Practicing fencing with your pets

[RECON]

Hello,

I have a very good technique for all three weapons to practice tip control, speed, quickness, and reflexes - essential parts of a fencer's skill set. My coach when I was a young boy in Frankfurt would do this in his basement with his pets.

If you have pets at home, put them all in your basement. I recommend using cats, dogs, rabbits, or small animals like gerbils, ferrets, or even mice. WARNING: DO NOT USE POISON SNAKE! Start lunging at them with your weapon. For best results, put glow-in-the-dark bands around their necks/bodies and turn the lights off, so that you get a very good feeling of the area. They will try to dodge you which is okay, just keep trying to touch them. As you touch them more and more, they will want to run away more and more, making the difficulty of the practice higher, making it a better practice. Stand in the middle of the room, as they run around the outside, near the walls. Try to lunge at them while they are moving.

In the unlikely event that the animal jumps at you, attacking you, simply parry the cute pet away with your blade.

Make sure you block the stairs with a box or fence used for babies, so that your animals do not try to escape. That would greatly impede your practice.

This is the best possible practice because you learn how to attack at fast moving targets. In all weapons, your opponents are trying to move fast away from you many times.


Please discuss your experiences with this practice after you have done it.

[erooMynohtnA]

Interesting methods. I hear some farmers have had good results using animals as practice partners, albeit for different activities.

[Delta]

You must be related Syrio Forel.

[milstdfarm]

I was using a golf ball dangling on a string. Clearly your practice methods have eclipsed mine.

[snarsdale]

Reminds me of when I was in the Air Force. The security guards in the missile fields would occasionally get a bit bored, and found that fishing for prairie dogs was good sport. They would bring their rod and reel, make a loop in the end of the line and place it around the opening. When the prairie dog came up, they would tighten the loop around its waist, and try to reel it in. Obviously, when the powers-that-be found out about this, the practice was banned.

[Slacker]

Actually, you Can practice with pets without being so lamebrained about it. And, don't even think about using your weapon; your hand will do fine. Practice circular parries with your cat, if she is in the mood for slapping. Circle, circle, circle tightly around her moving paw, now disengage, continue to feint, then finish when you see the chance. If I catch you chasing your pet around the basement, in the dark, with fluorescent bands around their necks, trapped by boxes or baby gates, I'll call PETA on ya.

[migopod]

T

Actually, you Can practice with pets without being so lamebrained about it. And, don't even think about using your weapon; your hand will do fine. Practice circular parries with your cat, if she is in the mood for slapping. Circle, circle, circle tightly around her moving paw, now disengage, continue to feint, then finish when you see the chance. If I catch you chasing your pet around the basement, in the dark, with fluorescent bands around their necks, trapped by boxes or baby gates, I'll call PETA on ya.

Not the wisest choice. PETA would very likely euthanize the pet in question.

[Inquartata]

Don't worry, the cats will find ways* to make him regret any such activities.



* Possibly involving urinating on his pillows.

[migopod]

Don't worry, the cats will find ways* to make him regret any such activities.



* Possibly involving urinating on his pillows.

Please. Owning cats is punishment enough for anybody.

[Inquartata]

And yet, those who have do seem to receive...

[the ancient one]

OK, time to recycle this link:

http://brianpink.tripod.com/llamafencing.html