved, it's not a bash.