1st time Competing in HEMA Single-stick and Steel Saber

These are my experiences participating in my first European single stick and steel saber competitions. Shout out to the organizers of the Vermont Legend of the Lake Open 2024, my team and my mentors!
To show Support please consider becoming a Patron:
/ the_wandering_warrior
Please Like, share, subscribe, and
Follow me on Instagram @ / the.wandering.warrior
The Wandering continues...

[@tayslaywift9361]

I'd love to see a video of how you do sword/stick drilling exercise. Great fight, man

[@BattleBok]

Awesome to see you shaking thinks up in HEMA and giving them a few surprises! It's inspiring me to get back into it, as my health improves.

[@thescholar-general5975]

Great job! I am playing armchair quarterback here, but I normally use a steel sparring dao with a 70cm blade and I am usully outreached by whatever I spar against. If they got reach on you and a forward guard, it may be helpful to try and engage their blade with a beat or a bind to get in. You can go for direct attacks but generally try to snipe the hand in that case because even if their arms are longer the blades of both weapons in competition are usually about the same length, so the reach advantage disappears when striking the hand. Aside from that try to bait them in, you mostly play from the high guard to the right side kind of like the 蘇奏背劍勢. This is good for inviting the opponent in, but you also want to subtly give them a more specific target to aim for such as leaving the leg out a little further or even leaning your head forward. Baiting them in lets you keep the initiative even if you are outranged. I will get off my high horse now. Keep up the good work!

[@the.wandering.warrior]

Thanks for the advice!

[@thescholar-general5975]

@@the.wandering.warrior No problem! I hope it helps you win that next tournament!

[@DarkwarriorJ]

On judging: Unfortunately, it sort of is how it is. Judging a fight with such rapid motions is extremely hard; I remember getting robbed of a perfectly good thrust because the judges thought there was a hit to my hands, for example - but then I had to judge and, well - it's bloody hard. Once you try having to judge a fight yourself, you start to fall back on the metric of 'they're gonna rob some from me, and give me some undeserved points; if it roughly balances out in the end, then things are probably fine. Would be great if they had better trained judges, but this is a hobby for everyone.'

[@the.wandering.warrior]

Understood

[@christopherhancock9041]

this looks more like a Kendo match than the SCA I used to know. It's come a long way since the Freon tank helmet & hockey glove days.

[@frankheninja1]

That’s because this isn’t SCA. It’s historical fencing.

[@christopherhancock9041]

@@frankheninja1 Not in period. But seriously, was there even hema in the us in the 80s? We had a long and arduous path to steel qualification back then.

[@frankheninja1]

@@christopherhancock9041 not in period? This video was filmed recently. I don’t understand what you’re saying. This competition doesn’t look like SCA combat because it isn’t, it’s HEMA fencing.

[@m.b.593]

This looks nothing like kendo

[@christopherhancock9041]

@@m.b.593 i feel you are missing my comparison. the tempo seems built around scoring a point. Not so much of a fight. Not even dueling. Just strike for points. Kinda the way kendo matches don't really look like fighting. just score points. To my eye anyway.

[@MasterPoucksBestMan]

I'm sure you noticed the difference in how the single stick handles vs the saber, but the single stick is supposed to mimic the saber and basket hilt broadsword. Just like artifacts are introduced in FMA when using rattan, and you can do things with rattan that you can't do with a steel FMA sword. Originally, single sticks were ash or willow rather than the lighter, quicker rattan. Still not as heavy as steel but closer than rattan, so from a martial perspective, keep those artifacts in mind. Also, single stick competitions tend to draw people who practice various forms of saber and broadsword traditions and some of those traditions slip the leg more often when defending and some don't prioritize that. Slipping the leg on defense makes the defense more sure but makes the repost slower so it's always a trade-off.

[@the.wandering.warrior]

@@MasterPoucksBestMan thanks for the explanation I appreciate it

[@ziggydog5091]

Provoker, Taker, Hitter, Meyer on combat 1570, Dussak section.

[@JunelieArthur111]

I don't think that the HEMA people in the video aren't that aware of leg cuts. From what I could see, it's just that you have good timing and setups when it comes to "cutting the roots." Most of the times that you went for the leg cut, you baited the opponent into lunging forward or moving someplace, making it so that retracting their legs isn't the most plausible. Of course, if they trained it more they'd be more aware of it, but I think a lot of it is on you man.

[@the.wandering.warrior]

Well, if you say so, I appreciate that. I guess I'm just coming from a different meta

[@dorneanudoru]

@JunelieArthur111 , why do you think that they are wearing leg protections? Just for fun?🧐 If you fight with somebody shorter than you, you don't attack the legs because the geometry is not helping you. You attack the head and the hands. If you are shorter is in your advantage to attack the legs. In my opinion the majority of the fighters from this video are beginners. For saber they was to rigid. Come in Europe for more fun.😋

[@JunelieArthur111]

@@dorneanudoru I think you misunderstand my first sentence. It's a double negative. Reworded, it would be: "I think the HEMA people in the video are actually aware of leg cuts." I constructed the sentence to be a double negative because Vincent's assertion is a negative (The HEMA people he sparred with aren't aware of leg cuts) so I negated his negative.

[@dorneanudoru]

@@JunelieArthur111 , thank you for the sentence clarification! I can say that is alike grammar fencing. Take my text as tapping the saddle to make the mare understand(Balkan saying)😜

[@barnacleandy]

There is a bit of a bias against newbies if they go up against veterans