Making efforts to ensure that our fights are as realistic as possible, we broke off in two groups for this weeks training, with Steve looking at core sword movements and the rest of us working on the punch pads. Stepping through a short technique slowly, we built up the movemnt to go as hard and as fast as we could, as though our lives depended upon it and then attempting to keep that sae force of movement we reinterpreted the movements through stage combat. The result was, for a time, much crisper, harder looking movements from those taking part; blowing the cobwebs out from our movements proved difficult and we all had several goes at picking up the speed and illusion of force after prompting from our companions. However, judging from the puffing and the noises involved, everyone enjoyed themselves.

Afterwards John took us through some different knapping techniques. Some of our best video footage from events shows that properly placed knaps get the audience gasping and wincing at the percieved pain. Most recently at Kingston Maurward we would have had the medics out on the field had it not been for one of the members on the side explaining that all was well, all due to a well used knap by two of our members. We examined, self, shared and partner knaps .. all leaving with warm, well slapped hands, shoulders and thighs! 

Then across to McDonalds for a well deserved coffee and ice cream!