John Donne famously wrote "No man is an Iland, intire of it selfe; every man is a peece of the Continent, a part of the maine" Though I agree with his sentiment, that each persons voice adds to us and each lost diminishes us, in the world of HEMA It is easy to believe that everything that we do we do in Isolation, separate from the whole. Where that sentiment crumbles is when it comes to events where we gather, compete, learn, and share what we have found in our study of the art.
How do we get here?
My story of my first event was a long one from years ago when I moved from the idea of I can't make it to the event to thinking about it as a challenge and finding a way. No man is an Island, that is true, but short of the local groups to me, (there are 2 depending on how you count it) I am more than 6 hours from any other local club. No man may be an island, but it hardly feels like it at times. That is where the importance of events comes in. Before my first event I had a lot of excuses. All of the events were far, they were expensive, I did not have the gear for it, I was not even sure I was that good, besides, why go? What was the reason to go and take classes or meet people I already talked to online? To that end I am going to review my experience from last weekend at SoCal Sword fight.
HEMA is family.
I just got back from SoCal sword fight and it was a fantastic time, I met a lot of really great people, I got in some great training, taught a class, and felt like things went as well as could be expected for me. Overall it was an awesome weekend and I learned a lot.
The people:
SoCal sword fight is put on by an awesome group of volunteers some of whom I have known for years. An event will not go smoothly unless you have good people and this event had great people. There were problems but there always are things that come up and it is the people who make sure it gets worked out in a timely fashion and this crew was awesome for that. All of the people who are running this event want people to do better. I drove down to SoCal from my house, a 10 hour drive in good traffic. I left home at 5:45 on Thursday morning, and by Thursday afternoon I was near enough to the event that I was invited over to spend some time working on my cutting technique, and learning how to properly sharpen my sword so I could cut with it in the right way, as well being invited to South Coast's class that evening. Again, these people were under no requirement to help me out. some of them were going to be competing with me in events throughout the weekend, but a raising tide lifts all boats.
The Review:
A few years ago I went to my first large HEMA event and learned a lot, both about myself, as well as the community at large, and am constantly amazed at how that continues to be the case every time I go to an event. A lot of people talk about how an event is all about the tournaments, but to me it is really about the people. Maybe that is because I have never won anything major myself, but I don't think so. I cannot count the times that people have offered to come out to my club or have me out to theirs to work on something or help teach my students something. I have had people stand in my corner and help coach me, even when doing so put me at odds with their student. (I have also done this to be fair.)
Here is the deal, you cant teach HEMA well when you are living as if you are an Island. I do not care how big and awesome you feel like your club is, if all you know is your club, you can only get so good. I am a solidly middle of the pack fighter. In my tournaments this weekend I fell about the middle of the fighters in the events I did (with the exception of cutting, but I will talk about that). At home I am probably one of the better half of fighters so it would be easy to feel like I was super awesome and did not need to get better. Events help burst those bubbles. so there is a huge reason to go out and play with other people to see where your weaknesses are. Even if you are the top, there is always something to work on and going to events help you see just what those things are. This weekend I placed 18th in the open long sword and 17th in single stick, but looking at my scores there is a good narrative of what I was doing well and what I was not.
Here is the deal, you cant teach HEMA well when you are living as if you are an Island. I do not care how big and awesome you feel like your club is, if all you know is your club, you can only get so good. I am a solidly middle of the pack fighter. In my tournaments this weekend I fell about the middle of the fighters in the events I did (with the exception of cutting, but I will talk about that). At home I am probably one of the better half of fighters so it would be easy to feel like I was super awesome and did not need to get better. Events help burst those bubbles. so there is a huge reason to go out and play with other people to see where your weaknesses are. Even if you are the top, there is always something to work on and going to events help you see just what those things are. This weekend I placed 18th in the open long sword and 17th in single stick, but looking at my scores there is a good narrative of what I was doing well and what I was not.
This weekend was also my first class teaching something HEMA related outside of my local clubs. This was a stretch to me, as it was something I was nervous about. Before this event I had run this test. All along I had people in my corner cheering me on. It went well, and I have some work to do for next time, but it is amazing to know that you have a team behind you cheering you on because they believe in you. I did terribly on my cutting competition, but I had some great people help me and work with me so next time, I will do better.
All said and done, I did not bring home any medals, I did not walk away with anything to show for my time, but that is not the reason to go to an event. Making connections with other people is the real reason we get together a few times a year. If you can't make it to everything, that is OK. Get thee to a HEMA-ry! What matters is that you do what you can to meet people in the community. I found out this weekend that I have friends who read my blog for example, and people who get inspiration from some of the things I am doing. When you live so far away from these people it is good to know that you have people cheering you on from a distance. It is good to know that I can take a class and learn a different way of looking at things I have been looking at and if I have questions or want to talk about it, those people are willing to bounce ideas off of so we can all rise.
SoCal was not a revelation to me, but it was a great event. I learned a lot, got a lot of good feedback and know where I need to work to do better next time. For example, I did not win a lot of my matches, but many of them ran out of time. This says to me that I am defending myself better. I still need to work on attacking with that defense but that is an area I can work on, and it is great feedback to have. Some of my cleanest matches this weekend came out of getting in the ring with some of my friends. This weekend left it's mark and I will not move forward the same. That is what these events are about. If you come home with nothing new, I feel like you are missing something. This past weekend I brought home no medals, but I brought home all kinds of things to try and work on so next time I can do better.
One final note.
Events like SoCal, and Combat Con are about community. They are about spending time with friends who live hundreds or thousands of miles away. We have 3 local classes, but when we travel we are one team. It may be small, we may not have all the people of larger clubs, but we leave our footprints. If you come to an event and have no one in your corner, I will stand behind you. I do not care what club you come from, we are all one community. At the end of the day, that is what it is really about. It is not just about the medals, or just the classes, it is about the shared beer, or late night conversations on the finer points of a technique, or the funny stories that you will always have with you. HEMA is family, and this past weekend, while I missed my family at home, I had a great chance to stand with my brothers and sisters and work on this art we all love.
All said and done, I did not bring home any medals, I did not walk away with anything to show for my time, but that is not the reason to go to an event. Making connections with other people is the real reason we get together a few times a year. If you can't make it to everything, that is OK. Get thee to a HEMA-ry! What matters is that you do what you can to meet people in the community. I found out this weekend that I have friends who read my blog for example, and people who get inspiration from some of the things I am doing. When you live so far away from these people it is good to know that you have people cheering you on from a distance. It is good to know that I can take a class and learn a different way of looking at things I have been looking at and if I have questions or want to talk about it, those people are willing to bounce ideas off of so we can all rise.
SoCal was not a revelation to me, but it was a great event. I learned a lot, got a lot of good feedback and know where I need to work to do better next time. For example, I did not win a lot of my matches, but many of them ran out of time. This says to me that I am defending myself better. I still need to work on attacking with that defense but that is an area I can work on, and it is great feedback to have. Some of my cleanest matches this weekend came out of getting in the ring with some of my friends. This weekend left it's mark and I will not move forward the same. That is what these events are about. If you come home with nothing new, I feel like you are missing something. This past weekend I brought home no medals, but I brought home all kinds of things to try and work on so next time I can do better.
One final note.
Events like SoCal, and Combat Con are about community. They are about spending time with friends who live hundreds or thousands of miles away. We have 3 local classes, but when we travel we are one team. It may be small, we may not have all the people of larger clubs, but we leave our footprints. If you come to an event and have no one in your corner, I will stand behind you. I do not care what club you come from, we are all one community. At the end of the day, that is what it is really about. It is not just about the medals, or just the classes, it is about the shared beer, or late night conversations on the finer points of a technique, or the funny stories that you will always have with you. HEMA is family, and this past weekend, while I missed my family at home, I had a great chance to stand with my brothers and sisters and work on this art we all love.
