Fencing Jazz Practice (with Petrc)

Dun in Mara Fencing Session with Petrc Monomachos

The theme for this weeks practice is .. Jazz...

However, we do adapt the class to whomever is present, and make the best of it.

I've been thinking about how to better explain my approach to fencing. And let me try this on for size. Its partly about content, IE how to fence, and maneuvers and tecniques we learn and apply as part of our fencing. We all have preferences for how we move, when we move, and what maneuvers works with our own particular reality and circumstance we live with.

Me, i'm good at Jazz, both as a musician and a fencer. That means that I'm skilled in detecting my own patterns, my own strengths, both physical and cognitive. and I'm skilled at putting all the varous components together, in unique ways. Like jazz. I'm not a classic performer, nor do I adhere to a certain style. But understanding my own patterns, as well as the fencer in front of me, is vital. Establishing patterns, and then breaking them, in fluid, graceful and interesting ways, is my way of fencing..

Fencers come in two types, intuitives and strategists. Generalizing, the strategists make for the better fencers, long term. Me, i'm an intuitive. I neither think nor analyze much of my fencing. I just am, and do, adapting to the circumstances and the best of my ability, drawing from the body of possibilitites I've developed through mindful and purposeful practice.

Having access to Mike Prendergast as a teacher is an amazing opportunity, as he is one of the foremost WMA practitioners i've ever met, if not the best. And i believe he is a strategist. He teaches content, structure, and how to build your fencing skills to an amazing level.. Me, i'm nowhere near as good, but I do know how to "play jazz" How to take disparate components, adapted to the indivudal infront of me, and help them become a better fencer. This applies to any fencers, newbies and experienced alike.

My school of thought is with a focus on body mechanisms, movement patterns and Body/Mind approaches. Developing a purposeful practice, awareness of our mind-states, regenerative experiential learning, etc. I aim to help you develop how to learn, question and explore your own approaches to this Art of Fencing in a safe, open and trusting space.

In addition, I have developed a teaching and facilitation experience which focuses on developing a co-inquiry between all participants, so that we primarily learn from ourselves and eachother, rather than "from" the facilitator.

New insurance rules unfortunately means that non-members have to buy tickets latest three days in advance of practices. So those tickets go offline on Mondays at 18:30. At this point I'm allowing Membership tickets to be purchased until the practice.

This practice will continue every second week on Thursdays, at the same time/place as the heavy practice.