Re: Acknowledgement

[Eli White <eliwhite@home.com>]

Poster: Eli White <eliwhite@home.com>

>system.  Not because of their size or strength or lack of nerve endings,
>but from their desire to fight HARD.  Thats what we are and do- we take
>HARD, we give HARD, we train HARD, we love and hate (maybe too) HARD, we
>PLAY HARD.  That is Atlantian martial arts, and again my opinion, it has
>been from the Git-go.

[snip]

>acknowledgement, the *action* of acknowledgement, and the differring
>perception of that relationship from fighter to figher.  The goal should
>not be to "create a single blow strength for acknowledgement"  but to
>find a way for groups with differing standards to act together with a
>minimum of friction.  

[snip wonderful example of two fighters, castly different in physical
build, who are described thusly to need different levels of acknowledgement]

This leads to a problem though, at least in my eyes, when the SCA is so
different across the different areas.  There may be this one person, who
can be a really good fighter, and who would really enjoy fighting, and
maybe lets even say might one day become king.  But this person doesn't
like pain.

Drop this person is a 'low-hitting' state/country, and they will go on to
do all those things listed below.  Drop the same person in a 'Hard-hitting'
place, as described above of Atlantia, and that person may not want to
fight at all, and never gets to enjoy the fun of it.

Is this how it should be?  That if this person lives in Atlantia, wants to
fight heavy, but doesn't like pain is told: 'Move to Trimaris'?

If there is one level of calibration, whether how high, or how low, doesn't
matter, at least it is consistant, and if the person doesn't want to fight
because of the pain in one area, a different area isn't going to make any
difference.

Now again, maybe this isn't what the general populace wants, and they like
having the different areas, but at least for me it doesn't seem fair to
those people who wish they could fight but are waiting to move to a lighter
calibrated area.
	
>	There is no clear mandate in the rules that we *should* take blows the
>same either, as you I hope you will see if you really read that section
>carefully. 

Well It doesn't say it so specifically, but I guess it depends on how you
read the rules ... here at least is how I read them:

>"Blows must be delivered with effective technique for the particular
>type of weapon used, and must strike properly oriented and with sufficient
>force, to be considered an effective, or good, blow.  . . .  All
>fighters are expected to take into account the nature of the weapon being
>used by their opponent and the location of the point of impact of that
>weapon when
>judging the outcome of a blow delivered. Fighters are also expected to
>take
>into account the timing of the blow and the collision of the weapon with
>any other object other than the fighter's presumed armour."

Therefore, here are what you are supposed to take into effect when judging
a blow:

1) Did it have effective technique for the weapon type
2) Did it strike with the striking surface (properly oriented)?
3) Did it strike with sufficient force taking into account:
   a) Nature of the weapon
   b) Location of impact
   c) Timing of the blow
   d) Collision with non-valid targets

Nowhere in this list does it give: 'Personal tolerance level', as part of
the formula.  All that it mentions are the above, which are all
straightforward mathmatically measureable terms.

>I do believe that it is neccessary before
>battles between groups with known baseline diffenences in
>acknowledgement to ask the group with a lower baseline to "gear up", and
>the higher baseline to "handicap" itself for the day (hey it works in
>golf, and thats a sport, right ,).  The clash should be among people
>trying to find common ground, not use the field to further nationalistic
>agendas.

The problem I see here is muscle memory.  When you have hit the pell at the
same strength for hours upon end, practiced multiple times a week hitting
with the same strength time and time again, when you get into a melee, and
blows start flying and your body kicks into overdrive, muscle memory takes
over, you start throwing the blows that your body has practiced throwing.
It takes alot of effort to make sure that EVERY blow you throw is held back
(or pumped up).  Whereas having a single level that everyone can practice
at allows the muscle memory to record one number, and to not have to vary ...

Siegfried


______________________________________________________________________
Siegfried Sebastian Faust          Incipient Barony of Highland Foorde
       Minister of Misinformation (Chronicler & Web Minister)
             http://highland-foorde.atlantia.sca.org
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