Re: Tolerance

["Mitake A. Holloman" <mitake@coos.dartmouth.edu>]

Poster: "Mitake A. Holloman" <mitake@coos.dartmouth.edu>

> 
> Poster: alairia@juno.com (L. Z. Morgan)
> 
> 
> I qualifed to fight in the East, in the early 1980's.  I enjoyed fighting
> enormously and showed great promise.  I won the Branswatch Golden Sword
> as most promising novice  my first time out (before I even authorized)
> and I was squired before I had been authorized two months.
> 
> I moved to Atlantia in 1984 and promptly quit fighting.  It seemed to me
> that winning was everyhting down here, new people were welcome only if
> they had an "in" with a certain famous fighter I shan't name, and most
> of all and most relevant, they hit too bleeding hard!  Gone was the idea

I have had an opposite experience. I learned to fight in Windmaster's Hill.
As a learned to fight, I was taught not only how to throw a blow but how
to control it, how to use my body to generate force, how to know when a
blow thrown against me was good and how to work with my fellow fighters.
I never feared for my safety because I was able to trust my opponents to
throw blows cleanly and effeciently.

When I moved up North to go to school I looked forward to continuing to
improe my fighting skills. For reasons of safety, I have had a hard
time finding a practice that I was comforatble attending. I have
watched one of my friends get bruised and welts on his ankles and shins
from people throwing shots low. Most of the days I have fought up there
I stopped because I felt injured in some way. At home I usually stopped
fighting because I was too hot, too tired, or my amrour was falling
apart. I feel as though I have no method to deal with sloppy or
unsportsman like shots save not fighting at all. For instance, when I
mentioned that such and such person was consistently throwing low I was
told to get greaves. I don't think that I have been hit any harder by
the easteners but I have certainly suffered more shots that made me
never want to pick up a sword again.  Things that I felt like would
never be tolerated for reasons of safety and chivalry are treated with
no regard.

I don't disagree that our calibration might be too high. But I think that
there are many things about the way we train our fighters that should be
commended. I'm not sure that I am willing to replace hard blows with
sloppy ones.

Anna Ridley

Mitake Holloman
mitake@coos.dartmouth.edu
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