Assessing Hits

Hit perception is an essential skill in our game!

The person hit decides: What is a hit and what isn't. This simple rule results in several effects that we as players should be aware of. Only in this way can you strengthen your perception, recognize and classify hits accurately, play fairly, and avoid mistakes. Ultimately, the question is how you fight and what goals you want to achieve. For fighters, it's a question of quality: being able to perceive hits clearly and assess which effects have just taken effect.

The supposedly natural and obvious mechanism is the self-regulation of being hit. If you don't take a hit, you probably didn't feel it, so I have to hit harder. This supposedly results in everyone being willing to take their hits so they don't get hit harder. A kind of punishment mechanism. Hmm…

It's just that sensing hits doesn't work that way; there is no constant, omnipresent perception of touch. And logic creates errors, because: Punishments can also follow situations in which hits were not perceived for reasons other than a lack of clarity. Likewise, harshness also occurs where it was not intentionally caused and resulted from misjudgments or clumsiness. And last but not least, harshness is a sensation that does not result directly from pressure on the skin, but is composed of many factors.

First, there are the physical factors, whose effects we are mostly familiar with but rarely conscious of. The mass of the striking object, the area of ​​impact, the speed of impact, the cushioning effect of various armor, etc. I recommend testing it yourself on your own thigh; this gives you an idea, especially with blunt weapons. Letting someone hit you with your own weapon is recommended for long weapons, which otherwise leave no impression on you other than the handling.

Then there are the psychological factors, whose effects we can partially imagine, but in a battle, it requires active awareness to incorporate them. This, in turn, requires experience and capacity. We can also only imagine these factors to the extent that we have actively observed or experienced them. I distinguish between stress factors and perception factors. Stress factors are: fear or shock, for example, due to pressure when fighting against many or better opponents, or an unexpected attack. Perception factors are overload or distraction, for example, during a tunnel of attention focus or during a moment of hectic activity.

Furthermore, it is important to remember that these factors affect both sides. Those who hit can be just as subject to physical and psychological misjudgments as those hit. Hits are repeatedly misjudged, especially when both sides are actively moving, since the movements add up or not depending on the direction. It often happens that both sides are under stress during a wild break through a line.

I don't know which hits I missed, do you know?

Rules dictate what is considered a hit and what isn't, but there's always room for interpretation. The following statements are all consistent with the rules, but what are you talking about? That was just a glancing blow from the spear, not a real stab. The spear was only behind my shield, not on my body. The hit came a little later than mine. The shoulder only begins with the T-shirt seam; it was still on the armpit.

My goal is to fight in such a way that I don't get hit. Not at all, not even outside the hit zone. So, at least in training, I make an effort to be as calm as a Hindu cow when it comes to taking hits. I can't simply abandon this attitude in competition, and I think that's a good thing. In concrete terms, this means: When in doubt, I take everything first and give feedback to the others. If a hit lands well outside the hit zone, I just announce it. If a borderline situation arises, I withdraw. In other words, if I think about whether it could have been a hit, it was one. At least for me, the situation wasn't properly assessed and controlled. Since many in our group feel the same way, it's good etiquette to announce an inappropriate hit you've made and ask to be ignored. Then you move on and can do better.

I usually go a step further with taking hits and acknowledge everything that has clearly broken my defense, even if a direct contact wasn't made. For example, if a spear came well behind my shield. The other person can ask me not to take the hit. I would do that, because my goal is to land my hits accurately and cleanly.

I'm happy about every hit, regardless of whether the other person takes it or not.

Receiving feedback is the prerequisite for learning progress and reaching an agreement on how to view the game.

In our group, we have a rule for determining the hardness of a hit that's similar to the headshot rule. A hit that's too hard = one round out. Here, too, the hitters decide what's too hard. Discussions are uncommon. We have a traffic light system to briefly indicate the hardness during fencing.

Green means: All good, keep going.
Yellow means: A hit that was borderline. Please be more careful and cautious.
Red means: That was inappropriate. You're out immediately and miss a round.
There are also: Ultra-Green / Glitter-Green means: That was a wonderful hit, and it was a pleasure to experience it. Thank you!

Hits can be borderline not only due to their force or, according to the rules, at the limit of the hit zone, but also dangerous or borderline. This includes hits to the head, joints, or genitals – even if the latter are part of the hit zone, they should be avoided.

We should agree that we should also avoid making unruly, dangerous movements. Whether intentional or unintentional is irrelevant, because the goal is to master the weapon. Regarding unruly, we agree that we want to win fights through our effectiveness and not through our dangerous behavior. Stopping opponents by threatening their faces, which ultimately means threatening them with injury or at least with non-compliant hits, is at least not in keeping with our fencing art. Likewise, the rapid change of threat from the shoulders in front of their faces.

Basically, we want our opponents to feel comfortable at all times while we are fighting them down. We leave it up to the person we're trying to hit to decide what the other person considers too dangerous, just like with the force of the hit. We also use the traffic light system here.

If that's enough for you!

We fence with sporting equipment modeled after historical weapons. The historical form results in a function that we also want to replicate in the handling of our sporting equipment. We want to avoid the historical effect as much as possible. A cutting weapon is therefore also wielded with cutting movements, a slashing weapon with blows, and a thrusting weapon with thrusts. There can be disagreements about what a weapon can do; there are rules and experimental archaeology to clarify such questions. That's something for an evening discussion, not for the playing field. Most of us have an aesthetic appreciation for fighting and strive to refine our movements. Nevertheless, no one shies away from acknowledging when a hit is delivered safely for our protection, for example, when struck from behind, with the flat side. Those who feel confident enough to only strike with the flat side should do so, as prescribed by the rules. Nevertheless, we object that it is not consistent with the use of weapons, and that more training also leads to more self-confidence. A good example is our way of persuading.

Give the weapon a path!

Over the years, we have encountered many ways of fighting in many places, and I find it strange who, in what way, thinks they can judge the feelings of others better than the victims themselves. The victims decide. It would certainly be nice to convince others of decisions that one likes better. But to do that, we have to convince them. There are people who choose the path of violence in an attempt to convince. More force – hmm – a path that is not destined for long-term success. Most people can quickly recognize why after just a moment's reflection! It is more convincing to set a good example yourself, and a good conversation is also helpful. Avoiding a bad conversation is legitimate; I do it that way too. Asking people how they see something doesn't hurt. But such a conversation is not for the playing field. In addition to all of this, we have simple social rules for the playing field that we set for ourselves. If something bothers you, just say so once! If you don't like it at any point, leave! Don't talk pointlessly about what others are doing wrong!

Anyone who argues is dead!

Ultimately, it's your claim that you can decide on, not those of others. We're concerned with martial arts and a good game; miraculously, this claim also makes us good fighters who enjoy fencing. Understanding how hits were made, whether by the person who hits or by the person who is hit, is helpful in both cases. This requires a high level of attention and experience. A key prerequisite is the stamina to be able to do this. Training helps. Feedback geben