Back to Basics Part 2 (Way, way, way back)

A couple of weeks ago I announced that I was going back to basics. At the time, I didn't realize how far back I needed to go! :-)

How I Began

My original thought was that I was in pretty good shape for a man of 60, but I needed to add body weight exercises to my cardio workout, and go back to working on basic SCA combat techniques to improve my foot work and shot mechanics. If only it was that easy!

As a start off point, I looked at some sites I'd visited before for some inspiration. This led to me re-visiting Following the Path of the Sword, the blog of Duke Cornelius von Becke, KSCA, OL, who lives in the Kingdom of Lochac.

The specific posting was Conditioning for Beginners, and appeared to be what I was looking for in a beginning body weight problem. 

• 20 Squats – make sure you are not leaning forward and the weight is on your heels.
• 10 push ups
• 20 walking lunges (that is 10 each leg)
• 10 dumbbell rows (use a big milk container as a weight) or 10 incline pull ups
• 20 second plank
• 30 star jumps

Into the Deep End

But could I leave well enough alone? Oh, no. Of course not! So I followed the link to the "related" article on Duke Cornelius' page to the Do You Even Lift? page, which linked to Primal Fitness and Nerd Fitness, and I had passed the point of no return. 

And so this week, I joined the Nerd Fitness Rebellion and set out on a new adventure which will, obviously complement and improve my adventure in following the path of chivalry. For one's prowess on the field of chivalric honor builds on one's fitness.

But was I through and finally Back to Basics? Well, apparently not, as I began to see while delving into the wealth of information on Nerd Fitness and discovered that even a complete warm up routine may be beyond me at my current fitness level (considering previously obtained injuries and just plain wear and tear of age).

And I Thought I Was In Good Shape???

I began this week working my way into Steve Kamb's Beginning Body Weight Circuit:

• 20 body weight squats
• 10 push ups
• 20 walking lunges
• 10 dumbbell rows (using a gallon milk jug)
• 15 second plank
• 30 Jumping Jacks

As an aside, let me confess that I have almost NEVER done squats per se, despite knowing their efficacy as an exercise. I simply never had anyone to teach me the correct way to do them and was afraid of hurting myself. I had toyed with Yoga Squats, but had difficulty doing them and didn't persevere. But I vowed this time would be different.

But immediately I found a problem. Steve warns that a proper warm up is vital and that, if time was limited, it was better to cut the work out short than the warm up. But what warm up?

I settled on an impromptu set of jumping jacks and running in place, but I wasn't satisfied. And here I was, an experienced exerciser and heavy weapons fighter and I didn't even know a good warm up routine?  Sheesh, can't an old guy catch a break?

Even Farther Back To Basics

So today I took some time after church to wander around the Nerd Fitness (and sign up for the free forums) and lo and behold Steve had posed a How to Warm Up Properly and Avoid Injury lesson. But, the warm up routine is more extensive than the Beginning Body Weight routine!

• 2-3 minutes of jump rope (who cares if you mess up, push yourself!)
  
• 50 jumping jacks (pull your shoulder blades back, extend arms and really focus on the movement)
• 20 body weight squats
• 5 lunges (each leg)
• 10 hip extensions
• 5 hip rotations each leg (like you’re stepping over a fence)
• 10 forward leg swings (each leg)
• 10 side leg swings (each leg)
• 10-20 push ups (scale based on your level of fitness)
• 10 spiderman steps (each leg)

And So It Goes

So, it looks like I have my work cut out for me! Today I will start working on introducing the warm up into my program and go on from there. The warm up may, in fact, replace the Beginning Body Weight program for now, with the addition of dips for my triceps.

The good news is that the Beginner Body Weight program does not seem to aggravate my shoulder pain and may even be helping it. I will take it easy and see what happens.

Until we meet again, keep training and keep fighting! 

Leif

Back to Basics

It has been over a year since my last post and a lot has happened (I just haven't blogged about it):

• I got authorized as a fighter (heavy and fiberglass spear)
• I got authorized as a youth marshal in chivalric combat
• I've fought in three tourneys (Coastal Grand Baronial, Commander's Crucible and War of Ages)
• I've been fairly consistent in attending fighter practice (averaging 1-2 fighter practices a week)
• I've been fairly consistent in increasing my cardio ability.  (Except for Spring Break, but that doesn't count, right???)

But I find myself, while having fun, not advancing as fast as I'd like in my fighting skills.

Some things I could do to advance my skills are simply out of reach because of mundane reasons. I can't travel much, for instance. (This weekend is the coronation of HRH Sven and Antigone and I could get LOADS of helmet time if I could go, but I can't).  

I know that I can get better if I do the work, but I am frustrated by the same issues coming up over and over again:

• Not relaxing
• Chopping my blows and not extending
• Using my arms for power, instead of my hips
• Lousy footwork

But enough of the 'pity party' thing - there are things I can do and I know what they are. They are just so HARD to get motivated to do alone!  

It is time to get back to basics. I know this not only from my rattan fencing, but from my earlier, traditional martial arts training in Tae Kwon Do. In the words of Master Lee Jun-Fan, "I fear not the man who has practiced 10000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10000 times."

And so I will now attempt to get back to the basics. In my case, footwork, hip rotation and good biomechanics. This means slow work to get the muscle memory where it needs to be and (hopefully) drills with other fighters to build the reflexes to allow 'mind of no mind' in combat.

Some of my ideas I'm pulling from the following sources:

Cornelius von Becke - Following the Path of the Sword

Leif's YouTube Playlist

And, of course, this one, from Duke Paul:

The Bellatrix Fighting School

Wish me luck!

Quick Update!

Started a new job in September so I've been a bit short of time. Nonetheless, I've been working on getting back in fighting shape.

For the last couple of months, I've been doing a minimum of 30 minutes of cardio, 5 days a week. And I haven't forgotten weight training. I'm also trying to work some stretching and yoga into the mix.

Tomorrow night is Stargate fighter practice at Hermann Park and it will be three in a row for me. I've gotten all my armor (with the help of my knight, Sir Karl) and I'm doing adjustments, but it is working better every practice.

I'm planning on attending the Southern Region War College in Raven's Fort in two weekends and getting authorized and doing some melee fighting. Unfortunately, I can't make it to Gulf War this year, but I can at least help those that can go train.

That's all for now, but there is more to come.

Leif

Yoga kicked my ass! (Or, how I realized what sucky shape I'm really in)

In the recent past, I've had a bad tendency to start a fitness program, only to overdo, injure my self and get discouraged and quit. So this time, I thought to myself, I'll do it differently.

I've accordingly been moving slowly to introduce new elements to my program. I started with walking using my Heavyhands, which is the way I lost 60 pounds or so back in the late 80s. I've been upping my distance slowly and watching for signs of injury. So far, so good.

Today, I finally started adding yoga.  And it kicked my ass!

I used to be so flipping flexible and now I suck. But, as Jake says:

The good news is that I am not discouraged, just determined to get better.


Remember:  Never give up!

If Arthur can do it, so can I.


(And if I can do it at 59, so can you).

Leif

Swordmaiden reborn!

A quick plug for a Facebook friend and a great site, reborn.

Swordmaiden.net 

This is a revamp of the old Swordmaiden site, brought to you by Isabella Evangelista (m/k/a Amanda Michaels) with the permission of Lady Eichling, the original web mistress. Much of it was salvaged from an Internet Archive snapshot from 2009, but Isabella is working hard to bring it completely back to life. 

I've checked it out and it has some good stuff (including some armor ideas I will be incorporating in my kit).

So, if you are a woman fighter in the SCA, or are are thinking about it, or know a woman fighter, check out this site!

Purpose

I was honored to receive a comment to my last post by Dr. David Friedman, known in these current middle ages as Duke Cariadoc of the Bow, KSCA, OP, OL.  Receiving the comment, and responding, brought into better focus some of the reasons I started this blog, which I wanted to share.

I am a recovering underachiever.  There; I've said it. Up until my 40s, I simply could not seem to get my act together. I was always the guy with "so much potential" who couldn't seem to prosper. There were always too many distractions, or I did not have enough self confidence, or some other lame excuse. 

Somewhere along the line, I got past that failing, for the most part. I mean, I went back to undergrad and got a degree, attended law school, graduated and passed the bar. But I still sometimes would find myself sabotaging my own progress.

One area I feel that needs work is procrastination. I have conquered my tendency to put things off in my work life and, in fact, I'm very deadline oriented in the practice of law. In my personal life, not so much.  I have in the last year found this to especially be a problem in getting my armor together to hit people with rattan swords. 

I believe that this is because I get a picture of how things ought to be in my mind, but I know that as soon as I put cutter to leather, that thing will no longer be perfect.  A silly concern, I know, as know one (except me) is expecting me to be perfect.  But a nagging concern, nonetheless.

That is why I quoted Ms. Frizzle in my last post -- "Take chances, make mistakes, get messy."  That is what I need to do in building my armor.  And I sense that I may not be the only one with that problem! Perhaps some others can take heart from my experiences and do things they might not have attempted. 

So, one purpose of this blog is to get me to take chances, make mistakes and get messy, and by example to help others do the same. 

So stick around and see what OTHER mistakes I can make.  It might be fun.  At least, it should be educational.  

I leave you with a quote from Thomas Edison, who failed many, many times in perfecting the incandescent light bulb:  "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."  

That is what I like to think I'm doing - finding all the ways that won't work!  :)

Experiments in Leather

I decided to try and build some elbows from some of the leather scraps I picked up at Tandy a few months ago, using the plans from Duke Cariodoc's The Perfect Armor Improved. My results were less than spectacular, but it was a learning experience and the only failed experiment is one in which you did not learn something.

I began with the elbow patter HG Cariadoc published.

Simple, right?

Well, easier said than done.

I cut two mirror images of the pattern from my leather (5-7 oz vegetable tanned bellies), which I had soaked in water before cutting.  Then I attempted to following HG Cariadoc's instructions. 

First hiccup -- someone lost the thermometer!  The process requires that you heat the water to 180 degrees Fahrenheit (82 degrees Celsius).  So, I "eyeballed" it to see what I could do.  After all, our ancestors didn't have mercury thermometers in the 14th Century, right?

After heating the two pieces (separately) for what I thought was the right time at the right temperature, I took each piece out and tried sandwiching the piece in two bowls, each of which has a diameter of about 6.5 inches.  

As I had feared, the process left major folds and creases in the leather, which I attempted to smooth out with my fingers. 

The resulting pieces look like this:

 

The piece on the left shrank more than the piece on the right, and is thicker and harder. Both pieces are not in the optimum shape for an elbow cop because there was too much leather that needed to be removed or folded to create the right shape.  

So, what have I learned? 

1. Water temperature (and immersion time) is very important in getting a consistent product.

2. Modifications must be made to the pattern or process to obtain a "cop" shape for the elbows.

For the next step in the experiment, I am going to try softening the larger cop in water, then removing a gusset of material on the front and rear of the cop and riveting or  bolting it together.  Then I will try  re-hardening it in 180 degree water with a thermometer!  

Hopefully, this will give me the desired shape and size. If so, I am considering reinforcing the cop with plastic to add some extra protection, followed by adding a strap that will ride in the fold of my elbow, holding the cop on. I also intend to experiment with baking wet leather in the oven at 200 degrees and liberally basting the leather with hot rabbit glue or other organic glue to more accurately reproduce what is believed to be the period procedure (or at least, one of them) for creating cour boulli. (See excellent articles here, here and here).

My fantasy is that, once I have a good pattern and consistent procedure down, I can turn the cops out fairly easily and create new loaner/new fighter gear for our Barony. 

And remember, do as I say, not as I do -- "Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!"  

Big Announcement!

I have a big announcement -- after nearly 18 years of working for other attorneys, I have taken a leap of faith and hung out my own shingle. That's right -- I've joined the ranks of the self employed!

Here is my firm contact information, just in case someone needs it:


Lee Keller King
The King Law Firm
Sugar Land, Texas 77479
(281) 740-9385
(832) 408-7621 fax

Areas of Practice: General civil litigation; family law; civil appeals.

Admitted to practice in: The State of Texas (1994); U.S. District Courts, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas;U.S Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

=====================================
Meanwhile, Old Tired Squire should return to active status soon as I will be setting my own hours and not having to commute 60 miles a day to (OMG) Midtown Houston.

Thanks,

Leif

Conditioning, Part Deux

I must confess I have been less than faithful  to my conditioning goals the last few weeks.  Too little time and too little energy was my excuse.

This morning I kicked myself in the butt and made a change.  Not a drastic change - I got up at 5:30 instead of 6:00 a.m., but a change. Then, two laps of the neighborhood with HeavyHands for a nice, warm, cardio workout - not too light; not too heavy.

Followed up with a light breakfast (1 egg, over easy, on wheat toast) and getting the sleepy-head boys up while getting ready for work.  All and all, a good start!

Leif

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

I am striving as I write this account of my reentry into chivalric combat in the SCA to be as honest as possible about my progress.  And so I give you The Good, the Bad & the Ugly:

The Good:

I have had back-to-back great fighter practices; the first at Stargate practice on August 14, and the second at Gate's Edge practice last Sunday, August 21.

I had the opportunity to meet Duke Ulstead, Sir Alexis and Sir Ysfael at the Stargate practice, and Ulstead and Ysfael gave me practice [beat me like a rug].  Hopefully, I learned something.

Sir Godwin was also there with the Baronial loaner armor and he kindly allowed me to take [foisted it off on me] it home.  My assignment is to clean and repair what can be made useful and get rid of what is past its useful life. The upside is that I have something to fight in until I can finish my own stuff.

At the Gate's Edge Fighter Practice this last Sunday, I was able to spar with Ld. George de Breton (Sir Ulstead's squire), Squire Gregor Mac Beathain and Ld. Orin Ketilsson  (upcoming Stargate Knight's Marshal).  It was freaking hot, but I didn't pass out and hopefully some more learning will sink in.  (I'm old, but I'm trainable -- I hope).

The Bad:

I have a lot to re-learn and a lot to un-learn.  For one, I am no longer an average-to-above-average size fighter!  Losing 60 pounds has changed what I can (and hopefully could not) do on the field.

Then:

And now:

So, I have to (1) work on my footwork, (2) work on my hip snap (thinking Count Sir Simonn of Amber Isle) and (3) start thinking about fighter as a smaller than average fighter (see #2).  A lot to work on, but it should be fun.

The Ugly:


One of my faults is that I sometimes get impatient.  Not as bad as somebody at the King's Castle, but it happens.  It happened Sunday, in fact.

I went to Lowe's  and bought a half sheet of Birch plywood and some Titebond glue and came home and bent a shield blank.  I don' t have a press (yet) but I used the 30 gallon plastic barrel I got Saturday from a client and some racketing straps I had lying around the garage.  The result was not as good as I hoped (or as good as my last curved shield, back in the Dark Ages), but usable.

The first problem was that the Lowe's work who cut my half sheet in half apparently had the grain going the wrong direction.  The result was that the face cracked in two spots.  :-(

Second, because I was impatient and didn't wait until I had two barrels to use as forms, the lower (unsupported) part of the shield is shallower than the upper part.

Third, there were some voids in the glue on the edges because I did not have any C clamps to press them together (as in days of yore).  However, I applied glue to those spots and used wood screws to draw the layers together, so that should not be a major issue.

Also, I used wood screws and glue to mend the cracked spots the best I could.

 But what the heck, I was impatient!

My next try should be much better as I will either (1) wait until I get clamps and another 30 gallon barrel; or (2) wait until my oldest son's girlfriend's dad can help me build a proper shield press.

Did I mention that I sometimes get impatient???

Random Update!

This random update is brought to you by BEER!  Not only does it taste good; it's good for you!
BEER!  Drink some today!

Also brought to you by Lee's imagination -- creating fantasies for over 50 years!

========================================================

I had a brain drizzle (like a brainstorm, but not as intense) on the ride in to work today (I do some of my best thinking on my motorcycle).  Instead of using a tee shirt for the base of my Thrift Store Armor, why not use one of the long-sleeved shirts in my closet?  I mean, hopefully, my wife will never even notice that one is gone!  :-)

And so, voila!

The new victim!  I mean, donor...I mean...

Well, you know what I mean.

Making armor! (First Hardened Leather Project)

I started working on my demi-gauntlet tonight.  Nothing fancy; just water hardened leather over a pigskin glove.

We got yer basic construction paper template I made up tonight.  (Go ahead, laugh; but construction paper was what I could find).

Soaked the leather in cold water for 10 minutes and then dropped in hot 160-180 degrees until it started curling.  30 seconds more and I pulled it out.

Patted leather dry with paper towels and formed to back of hand over glove.

Then I strapped the leather down to my custom form:

Okay, it's really a free beer glass from Buffalo Wild Wings, but it works!

More to follow...

Old Tired Squire's Thrift Store Armor Project, Part the First

I quickly found out at fighter practice (see previous post) that I REALLY need armor.  The loaner stuff was good (no real injuries) but I still picked up a multicolor bruise on my shoulder (which used to be covered in a thick gambeson and spaulders.  But my cash is low (I'm broke, but I'm not poor) and I want to do it myself.

Back in The Day, one could make carpet armor pretty cheaply and it was protective.  Hot, itchy and tacky, but protective and cheap.  :-)  What can I do today, that is as cheap and protective as carpet armor (and less unsightly).

And so begins the Old Tired Squire Thrift Store Armor Project.

My first prototype will be a poor squire's arming jack.  (I hope)

Supplies?

1 tee shirt from Goodwill thrift store......$1.99
1 men's belt from Goodwill................... $2.99
1 pair sweat pants from Goodwill           $3.99  (not period but cheap)

[After Sunday fighter practice]

Leather or shock cord lacing
Grommets from Tandy

[added 08/13/2011]

2 Leather bellies (seconds) from Tandy Leather Factory -- $20.00

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So that's my material list.  From that I hope to get at least some useful armor.  Or, at the very least, experience in what does NOT work.  :-)

Leif

Ouch!!! (Or, First Fighter Practice in 20 Years)

That's right, gentle readers, ouch!!!  I got a bobo.  :-)

But the good news is (1) I didn't die in the heat, (2) the bruise was my only injury, and (3) I could get out of bed the next day.

My heartfelt thanks to Lord Georges le Breton for not hitting me harder, and to Lord Thorgard for helping me gear up in the loaner armor.

Next post -- Tired Old Squire's Thrift Store Armor Project.

Old Tired Squire Update

I haz rattan!  


Not enough, mind you, but I've built one sword (as soon as I get a basket hilt to put on it).  I bought a 9 foot shaft (Thank you, Sir Godwin), but after I gave one blank to my oldest son, and one to his best friend, I'm left with one 37 inch blank for myself.  Guess I need to buy more!  :-)

I continue in my conditioning -- I was at Stargate fighter practice Sunday.  Two and a half hours in the Houston heat (even if I couldn't fight).  And I'm up to two laps of the neighborhood with HeavyHands.

I had hoped to pick up some armor this weekend (and may yet), but I'm having to drop $1,300 on the family car to replace the A/C compressor, dryer and hoses.  Oof!  (But having reliable A/C again will be a good thing).

But, hey -- I still have my job and my health, so who's to complain?

Leif

Spring Conditioning in Summer

I started conditioning for Legacy of the Lions tonight. Instead of coming home, putting my bike in the garage, and sitting down with a cold beer (St. Arnold's Summer Pils), I changed clothes and went walking with my old "Heavy Hands" weights. Then when I got home from walking I showered and had that Summer Pils. 

Okay, maybe not a radical change, but exercise is exercise!  :-)

Tomorrow, I'll add distance and keep upping the burn (so to speak).  Although in this part of the Ansteorran summer, it is more like upping the sweat. 

I'm really more interested in cardio, right now.  And the hand weights do help tone the upper body.  My biggest fear is that I'll get in armor, get all adrenalized, and push too hard, straining a tendon or something.  I didn't realise when I was a young-buck-sword-jock that it would be the joints that suffered the most as I got older.

Of course, I'm carrying about 60 pounds less fat around than I was "back in the day." 

This is me today: 

 

Me back then -- circa 1985 (on theleft in the herald's tabard):

Yeah, that guy:

Okay, back down, Harrison; it was joke!  Dont' sic your copyright lawyer goons on me!

Me today:  

My professional self.  Or this:


Me at our (former) office:

Or this, the motorcyclist me:

 Or my favorit, the Scout Leader of three sons me:

The Search for Armor

As a returning fighter, I am in the process of looking for "new" armor to protect my poor body.  I got some good ideas from sites on the web:

 

http://scafighter.blogspot.com/2008/12/low-cost-armor.html

 

http://scafighterblog.com/

 

http://armourarchive.org/

 

But I'm very picky about stuff I'm going to get hit in and I like to touch and feel it, so I put the following message up on the Facebook page of the Barony of the Stargate:

 

=================================================================

My Dear Fellow Stargate Residents:

After some 17 years out of harness, I am in the hunt for some good, usable munitions-grade armor. All I have at this time is a protective cup. :-)

Does anyone have some serviceable armor they would like to sell (cheap)? I thought I might put this out on the Stargate listserve and here before either (1) ordering new stuff, or (2) trying to cobble together my own setup (which is my eventual goal).

For sizing, I'm about 5' 10 1/2" tall and 185 pounds. Right hander.

I am also in the market for sword rattan and a good basket hilt.

Thanks in advance.

Lord Leif Wadason, (Old Tired) Squire to Sir Karl der Gaenger
===================================================
The good news is that I've had four responses so far.  The bad news is that armor is so freaking expensive! 

I had always hoped that if I tried to start fighting again, I'd have enough money to buy the good stuff.  If forgot to factor in three sons, two dogs and two cats, all of which seem to suck all the money my wife and I earn.  :-)  Come to think of it, that's why I ride a 10-year old motorcycle!

One set was already assembled and from Stonekeep Armoury.  http://spiers-saddlery.stores.yahoo.net/index.html  Nice looking stainless and leather with Kydex splints.  Problem is, we're talking $600 here!

The other set was unassembled and from Illusion Amory.  http://www.illusionarmoring.com/  That is REALLY nice stuff!  But even more expensive than Stonekeep. 

I hope that I can still strike a deal with one of our local knights for the gear he bought for his son, but which never got used.  But I'm still feeling sticker shock. And I'd hate to spend too much money and then find my poor body can't take heavy weapons any more! 

The long term plan is to build my own, but that may take longer than I want right now.  In the meantime, I'm wistfully remembering the "old days" of carpet armor when I was considered "progressive" for wearing a gambeson. 

Leif

Old Tired Squire Returns!

THESE ARE THE VOYAGES OF THE STAR SHIP ENTERPRISE...

(Cut!!  Wrong promo!!!  From the top!)

=========================================

These are the annals of Lord Leif Wadason, Old Tired Squire of Sir Karl der Gaenger of Ansteorra.  Follow Leif as he attempts to rejoin the fighters of the Ansteorran heavy list and regain the fighting prowess of his youth.  (Or something like that).

Can he do it?  Can the wisdom of age overcome the frailties of the body and the inevitable toll of time? Follow, and find out!

Leif


DISCLAIMER:


This blog may contain humor, attempted humor, poorly attempted humor, sarcasm, irony and other things difficult for the weak of mind or stomach.  It also contains ME!  Be forewarned.


This blog will NOT contain modern politics, current events, or anything regarding Casey Anthony, Barack Obama, Justin Beiber, Lady GaGa or any other modern annoyances.  "If that's what you're looking for, they've got what you're looking for" here -- www.Twitter.com

Also, this is not my legal blog because Leif is not a lawyer and cannot give legal advice!  Lee, however, is licensed as an attorney in the mundane State of Texas and can be found here:  @bizlawyertexas

Coming Soon!

"Old Tired Squire" is coming soon.