What have I taken on?
Published: Thu, 03/13/14
Ever had that 'what have I taken on here?' feeling? That
is how I am feeling about the Stav Centre at the moment. I
probably should not admit it here but that is how I am feeling at
the moment. On the other hand it is going quite well so far in
that we have a space to train in and although it doesn't look
that great yet we are doing some great training there. The real
challenge now is making sure enough people know the centre is there
and what is going on so that classes are running at capacity. That
isn't happening yet but considering how much marketing has been
done so far we are actually doing quite well.
Last night I had two people training in the CQC (Close Quarter
Combat) class and we explored the first dagger defence drill. The
attack is a stab from right to left aiming to strike the point on
the left side of the chest where the torso hagl line emerges from
the body. The first counter is to move around to face the
attacker, block their attack and make your counter into the same
line in the attacker's body. It isn't really about
fighting with daggers, rather a training method to learn to attack
and protect these particular lines in the web of the body. An
intuitive ability to see and work with these lines will make any
technique you do use much more effective and useful than if you are
relying on technique and brute strength. (brute strength is fine,
so long as you are the stronger one.)
We then looked at a variation of the same training drill where the
emphasis was on finding the corresponding line from behind the
shoulder which emerges around the obliques. With this line
controlled you can apply a powerful shoulder lock and force the
attacker to the floor. Again, the important thing is to be aware
of the lines in your own body and as they manifest in someone
else's body.
I find this stuff challenging and interesting anyway. The problem
is that I can 'see' the lines when training and can usually
see a way of using them. It has taken a long time but as Ivar told
me over twenty years ago the point of Stav training was to keep
practicing until you can see the web for yourself. Once you can
see it then the fun is in discovering ways to use this awareness
when training. The same awareness is there for self defence
purposes too of course but I prefer to avoid actual violence if I
possibly can.
The problem with getting people interested in doing Stav at the
centre is that I know why it is worth doing but I still have to get
inside the heads of people who are noticing that a Stav Centre has
opened but have no idea what it is about. That is my challenge
anyway. In the meantime I have posted a video showing how to train
with the staff and spear and how the nine guards can be done at
http://www.iceandfire.org have a look if you haven't done so
already, I am only going to leave it there until the 17th. If you
want to learn how to do this stuff for yourself then the next day
course is on the 5th of April.
regards
Graham
PS Don't forget the Summer Camp in Somerset August 22nd to
25th with Ivar Hafskjold. There are also going to be six places
for preparation training in Crewkerne from the 20th to the 22nd.
So if you are interested in getting a full six days training in
that week then let me know. http://www.stavcamp.org