Stage Combat is Work

This sounds obvious, but follow me on this one.

Using the SAFD model, you need 30 hours of instruction to test for certification with a weapon style/discipline, then 10 hours to be able to recert in 3 years. It’s a model that lends itself continual training and improvement (more on that in a later post). A lesson that took me years to learn, is that you can’t just learn some cuts and parries and think you’ve learned all you need to perform everything forever.

The event that I’ve performed for the most, by a large margin, is the Mystic Realms Fantasy Faire. We started back in 2003, and we’ve put on a small faire every year made up of volunteers from our LARP. People got very excited around 2006 once we started handling our own live steel fighting for the climax of the show, and many would come out to practices that Sean was holding. “This looks like so much fun!” they’d exclaim. And for the first several years we would without exception have half as many people at practice 2 then we did at practice 1 for that season. Once people saw how much work goes into training to simulate violence, many just never came back. And it’s not that they were wrong about it being fun, either. It’s just that the fun comes later. Work comes first.

This isn’t about me judging anyone. With the somewhat notable exception of people just born with tons of innate talent and ability, this doesn’t come naturally or easily (and even they need to practice). Making this look easy and effortless takes literally years of work, practice, and study. Hell, even looking like you’re not a “trained” fighter takes work. Because if you’re just not good at this, the audience will pick up on the fact that the actor is just not good, as opposed to “that character isn’t skilled”. They may not know what’s “off”, but they will know something is. Audiences are more intuitive that many give them credit for. So if you realize something is more work that you are able or willing to do, I’m not going to begrudge you stopping said activity.

So what am I getting at here? You need to keep improving; stagnation kills. You need to be actively practicing, learning, and growing. Your body is your tool, and it needs to be the best tool it can be to do this well, especially if you’re trying to get paid. Back when I was in wrestling school, we worked on taking bumps for months before getting to headlocks. Those falls have to be perfect and effortless before you can worry about anything else. You have to build from the ground up, and anything physical is a perishable skill. It’ll rot on the vine if you don’t keep using it. I’m certainly not the wrestler I used to be. I can’t practice bumps without a ring to fall in (I hurt myself pretty badly trying to do so). But I use a lot of the other stuff like the joint locks and combinations often in my fights, and that stuff I’m still good at. I work with some folks who don’t pick up swords from July to March, then start writing fights for a show in June. Those people look the same as they have for several years, and so do their fights. There has been no growth, and in some cases, regression in targeting and force of attacks. There is a noticeable rift in the level of performance from fight to fight during our shows. It’s obvious those who practice and learn, and those who do not. That gap will not close until everyone steps up their level of effort, and seeks out training during the off season.

There is one way to stop that. Keep training. That can mean a lot of different things, but it’s important to do something. Take classes and go to workshops. Find people to practice with. Work in front of a mirror if you have to (it’s a great way to practice targets). We are blessed in the MD to NY corridor with a wealth of amazing instructors to learn from. However, time is finite, distance is challenging, places to work out are difficult to find (especially indoor space), and training usually takes money. I work a day job and it’s often difficult for me to attend classes on weeknights, the struggle is very real. But the only way you’re going to get better is if you put forth the effort to do so. You owe it to yourself and any people you partner with to be at your best, both for safety and storytelling purposes. Do what you can on your own, in your own time, and supplement with classes from qualified instructors whenever possible.

Some of this comes down to knowing that you want out of stage combat and where you are with your level of skill (which are separate posts that I will be getting to). I’m not expecting anyone to dedicate 8-10 hours a week to stage combat training if this isn’t something you want to make a career out of. However it’s usually within the realm of feasible to get in a couple hours a week, and sometimes that’s all it takes to just stay current and not get rusty or stale. Maybe picking up rehearsals for the three months before your show will be enough for you to get back up to speed and you’ll be good to go.

So, bottom line: Unless you are practicing regularly, don’t expect to be able to step into a show that’s opening in two weeks and put on a good performance. Practice, work, grow, learn.