Training exercises

You can find more about our training structure Here.

If you know of other exercises, games or training methods that have not yet been listed here, we are always happy to receive criticism and suggestions.
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K = commando
L = Long weapon (spears)
D = Long weapon (Dane axes)
O = Close combatant (axes/sword/one-handed spear)
E = melee fighter (one-handed spear)
R = Runner\

Outnumbering exercises The aim of the training exercises is to train with or against outnumbering.

1. Triangle
2. Funny Rabbit
3. Zombies and Paladin
4. The Square Game

Fencing Technique Exercises The aim of the training exercises is to learn and try out new fencing techniques.

1. The Winner Stays On
2. The Winner Must Go
3. Spear Hunting

Running drills The aim of the training drills is to control fast moving fights.

1. touch and go
2. Drive-By
3. Running In Squares
4. Runner row

(Dreieck)

Two people go up against a third person as a team. The individual has won if one of the team is be hit. The team has won if the individual is be hit.

Variants:

• No weapons, whoever touches the other person on the shoulder wins. This way you can pay a lot more attention to your movements.

What is trained:
The team practices coordination between the two team players as well as going backwards in the right direction. As an individual, you learns how to break the triangle up to separate players.

Persons: 3

Theoretical consideration of the triangle situation

(Wilder Hase)

One alone fights a three-person shield wall and tries to go around it. Requires a lot of stamina and is more for advanced players.

What is trained:
Both sides are trained, the attacker learns to see gaps in the wall and tries to use them. The shield wall learns to fight agilely and to adapt quickly to changes.

Persons: 4-7

(Zombies und Paladin)

An individual must fight against a group. However, the group fighters may only move in slow motion. The zombies all have only one hit point, the paladin has points according to his armour. As soon as the first „zombie“ dies, he starts counting out loud to 20. When he reaches 20 and at least one „zombie“ is still alive, he is back in the game.

What is trained:
To engage multiple opponents in a slow and orderly manner. The correct sequence of individual fights and the appropriate procedure when attacking a group. In general, zombies become more rounded in their movements as they try to maintain the momentum of their movement.

Some pictures

People: 4-20

(Das Quadratspiel)

There are two defenders in the square. A line forms in front of the square. The person in front counts to 3 and then attacks the defenders in the square. As soon as he has entered the square, the next person in line starts counting to 3. If there are several attackers in the square, they act as a team.
The attackers try to defeat at least one of the two defenders. The defenders act as a team and try to defeat the attacker as quickly as possible. Whoever leaves the square is considered defeated. If someone defeats one of the defenders, he takes his place.

What is trained:
Attacking two people. Acting in a confined space, overview in a multi-person fight. Quick change of alliances.

Persons: 5-9

(Der Gewinner bleibt stehen)

In this game, everyone lines up in a queue (the attackers), and only one person stands in a predetermined position, which may also not be left (the defender). Now they all attack him one after the other with a previously thought-out combination of blows.

• The defender may take a maximum of one step.
• Whoever is hit first loses.
• In case of simultaneous hits, the attacker is the winner.
• If the combination of blows ends without anyone being hit, the fight is over and the defender has won.
• The winner is the new defender.

It is useful to line up crosswise so that everyone in the line can easily see how others are doing.

What is trained:
The attacker should train to proceed deliberately and, if possible, to anticipate the counter-steps of the other person. In the best case the gaps for hits are created by the reactions of the defender to his own activities. The defender should train to break the other's series of attacks with a minimum of effort, without being hit himself, while maintaining his position. It is a good opportunity for both to try new things.

Persons: 4-7 (or any number if the game is played several times side by side and the attackers just keep moving one row).

Variation: Attack Dominoes

(Der Gewinner muss gehen)

Everything works like the game „The winner stays standing“, except that the loser stays standing.

What is trained:
Here the emphasis is mainly on defence. The game gives the more inexperienced the opportunity to practise.

Persons: 4-7 (or any number if the game is played several times side by side and the attackers just keep moving one row).

(Speerjagd)

The group is divided into long arms and melee fighters. There is always one melee fighter against two long weapons, with the melee fighter attacking and the long weapons holding their position. All the others line up and fill up the vacated positions after the fight. Then the game starts again.
It is useful to set up the waiting lines crosswise, so that everyone in the line can easily see how others are proceeding.
How Danish axes are sorted can be handled in different ways.

What is trained:
The close combatants train to overcome two long weapons standing alone. Cover and overrun. The long arms train to repel a close combatant without the cover of a first line, without changing position too much.

Persons: 3-7 swordsmen 4-8 spearmen (any number if playing multiple instances of the game in parallel).

Ran und weg

The fighters quickly approach the opponent, execute an attack and quickly retreat again. In doing so, a safe and precise attack should be executed and the sequence of steps should not falter. With increasing practice the step and body tension can be improved. The springing and building up of tension as well as the release of the same is improved. This should be done in such a way that it does not happen at the expense of safety in the attack. This requires a good sense of balance that also works in dynamic situations. Safety and precision are always the most important goals.

What is trained:
The feeling for tension and strength in the leg is strengthened. A basic level of control over the step sequence is learned, and in some cases a stronger feeling or awareness of the extended dynamic interrelationships of step and stroke is acquired.

The retreat takes place in a different direction than the run-up. This means a clear change of direction to the left or right or even past the opponent.

What is trained:
Here the feeling for the inertia of the body and the control of the centre of gravity is trained. The connection between the foot and the possible change of direction becomes clear.

The step sequence is modified in such a way that sometimes the strike side and step side are the same and sometimes they are not. This exercise is somewhat similar to the conditions of a goal shot from running, except that here the shot is sometimes taken with one foot and sometimes with the other.

What is trained:
Here, the control and estimation of the step sequence and the necessary short steps/dribble steps to change the step sequence in the run-up are trained.

Persons: 5-14

Drive-By

In this training exercise, 3 people stand behind each other at a distance of approx. 4 m. The attacker is now to execute three successful and precise blows on each of these three people as they run past. This means a total of 9 attacks, the first one while running towards, the second one while running past and the third one while running away. At the beginning this exercise can be done with only one person and slow steps and the person without weapons is only there as a target and hit announcer. depending on the skills, the individual difficulties are increased (speed, number of people, cover). The priority is always on safe clean hits that have effective overhangs.

What is trained:
Hitting and hitting from the movement, dealing with the Doppler effect problem (when running towards, the hardness of the hit increases when running away, it decreases due to the relativity of the movement), effective transitions for fast hit sequences.

People: 7-16

(Läuferquadrat)

4 fighters line up in a square. The distance between the fighters should be about 10 steps. The fifth fighter attacks the others one after the other and then exchanges places with the last one. The latter then turns the round and so on. The fighters forming the square should not leave their position too far when the fifth attacks.

What is trained:
To attack opponents in passing / running and not to be pinned down. Blocking paths of runners and intercepting runners.

Persons: 4-6 (The distance between corners should be equal).

(Läuferreihe)

On one side there is the runner team with 2 people, on the other side are the opponents. They line up in such a way that the distance between them is about 4 m. The runners start at an appropriate distance from the line. Their goal is to defeat all the opponents in one run. The opponents must maintain their position until the first in line has had weapon contact with the runners, from then on they may attack at will. After a few runs, all positions from the row change to the front and one of the runners takes over the last position of the row.

What is trained:
The attacking while running, the attacking coordinated between 2 persons, the movements with which opponents are intercepted.

Persons: 5-8