One of my resolutions for this year is to get back into working with the sword. The challenge is that I don’t have any good place to practice. I need an open space, and preferably one tall enough that I can swing a sword.
And longswords are a bit… long.
During the warm months, I can go outside to do this, but in the winter (like today when it’s a balmy 25°F outside) that’s not a really great option. I can’t practice in my house, because the ceilings are at best 8 feet tall.
So, what do I do?
Well, the lab I manage is big and open. It has lofty ceilings. And…. there are days when I spend hours in there turning a knob every 40 seconds.
You can do an amazing amount of sword work in 40-second increments.
I’ve laid out a couple of lines for footwork, brought in a wooden longsword waster and a wooden practice foil (ok, it’s a dowel with a guard), and can now practice at work if I need to.
This has actually been a great boon, as nearly every day I spend at least a half hour in the lab, turning knobs and adjusting things. It’s wonderful to be able to take advantage of the short pauses I get to work on my swordsmanship (and it needs work, trust me).
Of course, multitasking doesn’t work in every situation, but in this case it does. I do what I’m getting paid to do and simultaneously accomplish a small part of a larger goal. Mission accomplished.
Penny Higgins - Storyteller • Artist • Scientist 