We had a really great practice last Saturday. A few of us in the group have had our heads in Meyer’s Dusack material. We all came to practice ready to experiment with what we had been reading. We did a workshop on the material and shared with each other what we had learned from it. Then we broke into freeplay to experiment with the principles.
We took a video and a few pictures of the exchanges. That is always a scary thing. I see a few things I need to address for sure. But I also immediately noticed that we were often ending up in the poses and guards depicted in the manual. That is such a validating thing to see.
The experience of an isolated group of men studying Meyer, coming together and sharing their findings, and then putting it all together in freeplay is a tried-and-true recipe among study groups like ours. Most of the progress in rebuilding this art in the last 20 years was built on study groups meeting in this manner. The internet’s resources are no substitute for the organic process that happens with eyes are on the manuals and fingers are wrapped around swords.
And by the way, when I have a practice like that, I walk around the rest of the day exhausted with a smile on my face all day. Because doing this is fun and satisfying. Having it in my life just makes me extra happy.