This article will cover ambidexterity and hand matching and their usefulness and how they can help you become a better fighter. Enjoy...
Not everyone has been gifted with the ability of growing up ambidextrous. Most of us use our dominant hands for everything and the off hand is left hanging around like "hey, what about me?". Not only is this true in the mundane world of everyday life, but also in our fantasy world of Dagorhir. Most fighters do all of the fighting with their dominant hand and never learn how to fight with their off hands. There is nothing saying that you have to be fighting ambidextrous, but it certainly has its advantages and can really take your fighting to the next level.
Ambidexterity
For those reading this that are newer to the game and just starting out, I would recommend that you first learn proper weapon control before learning to fight with your offhand. If you can't properly control a blue sword with your dominant hand, it will be even more difficult to do with your offhand. For most people, the motor skills in their offhand are significantly lower than that of their dominant hand. Low motor skills and poor weapon control don't make for a good pairing.
Moving on, allow me to discuss the advantages of becoming fighting ambidextrous:
Say you're a Sword/Board fighter and you lose your sword arm. While the shield is a useful tool and can keep you alive, it won't get you any kills. And a Red fighter can come along and break your shield, then what do you do? If you learn how to fight with your offhand, you'll have a chance to stay alive and keep fighting. Now, in a team scenario, that shield can still be beneficial, but in 1v1 combat you would be better off with the sword than the shield.
Learning how to fight with your offhand will also help you to better read opponents who's dominant hand is opposite of yours because you will have fought from the perspective of a fighter of the opposite dominant hand. As I stated in my previous article, found here, "Becoming The Obstacle" can help you overcome it, and learning how to fight with your offhand can teach you how those fighters fight. You'll know what shots they throw and how, and you'll be better able to visualize where their attacks will come from so that you're ready to defend and counter because you'll already be a step ahead of them. Being able to read and predict what an opponent is going to do will go a long way in defeating them, and learning to fight with your offhand is one way to achieve that.
On the other side of the coin, learning to fight with your off hand can give you an advantage over those fighters who may not be expecting it from you. Say you're a right handed Sword/Board fighter and you decide to go lefty, it will throw people off, even more so if they're not used to fighting left handed fighters. If your opponent is also a Sword/Board fighter, your sword is now on their sword side and you won't have the shield to contend with as much, and shots that may not have been available before now become an option.
Being fighting ambidextrous will also go a long way when fighting with two handed weapons(Reds and Spears/Polearms). You'll be able to vary your shots and shot locations so that you don't become predictable, and this will be especially helpful if you're fighting next to someone who fights opposite handed to you or if you're positioned on a certain side of your team's line. If you're positioned on the left side of the line, it would be better to throw shots from the left side, and vice versa. The bottom line is, you won't be as limited if you can fight equally well with both hands.
Training Tips
We may not all be ambidextrous, but luckily there are ways to teach yourself to become so:
Pat Your Head, Rub Your Belly: Remember when people would ask you if you could pat your head and rub your belly at the same time? Well as silly as it may seem, it can help you to coordinate both hands. You'll likely find that you can do this pretty easily with your dominant hand patting your head and your offhand rubbing your belly, but will likely find it more difficult to do if you reverse it. Yes it's a silly exercise, but it will get both hands moving at the same time, operating independent of one another. Do this exercise everyday if possible for as long you can stand. The longer you do it the better.
Offhand Day: This was a concept taught to me by a friend and fellow Dagorhirian. Start off by choosing one day a week that should be a day off of work or school, and do everything you normally do but with your offhand for the entire day(this includes eating, brushing your teeth, etc.) Do this for an entire month. Then, the following month, take two days a week and do the same thing for the entire month. Continue this process, adding a day each month until you can do things with your offhand everyday just as well as with your dominant hand.
Play Drums: If you can afford it and won't get in trouble, try learning to play the drums. Again, this will get your hands both working at the same time, but independent of one another.
Study Boxing: Watch boxing matches and boxing training videos. Obviously boxing requires the use of both of your hands, just like a couple other things on this list. Not only will you learn to effectively use both hands, but you'll also learn how to throw combos in the process.
Muscle Memory: Please refer to my first article about drills, found here, and search for the Muscle Memory drill. This will go a long way in building up your offhand.
Fight Armed: Another way to build up your offhand is to fight at practice as if you lost your dominant arm, so you have no choice but to fight with your offhand and every shot is a kill shot. Not only will this help build up the motor skills, weapon control, and fighting ability in your offhand, but it will also sharpen your defense as you'll have to really fight to protect yourself and stay alive.
Hand Matching
Hand Matching, or "mirroring", is a very useful strategy. Not only does it provide you with more options, but it also takes away any advantage your opponent may have had over you by fighting the opposite to your dominant hand. To hand match or mirror your opponent, think of it just like a mirror: if their sword is in their right hand, yours should be in your left hand, and vice versa. Doing this will make it so less movement is required to defend that side of the body. You won't have to cross your center line to block a shot, which would leave you far more open. Doing this can also throw your opponent off and make it more difficult for them to read and predict what you're going to do if you're constantly switching hands. This isn't as necessary with Sword/Board as it would be a slower process with switching the sword and shield, especially if you fight with a strap shield, but this can be done in 1v1 duels. You won't always be able to hand match, but when possible, I encourage it. Again, if you're a new fighter starting out, focus on weapon control first.
A good way to train hand matching is by doing the Block/Strike drill. You can watch a video of how to do the drill here.
As always, thanks for reading and I hope this article was helpful.
Until next time,
Durrok Thunderaxe
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Practical Fighting Concepts: Overcoming Obstacles
At some point in our Dagorhir careers, we've all encountered obstacles that posed problems, caused us frustration, and stalled our growth as fighters. From fighters that we just couldn't seem to solve to weapon types that may have confused us or were just difficult for us to battle against, we've all had to deal with these sort of issues, from newbie fighters to the most experienced veterans. How we handle and subsequently overcome these obstacles is important, so this article will focus on practical ways to overcome these obstacles and reach new heights as fighters. This will be geared towards newbie fighters, but I hope that fighters of all levels can benefit from and possibly learn a thing or two from this article. Enjoy....
Concept #1: Ask Questions/Seek Help
This one should really go without saying, but there are those of us that don't like to ask for help and want to do things ourselves, or those that aren't very socially inclined and are afraid to approach and ask questions. You should never be afraid to ask questions. There is no such thing as a stupid question. The only stupid question is one that isn't asked. Though some of us may have difficulty with this, it is not a sign of weakness to admit that you need help and to ask for it. Most people in Dagorhir are more than willing to offer assistance to fighters that need it, though there are those fighters who aren't the best teachers or they're only looking after themselves. The point is, ask questions and LOTS of them. Never stop seeking knowledge. The moment you stop seeking knowledge and trying to better yourself is the moment when your growth and progression stalls. The best fighters are always looking to learn new things and improve themselves. Be humble and NEVER afraid to admit that you're not perfect and not the best. Admitting that you're having trouble and need work will help you unlock your potential and will keep you from hitting a wall because you'll always know what you need to work on and improve. If you constantly believe that you're better than everyone else and don't need work, don't be surprised when the fighters around you surpass you in skill and overall fighting ability. The "Holier Than Thou" mindset will do nothing but make you enemies and stall your growth as a fighter. Be humble, be open minded, and be aware that you're never too good or to experienced to work on improving yourself. Strive to be a better you today than you were yesterday.
Veteran fighters, if you see a fellow fighter having difficulty, don't hesitate to offer advice and guidance where it's needed. You should never be too good to offer mentoring to those fighters that need it. This will help build their confidence and will increase the likelihood that they will stick around, thus growing the game. Never turn away a fighter who is eager to learn and asking for tips and guidance. If they reach you at a bad time, offer a better time that they can come back and talk with you. And remember, not everyone is comfortable with asking questions or may be too proud to ask for help, so don't be afraid to approach them and offer your wisdom. This is why I believe that practice should be about more than JUST fighting. Time should be set aside at the beginning and end of each practice for training exercises/drills as a means of warming up and cooling down respectively. After all, that's what practice is about: refining skills and learning new things. Fighting will teach you quite a bit, but refining and practicing what you've learned is what will make you a better fighter. Think of it like a new job: You're hired and thrown into the job without any training and they tell you "Good luck!". Wouldn't you feel overwhelmed and kinda deflated? Sure, some people will do just fine, but not everyone can learn that way. The same rings true for new fighters who don't receive proper training.
Concept #2: Analyze Yourself
As I said earlier, the best fighters constantly seek to improve themselves. They are always looking within to find the answers to their questions.. If they lose a fight, they ask questions of themselves: Why did I lose that fight? What did my opponent do that led them to victory? What did I do that caused me to lose? What can I do differently next time to achieve a better outcome? These are all questions that the top fighters constantly ask themselves and what sets them apart from other fighters.
If possible, ask your unit or realm leader if practice can be videotaped, or if it's ok if you have a friend videotape you fighting at practice. We can't watch ourselves fighting in person to see what we're doing, so if we videotape ourselves and watch the video, we can see where problem areas exist and go about fixing those problems. If we don't know a problem exists, how can we take steps to fix them? And if we intend on training other fighters, if we're doing things wrong, especially bad form or posture, and we're unaware, we could inadvertently pass that on to other fighters. So I encourage unit and realm leaders to allow practices to be videotaped as a learning tool for bettering your fighters. And maybe you can take a pro sports approach and have a video session where everyone gathers together and watches the video of practice to see where areas of improvement are needed. This will help fighters bond and offer each other guidance to improve their fighting, remembering not to pass judgement about mistakes or fighting ability. Mistakes are part of human nature, and from which we learn the most, and to criticize someone for making a mistake and making it seem like a bad thing can be very detrimental and damaging.
I also encourage individual fighters to videotape your personal training sessions if able and watch the videos to see where you need work.
Concept #3: Play Spectator
Sometimes you need to take a break from fighting and just sit and watch. Studying other fighters can teach you a lot about them. You can see their tendencies: subtle movements or fakes they use, the types of shots they tend to throw, which side they favor attacking, and any openings they may provide the enemy to exploit. The more you know about your enemy, the better chance you have of defeating him. You will also begin to understand how other weapon types work, seeing them in action other than when they're coming at you. When you're not under attack, you'll be able to focus more and retain what it is you're seeing and learning. Watch and study as many different fighters as you can, at practices and especially at events, where there will likely be a greater volume of fighters than at practices. You'll be surprised how much you can learn by merely watching other fighters. I encourage you to bring a notebook or notepad and write down some of the things you see that you would like to learn and work on. Ask questions to supplement what you have taken notes on.
Concept #4: Teaming Up
If you're having difficulty against a particular fighter, team up with them. Ask whoever is in charge of practice if they can run battles with teams of 2. Fighting alongside a fighter that has been besting you and making your head spin is a step in the right direction to solving the puzzle. Since you won't be the target of his/her attacks, you'll have a chance to see what he/she does in battle. You'll also be able to see how other fighters match up against him/her and how they react in response to those other fighters. And of course, don't forget to pick your teammates brain for as much information as you can. Repeat this process as needed.
The same goes for weapon types that you are struggling against. Find someone of considerable skill with the weapon type you are struggling against and team up with them. By learning how to fight alongside the particular weapon type, you begin to learn how the weapon works and what it can do. And again, you get to see how other fighters and weapon types match up against said weapon, which can teach you what to do, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the weapon type. Try your best to be focused and pay attention.
Concept #5: Challenge Yourself
As part of becoming a top fighter, you'll need to step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself. If different practices are held in your area, inquire about them and ask if it's ok for you to attend. But don't limit yourself to your local unit or realm practices. If you're constantly fighting the same fighters, you may become complacent and too comfortable and settled. Attend events as often as possible and challenge as many different fighters as you can to a 1v1 fight. The goal is to fight fighters you know nothing about. This will test your abilities and push your limits. And the more people you fight, the more you will learn, and the better you will become. First, challenge as many different fighters that fight with the same weapon as you. This will test your knowledge of your chosen weapon and your ability with it. And with each fighter, you may learn something new that the previous fighter didn't know or a different perspective. Then, focus on challenging other weapon types. See how you stack up against different fighters with different weapon types and varying levels of skill and experience. And of course, utilize this in conjunction with concept #3. Watch these fighters and see what they can do and take notes when possible. Then, after the event, do your homework and practice what you learned and work on areas that need improving that were brought into the light during your fights with fighters you didn't know. And often times, the people you are fighting in these duels will give you tips on what to improve and how. Try it out and see how it works for you. Trial and error is very important.
Never be afraid to lose or fail. We learn the most from failure. If we win all the time, we would never learn anything and never improve. It took Ben Franklin over 1,000 attempts before he finally discovered electricity. He didn't give up and he achieved his goal. You can do the same by believing in yourself. If you fall, get back up and dust yourself off and try again. Falling is the easy part, getting up is the hard part. Always get back up.
Concept #6: Become The Obstacle
If you find yourself struggling against a specific weapon type, the best and probably most important thing you can do is "Become The Obstacle" and learn how to fight with that particular weapon. Build a weapon of that type, with help if needed, and learn how to wield and fight with it. Ask questions and watch other fighters with that weapon type. You don't have to be a master with that weapon type, just learn the basic mechanics and fundamentals of that weapon and how it works. By learning how to fight with a particular weapon, you also learn how to defeat it because you know the strengths and weaknesses of that weapon. Many new fighters will gravitate towards a specific weapon type and stick to it. While this is perfectly ok, understand that you are limiting yourself by sticking to one weapon type. The more weapons you learn how to fight with, the better you will become in theory. I encourage new fighters to try out each weapon type before deciding which you like best. And I encourage unit leaders to train as many of your fighters who want to learn how to fight with as many weapon types as possible. Let new fighters discover what works best for them through trial and error. Don't force a weapon type on them, but DO stress the importance of learning the basic mechanics of multiple weapon types. Also, encourage them to build at least 1 of each weapon, including a shield, to have to train with. I believe the reason why some fighters may not train with more than one weapon type isn't because they don't want to, but because they don't have access to these weapons. Having the weapons will give them a reason to try them out. Of course, not everyone will want to learn how to use multiple weapon types, and this is ok and doesn't mean they won't be a good fighter. Don't force the idea, but DO encourage it.
I hope this article was helpful and everyone can learn something from it. Until next time, Be Humble, Be Open Minded, and LAY ON!!
Concept #1: Ask Questions/Seek Help
This one should really go without saying, but there are those of us that don't like to ask for help and want to do things ourselves, or those that aren't very socially inclined and are afraid to approach and ask questions. You should never be afraid to ask questions. There is no such thing as a stupid question. The only stupid question is one that isn't asked. Though some of us may have difficulty with this, it is not a sign of weakness to admit that you need help and to ask for it. Most people in Dagorhir are more than willing to offer assistance to fighters that need it, though there are those fighters who aren't the best teachers or they're only looking after themselves. The point is, ask questions and LOTS of them. Never stop seeking knowledge. The moment you stop seeking knowledge and trying to better yourself is the moment when your growth and progression stalls. The best fighters are always looking to learn new things and improve themselves. Be humble and NEVER afraid to admit that you're not perfect and not the best. Admitting that you're having trouble and need work will help you unlock your potential and will keep you from hitting a wall because you'll always know what you need to work on and improve. If you constantly believe that you're better than everyone else and don't need work, don't be surprised when the fighters around you surpass you in skill and overall fighting ability. The "Holier Than Thou" mindset will do nothing but make you enemies and stall your growth as a fighter. Be humble, be open minded, and be aware that you're never too good or to experienced to work on improving yourself. Strive to be a better you today than you were yesterday.
Veteran fighters, if you see a fellow fighter having difficulty, don't hesitate to offer advice and guidance where it's needed. You should never be too good to offer mentoring to those fighters that need it. This will help build their confidence and will increase the likelihood that they will stick around, thus growing the game. Never turn away a fighter who is eager to learn and asking for tips and guidance. If they reach you at a bad time, offer a better time that they can come back and talk with you. And remember, not everyone is comfortable with asking questions or may be too proud to ask for help, so don't be afraid to approach them and offer your wisdom. This is why I believe that practice should be about more than JUST fighting. Time should be set aside at the beginning and end of each practice for training exercises/drills as a means of warming up and cooling down respectively. After all, that's what practice is about: refining skills and learning new things. Fighting will teach you quite a bit, but refining and practicing what you've learned is what will make you a better fighter. Think of it like a new job: You're hired and thrown into the job without any training and they tell you "Good luck!". Wouldn't you feel overwhelmed and kinda deflated? Sure, some people will do just fine, but not everyone can learn that way. The same rings true for new fighters who don't receive proper training.
Concept #2: Analyze Yourself
As I said earlier, the best fighters constantly seek to improve themselves. They are always looking within to find the answers to their questions.. If they lose a fight, they ask questions of themselves: Why did I lose that fight? What did my opponent do that led them to victory? What did I do that caused me to lose? What can I do differently next time to achieve a better outcome? These are all questions that the top fighters constantly ask themselves and what sets them apart from other fighters.
If possible, ask your unit or realm leader if practice can be videotaped, or if it's ok if you have a friend videotape you fighting at practice. We can't watch ourselves fighting in person to see what we're doing, so if we videotape ourselves and watch the video, we can see where problem areas exist and go about fixing those problems. If we don't know a problem exists, how can we take steps to fix them? And if we intend on training other fighters, if we're doing things wrong, especially bad form or posture, and we're unaware, we could inadvertently pass that on to other fighters. So I encourage unit and realm leaders to allow practices to be videotaped as a learning tool for bettering your fighters. And maybe you can take a pro sports approach and have a video session where everyone gathers together and watches the video of practice to see where areas of improvement are needed. This will help fighters bond and offer each other guidance to improve their fighting, remembering not to pass judgement about mistakes or fighting ability. Mistakes are part of human nature, and from which we learn the most, and to criticize someone for making a mistake and making it seem like a bad thing can be very detrimental and damaging.
I also encourage individual fighters to videotape your personal training sessions if able and watch the videos to see where you need work.
Concept #3: Play Spectator
Sometimes you need to take a break from fighting and just sit and watch. Studying other fighters can teach you a lot about them. You can see their tendencies: subtle movements or fakes they use, the types of shots they tend to throw, which side they favor attacking, and any openings they may provide the enemy to exploit. The more you know about your enemy, the better chance you have of defeating him. You will also begin to understand how other weapon types work, seeing them in action other than when they're coming at you. When you're not under attack, you'll be able to focus more and retain what it is you're seeing and learning. Watch and study as many different fighters as you can, at practices and especially at events, where there will likely be a greater volume of fighters than at practices. You'll be surprised how much you can learn by merely watching other fighters. I encourage you to bring a notebook or notepad and write down some of the things you see that you would like to learn and work on. Ask questions to supplement what you have taken notes on.
Concept #4: Teaming Up
If you're having difficulty against a particular fighter, team up with them. Ask whoever is in charge of practice if they can run battles with teams of 2. Fighting alongside a fighter that has been besting you and making your head spin is a step in the right direction to solving the puzzle. Since you won't be the target of his/her attacks, you'll have a chance to see what he/she does in battle. You'll also be able to see how other fighters match up against him/her and how they react in response to those other fighters. And of course, don't forget to pick your teammates brain for as much information as you can. Repeat this process as needed.
The same goes for weapon types that you are struggling against. Find someone of considerable skill with the weapon type you are struggling against and team up with them. By learning how to fight alongside the particular weapon type, you begin to learn how the weapon works and what it can do. And again, you get to see how other fighters and weapon types match up against said weapon, which can teach you what to do, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the weapon type. Try your best to be focused and pay attention.
Concept #5: Challenge Yourself
As part of becoming a top fighter, you'll need to step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself. If different practices are held in your area, inquire about them and ask if it's ok for you to attend. But don't limit yourself to your local unit or realm practices. If you're constantly fighting the same fighters, you may become complacent and too comfortable and settled. Attend events as often as possible and challenge as many different fighters as you can to a 1v1 fight. The goal is to fight fighters you know nothing about. This will test your abilities and push your limits. And the more people you fight, the more you will learn, and the better you will become. First, challenge as many different fighters that fight with the same weapon as you. This will test your knowledge of your chosen weapon and your ability with it. And with each fighter, you may learn something new that the previous fighter didn't know or a different perspective. Then, focus on challenging other weapon types. See how you stack up against different fighters with different weapon types and varying levels of skill and experience. And of course, utilize this in conjunction with concept #3. Watch these fighters and see what they can do and take notes when possible. Then, after the event, do your homework and practice what you learned and work on areas that need improving that were brought into the light during your fights with fighters you didn't know. And often times, the people you are fighting in these duels will give you tips on what to improve and how. Try it out and see how it works for you. Trial and error is very important.
Never be afraid to lose or fail. We learn the most from failure. If we win all the time, we would never learn anything and never improve. It took Ben Franklin over 1,000 attempts before he finally discovered electricity. He didn't give up and he achieved his goal. You can do the same by believing in yourself. If you fall, get back up and dust yourself off and try again. Falling is the easy part, getting up is the hard part. Always get back up.
Concept #6: Become The Obstacle
If you find yourself struggling against a specific weapon type, the best and probably most important thing you can do is "Become The Obstacle" and learn how to fight with that particular weapon. Build a weapon of that type, with help if needed, and learn how to wield and fight with it. Ask questions and watch other fighters with that weapon type. You don't have to be a master with that weapon type, just learn the basic mechanics and fundamentals of that weapon and how it works. By learning how to fight with a particular weapon, you also learn how to defeat it because you know the strengths and weaknesses of that weapon. Many new fighters will gravitate towards a specific weapon type and stick to it. While this is perfectly ok, understand that you are limiting yourself by sticking to one weapon type. The more weapons you learn how to fight with, the better you will become in theory. I encourage new fighters to try out each weapon type before deciding which you like best. And I encourage unit leaders to train as many of your fighters who want to learn how to fight with as many weapon types as possible. Let new fighters discover what works best for them through trial and error. Don't force a weapon type on them, but DO stress the importance of learning the basic mechanics of multiple weapon types. Also, encourage them to build at least 1 of each weapon, including a shield, to have to train with. I believe the reason why some fighters may not train with more than one weapon type isn't because they don't want to, but because they don't have access to these weapons. Having the weapons will give them a reason to try them out. Of course, not everyone will want to learn how to use multiple weapon types, and this is ok and doesn't mean they won't be a good fighter. Don't force the idea, but DO encourage it.
I hope this article was helpful and everyone can learn something from it. Until next time, Be Humble, Be Open Minded, and LAY ON!!
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