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Drill of the Week - Introduction
by Steven Reich
List of Drills
The Order of the Seven Hearts training regimen is founded on the acquisition of correct
technique developed through the application of many drills of varying complexity.
Regardless of the style of fencing, we find that a creative instructor can create a
drill to address nearly every tactical and mechanic situation and problem. It is our
philosophy that mastering the technical and tactical aspects of a system by practicing
them in a controlled environment is a key to developing the student's proficiency and
understanding to a level where he can employ the style in the assault or in other pressure
situations such as in a tournament or when playing the prize. We think that other students
of Western Martial Arts might benefit if we shared some of the standard drills we regularly
use for our training (some of these will be familiar for attendees of our recent seminars).
The variety of drills can be practically endless, so we cannot list every permutation
we have used. However, there are some basic parameters to which we always adhere, such
as the following:
- Never script a technically-incorrect action as part of a drill. This also applies
to the drill partner who is supposed to receive the hit.
- Technically incorrect actions quickly solidify into bad habits.
- Who gives or receives the hit in the drill depends chiefly on a) tempo and b)
tactical choices.
- It is acceptable to script drills in which the partner who receives the hit slows
down the tempo of the last action (e.g. a parry) to enable his partner to score the
touch and learn.
- It is also acceptable to script drills in which the partner who receives the hit
purposely makes the wrong tactical choice (e.g. "believes" a feint and attempts to
parry). This of course hinges on the participants understanding what the tactically
correct alternative would have been (e.g. striking in tempo instead of parrying a
feint).
The primary goal of a drill incorporating a less-than-ideal tactical choice is to train
the student to immediately recognize and utilize those tactical errors made by an opponent;
the secondary purpose is to give the student a better understanding of why that particular
tactical choice is incorrect by literally feeling the results. As a student becomes more
proficient, the complexity of drills can be increased until they approach structured freeplay.
Note that it is absolutely essential that in drills involving partners, both fencers concentrate
on correctly performing their roles in the drill. For instance, if the "loser" merely goes
through the motions, he does disservice to both himself and his partner: to himself because he
misses the chance to rehearse some useful techniques (which, as I said, should never be
technically wrong); to his partner because he does not allow him to learn how to perform his
role correctly, thus reducing his chances of utilizing the technique in a pressure situation.
We generally consider three types of drills, each with a specific set of goals:
Solo Drills
With the solo drill, the student practices the mechanics of an action without an opponent
and thus without regard for the tactical situation in which it would be used. This is the
first drill for learning a new action, and it is also used to preserve and enhance the
correct execution of fundamentals; for this reason, it should find its way into the practice
schedule of every swordsmanship student, no matter how advanced. He should concentrate on
the movements of each part of his body--that they are correct and executed in the proper
order. A simple example of this type of drill would be the lunging practice as described
by Alfieri: standing in one spot and repeatedly lunging at a target on the wall (thus
practicing the lunge, the recovery and exercising thrusting accuracy).
Cooperative Drills
The cooperative drill incorporates a partner, but the entirety of the action is scripted.
Since both participants know in advance exactly what will happen, they can concentrate
on correctly executing each motion of the action as well as learning the timing and the
measure, along with any other intangibles involved in the correct performance of the
technique. This is the second stage of learning a new technique; the student should
repeat the technique until he can perform it successfully and consistently each time.
It is during this drill that a student should learn the visual and tactile cues to
recognize when to use the technique he is practicing. For example, in a cooperative
drill he will learn to recognize the feeling of a fianconata as he practices defending
against it with a yielding parry; in this manner, this same visual and tactile sensation
can be recognized during freeplay each time a fianconata is attempted against him.
An example of a cooperative drill that might be used for Bolognese swordsmanship is a
Falso parry drill, where the patient begins in Guardia Coda Lunga Alta and the agent,
from Guardia Alta, cuts a Mandritto at his head. The patient must parry the Mandritto
with a Falso Dritto and then cut a Mandritto to the agent's head--the blade actions
accompanied by a pass of his right foot to the agent's left side, with his left foot
following around behind his right.
Antagonistic Drills
The antagonistic drill tests the decision-making ability of the student by forcing him
to recognize a situation between a controlled number of variables--and correctly apply
the appropriate technique. These drills should start with a simple choice, with additional
choices added to increase the complexity as the student's ability increases. While there
is an element of the unknown in these drills, there are two important points to consider.
First, an antagonistic drill does not have to be performed at full speed. The primary goal
of this type of drill is to be able to recognize of tactical situation and select the
correct technique, but this should not be at the expense of correctly executing the
mechanics of the action. Second, although the drill is antagonistic, at no point should
either fencer deviate from the parameters set at the beginning of the drill. If the
students find the drill too simple, rather that improvising in the middle, they should
increase the range of choices or add additional techniques. A creative teacher can design
a antagonistic drill for nearly every tactical situation that can occur in freeplay.
A basic example of this type of drill as applied to the rapier and dagger would have
the two fencers in wide measure (i.e. lunging distance). The agent makes a thrust at
any target on his opponent, and the opponent must identify and use the correct dagger
parry while performing the correct thrust in contratempo. Since the agent is attacking
out of tempo, the patient should have a very high rate of success with his parry-counter.
With the creative application of the three types of drills, nearly every problem or tactical situation
a fencer might encounter can be trained against in a controlled and repeatable manner. It should be noted
that these three types form a hierarchy--thus, the prerequisite to practicing a technique in a cooperative
drill is that you can perform it correctly in a solo drill. By providing some of our typical training drills,
we hope that other fencers will be inspired by our examples--perhaps even providing examples of their own.
List of Drills
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