Blade against blade, each fighter feeling for an opening, who will give in first? When I'm in a bind, giving in can mean getting hit. It's about maintaining pressure while moving into a more advantageous position, preferably one of the defensive guards. The only way to tell which guard to use is by feeling the pressure on your blade. And the real trick is to do it instinctively. I only have a moment to feel before I continue fighting. But I can't fight without feeling somethi

I was talking to a friend about this blog, and she said, "Do it scared." So I did. It was my first time teaching solo, and I think I did okay. I was scared, and I handled it. Someone asked me to spar. In the ring, he just stood there waiting for my move until he asked, "Why are you scared to hit me?" Then I scored a hit. I taught a lesson on thrusts this week, and two critical components for me are: Knowing my range Committing to the move Essentially, the thrust needs to be p