Hi there from Australia
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What a nice day; what was that bird chirping in the background?
This is an excellent video with lots of interesting elements. I especially like the interaction of many thoughts and opinions.
1/ Shadow sparing: Visualization, execution and extension.
2/ Circling the opponent is very important to learn.
3/ Shi Cho: Block = Cut
4/ Cancellation: Same cut cancels cut
5/ Train slowly and develop your technique over speed.
6/ Slow time training
7/ Slow time corrects for errors
8/ Slow time one of the keys.
9/ Changing directions and moving with your opponent mirroring and matching.
10/ Focus, watching and drilling.
11/ Flow walking/dueling: Controlled slow time sparring
12/ Over focusing on weaknesses
13/ Extending dueling with slow time for beginners.
14/ The terrain plays a part in your decisions.
15/ Know the rules before you can break them.
16/ Training your perceptions and awareness.
17/ Eye focus/contact.
18/ Training with a teacher as opposed to training by yourself. Training realities.
19/ High Guard (Roof/Crown) Strengths/weakness
20/ Flanking with attacks
It is great to see a new learner discovering and clearly getting better. Closing the High guard is a sound strategy; I would suggest on top of closing allowing them to exhaust or complete their stroke as well EErockk. Steal the energy in their guard by making them misfire or react into a disengage or feint. Someone proficient in the High Guard will be aware of jamming and closing attacks and you might find they move and withhold their strike long enough for your commitment to trap you into a position before they strike.
With High guard I would suggest a strong sense of distance maintenance as well. Always keeping out of range; always controlling the space. If they move you move. Fencing is very good at this; practice advancing and retreating so that their energy in the Guard has nothing to bite into.
1/ Disguising distance.
2/ Weight distribution can help prevent Counter attacks and stop cuts from landing.
Eerockk, play around with your weight distribution and your distance; attacks are born and die in your feet. The challenges you face all swordsmen have faced. The basics that have been covered here will come out during sparing and if you have prepared right then you should hold your own. Be confident, I can see how much you have improved; great stuff!
Great Job guys
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Kind Regards
Bluesky