Growing your club: Why teach a beginners class?

This is going to be another of my HEMA Club running specific posts so if that is not what you are here for, read the last one or another blog this time.

I have been teaching my HEMA club for a little over 2 years and back when I took class over I started something that has been a real perk to my club. Just after I started teaching we began a beginners class as a way to give new students a way in. For years I would tell people to come check out class, and for years they asked when a good time to start would be. Often the answer was that we would tell them that we would always teach them basics whenever they came to class. For years this worked on some level, but what I found was that people did not feel real comfortable with just showing up and having someone teach them basics on the side since they were not participating in class.

How did we fix this?
Originally we started with the concept that once a month we would go over the basics and that would be a good time to have new people come and check things out. In addition to this, it became something we could promote on our website, or in community calendars, or potentially with a press release. This was a way of telling new students that we wanted them there. This also gave some of my more experienced students a place to help teach, as well as refreshing them on the fundamentals of the sword that we teach. Our initial turnout was pretty good, though some months were better than others. On weeks that we did not have new people we simply worked on the things we had been working on previously.

How often is too often?
Initially i set this class up to meet every 1st Saturday of the month, meaning that in months when we only had 4 weeks 1 week at least was focused on teaching this class. Where I found this to be a challenge is that we would be making progress going through the class material and find that we had to stop that progress every month for the beginners class. Eventually we moved to holding it every other month, and this helped some but them we had the problem of people who had just missed it and telling a new student that they should show up, in a month and a half for this thing they were excited for. Most of those students I never saw in class even when it was close to their beginners class.

What works?
Really what I found works is you have to ask what works for you.  If your class is small, you may not want to teach a beginners class every 4 weeks, because unless you split class, you may not be able to take the new people through the material without making the more advanced students bored or feeling like they have done X too many times. (You can only talk about how important muscle memory is so many times.) There is a balance. Like I said, You have to figure out what works best for your club and your situation, but you also do not want to put new students off too long or you risk them going other directions and never coming to class.
As for my class, beginning this month we started a monthly rotation of 4 week beginners classes that are designed just for new students. This way they can meet other new students, they do not feel like they are missing something their fellow students are not getting, and we have a chance to get through more material since we do not feel like we are dragging all of class behind to get them up to speed. For our beginners class we are asking that they attend all of the weeks before joining the intermediate classes we hold so that we give them the best chance to learn things before being thrown in with the rest of class.

What does the beginners class look like?
For our most recent classes we have looked at things from a very basic point of view. Take the first part of class and just teach footwork, then measure as it relates to that, then a few plays or drills that work on that, a huge thing here is to look at how much time you have and make sure you are not trying to cram too much into 1 class or you risk overload and people not remembering what you have taught them. Sometimes this can be helped with review but if you just took the last 3 hours cramming them full of info, retention is going to be minimal.

I also encourage my new students to make some friends in the class. When I first started in my class years ago, these people were not just my friends, they were some of the best friends I had. Obviously, you can't force people to be nice to each other or to make friends but when they drill, ask them to tell each other their names. It is a start and the more your students feel a part of something the more likely they are to stick around. No one wants to be the new kid who knows no one and has no friends in the class, so encouraging that is key.

Why is any of this important?
Basically what it comes down to is this, a beginners class gives people who are interested a good place to join class without feeling like they are the outsiders. This is a great way to expand your student base and can be very easy to advertise. People will come and go with class and that is to be expected but a beginners class gives you a way to acculturate your students and welcome them to your club culture.  No one wants to feel like the outsider who is not welcome and beginner classes are a great way to create that community as long as you are willing to take the time to be warm and welcoming in your teaching. Answer questions, take some extra time with the student who keeps having problems doing what your are talking about. It will pay dividends in the long run.

2017 in retrospect, 2018 looking forward.

As the days draw to a close it is important to me to reflect on what I have accomplished this year and what I am looking towards for next year.

2017
It was a year for goals. I lost 50 pounds (then gained about 20 back) but have kept off 30 for the last 6 months.
It was the year I set my mind to doing something (cutting qualifier) and achieved it.
It was the year that the Scottish festival moved.
It was the year I did my first charity ride on my motorcycle.
It was the year I moved my sword class indoors.
It was the year my son turned 2 and started picking up words faster than I can count them.
It was my first year without grandparents.
I lost some friends to death and met some new people.
It was the year I got my shred route and was really able to make my job my own to any extent.
I took my Henry VIII costume out on the road more than just the local events.
I picked up single stick and found a fun sword thing I can do in semi light gear.
I listened to more books then I can think to remember or list.
I have studied the long sword manuals harder this year then I have in the past.
I had my 5th anniversary of marriage and our 5th anniversary of moving into our house.
I turned 36, I am closer to 40 then I am to 30, which feels very strange.

So what is in store for 2018?
This morning I finished reading Walden though I have been meaning to for years. In 2018 I intend to read or listen to more books. I like to listen to books while I am driving and since I do so much of it now, it is really something I need to embrace.

I have 2 sword events out of town this year on my calendar so going and competing and giving it my best is definitely on the list. How to improve my sword work will in large part be based on how that goes.

Eating better. Something that struck me in reading Walden was how much he talked about good diet of the right foods and drinks. Since August I have let things slip, it is time to take it back. The big idea is to eat as I need to not just because and to drink enough water to balance things.

Connecting to my spirituality- This is something I have missed over the last few years. I am not sure what for it will take and it is going to be a lot of thinking on things and going to my roots but it is a part of who I am that I miss. This may not mean going back to church, but it does mean looking at my spirituality and reconnecting it on a regular basis.

Connecting better with friends- I miss my friends and feel like I do not see them enough. I really want to make a good effort this year to see people, or have them over or work out some time to see and hang out with people. I am a social beast and get down when I have little social interaction, I need to work on that in a balanced way.

Somewhere, in the drive today I had some time to think and I realized I have an idea of how I see myself at 37. How that guy acts and is. Since I see it, and can really get a grasp on that, maybe it is time to embrace it. It is time to step up to who I know I can be and just be it.

I have a few days to work on plans for these but they will be my focus for this year.

On Christmas

Before I begin, it is important to say that I am not, nor have I ever considered myself a Christian by the basic definitions of that faith. I do not believe that Jesus died for my sins, I do not believe that I have to be baptized to cleanse me of my sins. I do however, believe that there are some great tenants of that faith and people should be kind to each other, give to charity, and do good, though this is hardly unique to just this faith.

Christmas to me is special. No, I do not believe that it is the birthday of our lord and savior, but I also do not believe that all that it can be is about is the celebration of the birth of the central figure in this faith. (Jesus was not born in December if the books talking about his birth are to be understood as read.)

So what does Christmas mean to me as a non-christian?
Christmas is about coming together as friends and family. It happens around, the time of the shortest day of the year (at least in the northern hemisphere). It is a time to gather, and enjoy the company of friends and family. It is a time when we celebrate hope, and wonder and Joy. On the shortest day of the year, we celebrate that the sun, (son?) is born and we see longer and longer days after it. If things made sense, it would be the beginning of the year (It is pretty close).

Do I have a Christmas tree? I do. It is a tradition, that I enjoy and has as much to do about the birth of Jesus as anything else we do. I love Christmas Carols not because I believe that Christ is born, and so we are saved, but because of the hope and joy in the songs, in many ways it is about the rebirth of hope on (or near) the longest night of the year.
I give gifts because I enjoy sharing with others and it is one way of saying that I care about them, Christmas is a great time to do that.

I believe that this holiday, as it is, or can be, celebrated is more than just a Christian thing. It is about coming together as a people, and for at least a time, being one people. I do not do black Friday sales on Thursday night because I do not like seeing the ugliness, greed and aggression in people. That to me not what the holiday is about. It is not about getting the biggest presents, maybe because most of the time I try to keep Christmas small. If there is something big that we want or need through the year, we get or do it. Christmas is about friends and family, and enjoying each others company. Not just about getting the biggest newest things, at least I think so.

I have been known to light a Hanukkah candle or 2. Not because I believe in the Jewish faith, but because it is one way that we celebrate the light in the darkness. There is beauty in all faiths, if you are willing to look for them. It may not be mine, but if it brings you joy and does not tear down others, I think that is what the world needs more of. Christmas is a great time to celebrate our brotherhood as a family of people, each doing that best that they can to get by. What the world needs is more of us helping each other. Kindness does not need to have a great cost, and if it brings us together, maybe we can see each other better, and maybe get more things done. 

Something that strikes me particularly hard about Christmas is a line from John Denver and The Muppet Christmas song "Alfie the Christmas tree"

Oh, Alfie believed in Christmas all right, he was full of Christmas cheer.
All of each and every day and all throughout the year.

To him it was more than a special time much more than a special day,
It was more than a beautiful story. it was a special kind of way.

You see, some folks have never heard a jingle bell ring,
And they've never heard of Santa Claus.
They've never heard the story of the Son of God. And that made Alfie pause.

Did that mean that they'd never know of peace on earth
or the brotherhood of man?
Or know how to love, or know how to give? If they can't, no one can.
You see, life is a very special kind of thing, not just for a chosen few.
But for each and every living breathing thing. Not just me and you.

So in your Christmas prayers this year, Alfie asked me if I'd ask you
to say a prayer for the wind, and the water, and the wood,
and those who live there, too.

I do not consider myself a Christian, but I do believe that you can be a good person no matter what your faith, (If any at all). If I see you on the street and you say Merry Christmas I will say it back. If not I may say Happy Holidays because I like to include those people who celebrate winter holidays in different ways than I do, and I like to include New Years in that, rather than JUST Christmas.  

On Fatherhood

Fatherhood: noun

1. the state of being a father.

1. 
   

This is not going to be an easy one to write. 

On October 21st 2015 I became a father. It is and has been something that has changed my life. I love my son more than I could have ever known was possible. Each day he learns something new and though, there are times where he tests my patience, I love reading to him, and spending time with him, and seeing his face light up as he jumps around when I get home. There is truly nothing like it, and each day I am so happy that I have had the chance to be a father. I love my son, but after he was born we both kind of felt that our little family was complete. 

On October 9th 2016, we had a daughter who never lived. We knew that getting pregnant was going to be hard. That is why when we were trying with Sean, Cindy took medication to help her body create HCG when she was pregnant. Last year, there were indications that she may be pregnant but multiple pregnancy tests, and a few blood tests showed that she was not. This is a part of the world that we live in. On the night of October 9th we went to the hospital because Cindy was not feeling well. The long and short of it is that that night, Cindy delivered a daughter who had major birth defects. She had 7 fingers on one hand and 6 on the other among other things that were misshapen, missing or just not right. These are all things that would have developed in the first term, but we never knew that she was there. This was also the first time I had heard the term Irish Twins. (2 children born within the period of 1 year. Seriously, it is a thing, and a little racist.) 

One thing she did have, which was so hard for me was she was born with red hair. We looked at the possibility of not naming her but it did not feel right. She never lived, nor from the defects would she have, if she had lived to term. She never moved, we never knew she was there, she simply was. When we were talking about names for Sean we decided that there were names that were off the table no matter what his gender was. Most of that had to do with what kids would call him in school, or how he could age with a name. If he had been a girl, Angel was definitely off the table, but in this case it just fit. 

It has been a year, but there is still a feeling of loss, not for our little girl, but for the little girl who could have been, that is where I feel the loss. We still do not feel like we need more children, and anyone who suggests that we somehow do really needs to mind their own damn business,  but I feel like in a way, we have had 2. Fatherhood has become a part of who I am. At the last Renaissance fair, for example I felt strongly responsible for the people in my guild. When it comes to sword, I feel like I am a sword dad of sorts. Fatherhood has gotten into my bones. I want people to do the right thing and to encourage them to do it. I want people to learn things and make themselves better. I am the father of 2, though I feel like in some cases, that number changes based on where I am.  

Angel never lived, she never took a breath, or crawled across the floor or cooed lovingly as we entertained her, but Sean did. Every day I am so happy to be a dad to such a good kid, and this loss has made me that much more grateful for the chances I get to spend time with him and watch him grow into a such a good, little boy (Even if he is trouble sometimes) Had this happened before Sean was born, I am not sure we would have tried again, but again, life had other plans. Grieving has been made easier because I could come home and sit on the couch with my son and watch a movie, or  hold his hand walking through a fair, or get a big high 5 just because he thinks it is still cool. Some things he will age out of, but I am glad for the time I do have. 

Being a biological father is not hard, but being a Father can be. It is not always smiles and sunshine, sometimes you have to clean up a messy diaper or have your kid throw up on you. Sometimes they scream for no reason and there is little you can do to comfort them. Sometimes parenthood is frustrating as hell, but I can say this for it, every day it makes me do all I can to be a better example for my son. That may be a bad way to self improvement, but if I can teach my son well, maybe one day he will be a good man, and that is all I can ever hope for. 

Getting your message out there: Press releases for HEMA

Everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame, but other than a tragic sword related accident, or something catastrophic, how do you get the news to cover your event, or club without putting a lot of money into advertising in a lot of different places and hoping you see a return. This article is written with the new press person in mind. If you have found something else works better for you, that is great, keep doing it, but if not, I may have a few ideas to help you grow your club.

I have been getting press to come out and cover my sword club for years now and have had some success in doing so multiple times a year. By way of a disclaimer, I am not an advertising expert, but I have been doing advertising for my club, as well as the Utah Scottish association for several years now and would like to share my experience with my fellow clubs.
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Know your audience. You may have to write 2 or 3 press releases based on who the readership/viewership of the media you are sending a press release to, but if that reaches them better, it is worth it. Most of the time, I write press releases to the general public, some of whom may show up after seeing us in print or on the news, so I write a very broad press release. Your audience may know what you are talking about when you explain what your club does, but assume that they do not and then, when they show up if they know the subject better, talk at a higher level about it to them.

In as much as possible, give them something that they could go to press with, with little or no adjustment. What this means is answer 4 W's for them. (Who, What, When, and Where) What it all comes down to is this: You teach a sword class. That is awesome, and it may be interesting to your audience, but it is not something that a news organization will spend a lot of time covering. Before I started sending out focused press releases we had 1 or 2 people come out in the time frame of a couple of years, but now, we have 2 or 3 every 6 months. Timeliness is important here. A story on the fact that you teach a class, since you teach it all the time, it is not timely, as they could run it this weekend or 3 weeks from now and it would make no difference to them.

What they are willing to cover is an event you are holding, or a special class or seminar you are teaching. News organizations are looking for things people can come and see, or things that people can do, this is your bread and butter. Does that mean that you can't talk about what classes you teach? Absolutely not, but rather than lead with "We teach a sword class and it is awesome." Lead with, "We are teaching a different weapon, or style this month."  or "We have a class for new people that starts on this day and costs this much" THEN follow it with "this is a part of our regular class, which teaches X, and here is where you can get more information about who we are and what we do.

Make sure you have a good website, Facebook page, or good way for people to get a hold of you. If it is a website, make sure that most of the questions you get asked by new people are answered there. That way when people do go there it will cut down on answering the same question over and over. You may still have to answer those questions some, but it at least will cut down on the number of times you have to do so.

Now you have a piece of beautiful writing, how do you get it to the press?
The way I go about it is this. Go to the website for any organization you want to cover your event, and look for an email of the editor, or where they take press releases. Often, it is something as simple as news@Newspaper.com, or editor@tvchannel.com. Most papers or tv channels will have this information on a contact us page or on the bottom of the main pages. If you are not sure, send it to the press release and the news tip emails. The worst that happens is that they do nothing. If they have a public events calendar, post it there. Most public radio stations for example will, pull stories from their public events calendar for announcement on the air, so it does not hurt to post those to as many calendars as you can. Make sure that you send it out a month before the event, and again a week or so before the event, so they have a chance to run it and a better chance of someone seeing it. What you do not want to do is to send it out weekly or daily to the same people as they will stop paying attention and may ignore things you send them in the future.

Now,  you have done all that and you get a call or email from a news source who wants to come out and talk to you. What next?

Be willing to be a little silly. If you are on a morning show, they may want to do something silly as a part of what they are showing. I get it, you teach a martial art, that can be serious business, but if you can't have fun with it, they will not come back. The interviewer may ask a silly question, assume that your interviewer, or your audience knows nothing about the topic and keep it simple. If that means that you are teaching the person a drill, or you are showing a drill, do that, but do not go too far into explaining it. You have limited time with a TV crew so keeping it simple is better than explaining a lot and not covering everything you want to due to time.

Show, don't tell.
When it comes to TV they want to see something interesting. Show some sparring, show some drills, show the different weapons you teach, show a page from a manual, but do not just stand in front of a camera without a sword and say we teach HEMA and it is a lot of fun. Instead,  show students doing it or doing a fun game you use in class. They want to see something different, not just a guy in front of the camera talking about your event, even having people spar in the background is better than a guy with a mic talking with nothing going on in the background.

Lastly, know that as good of a story as you write or they come out and do, at the end of the day, your story is a fun human interest story, and could be bumped due to another more important story. Do not get discouraged, it might happen but even if they bump it today, they could run it tomorrow. On a slow news day they may give you a little more time, but be willing to go with the flow on it.

Because I believe in showing not telling I have posted one of our press releases below.

The United Clans Swordsman Association and True Edge Academy of Provo to hold 2^ndannual sword fighting competition of the year in Salt Lake City

For immediate release September 24, 2016 Salt Lake City, UT

The United Clans Swordsman Association and True Edge Academy of Swordsmanship will be holding their second bi-annual sword fighting competition of the year October 8^th 2016 from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City. Both groups are members of the Historical European Martial Arts Alliance a national nonprofit dedicated to Historical European Swordsmanship. Techniques taught include Long sword, Short Sword, Dagger, and unarmed fighting and defense. Participation in the competition will be limited to members of both groups; however, all are welcome to come to watch the event which will be held on the east side of the park by the large stone fireplace.

There will be a beginner’s synthetic longsword tournament, a Synthetic open weapons tournament, and a steel Long Sword tournament all taking place during the competition on October 8^th.

“The Historical European Martial Arts are really an emerging field,” says Jordan Hinckley a Salt Lake native and Instructor for the UCSA’s Saturday class.  “In other sports, what you do is just a game. Even modern Olympic fencing has changed over time and lost much of its original martial intent and skills. This art was something that I always wanted to learn, but up until several years ago did not know existed, what to call it, or where to go learn it. Now having been involved in it for as long as I have it is something I am proud of, and that teaches me skills that go far beyond how to properly swing a sword."

The reasons behind joining for many of the participants in class vary. Some students join because they want to explore the fighting styles of Europe, others come to learn a unique martial art that is not widely practiced, still others find themselves attracted to it because they have always wanted to learn how to fight with a sword, but it does come with a particular caveat.

“We are not playing a game when we show up to class,” Says Travis Emery, the head of the UCSA. “All of our technique is based historical texts and things that were done with the weapons and technique that we teach. In swordsmanship as an art, we look at what is in the historical texts to see what was taught, and how we can practice it safely while still learning the initial intent.  More often than not we are surprised by many of the things that are shown in the historical manuals that would be against most modern sporting rules but make total sense in a self-defense situation. This is a combat art that was practiced for centuries through fighting on the field, as well as taught in fencing schools all over Europe.”

“There is a huge misconception that in Europe, the fighting style until fairly recently was very simply hacking and slashing at each other, that there were no martial arts of Europe, this could not be further from the truth. These arts are just as complex as anything taught in the east, after all the body only moves so many ways and can only do so many things.” Says Jack Stewart one of the instructors for the UCSA’s Saturday class.

Both groups teach classes throughout the week. More information about the organization, as well as the Historical European Martial Arts can be found on their websites at www.TheUCSA.com, and http://trueedgeacademy.com/ as well as on the Facebook pages for both groups.

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Combat Con 2017 Making progress.

I did it, now what?
But we will get back to that.

This past weekend was Combat Con 2017. For those of you not sure what that means, here is the skinny. Combat Con was the first sword event I ever attended and it changed my life. That can be found here: http://theswordsmanslife.blogspot.com/2014/06/getting-there-and-back-again-combat-con.html
The long and short is that my first Combat Con forced me to ask myself "How can, I?" Rather than staying stuck saying "I can't", I came back in 2015, and it had some great ups, and some major downs but it changed the course of my training just a bit more.
They can be found here:
http://theswordsmanslife.blogspot.com/2015/06/combat-con-matters.html
http://theswordsmanslife.blogspot.com/2015/06/my-personal-thoughts-on-moving-myself.html

This Combat Con was a turning point for me.
So, the review:
I loved the venue this year, the spaces were plentiful, the schedule allowed me to attend most of the classes that I wanted to attend. But there is something more than that to me. What makes Combat Con for me is the people. I have met people from all around the world here and yet, the thread that binds us all is our love for the art that we practice. For some, that is a particular weapons system, or a particular style of weapons or unarmed study, but that thread binds us all. At Combat Con, the Rapier student and the Long sword student can stand side by side and find common ground in the things that we teach and study.
Combat Con is a family not of blood but of steel. I have seen people help those outside their club improve because the better we all are, the more we have to push ourselves to BE better. I have stood in the corner and coached friends who did not have a coach there to help them, and this weekend I had friends who stood behind me no matter where they were from because they believed in me and were proud of the hard work I have been doing. These are MY people, and there was not a person I met who did not want me to do well.
I met a lot of new people, had one of my best days in HEMA and walked away not only excited for next year, but proud of myself and 2 friends of mine who had good showings in tournaments. One of our students who has moved clubs but still comes to our class from time to time took 1st in steel Long sword and Beginners cutting, but for me this year meant something bigger.

Cutting it
2 years ago at Combat Con I was not able to pass my cutting qualifier to be able to compete in the steel long sword tournament. This was hard on me and I did not do as well as I wanted to in the tournament I ended up in. A year ago, my job was in trouble, so I did not attend. This year, with work stabilized I decided would be the time to come back, and overcome the challenges I faced last time.
I have been working my butt off the last little bit, to make sure that this time I would pass. Going down to Vegas I told myself that if I passed, I would bring home a new cutting sword, and once down I told my friends that if I failed, that money would go to buying more mats so that next time I would be 100% sure that I would pass it. 4 cuts later, I was in. Months and months of worry and hard work to understand how to use my body properly to make sure I could do it was over and here I was, proud of all I had put into it. Not only my local guys cheered me on, but also those friends who have supported me over the years from other clubs.

On to Steel! 
The pools were set, mine was bigger than the others but I was going into it knowing that win or loose I would give it my best and prove that I belonged there. In my first match I had on of my friends who has been behind me for the last few years corner coaching me. This is why I love this community, RJ stood with me, when I felt like crap because I failed last time and believed in me that I could get where I wanted to be by this time. Though in California, he critiqued video I sent him and was super supportive all along this process.  At the end of the day, I won 2 of my 4 matches and moved on to eliminations since I did well enough to place in the top 24. I may have lost my next match but I made it further than I ever expected to make it, and if my friends are to be believed My fighting has improved since my first time 3 years ago.

Moving forward. 
This event has done more for my self esteem than any event I have ever been to. These people want me to do well and are really cheering me on as I work towards that. I am not sure what my next goals may be, but I know that my "Combat Con family" is there for me as I decide and work hard to get there. These are not the people I am related to by blood, but they are those who share a love for the art, and who want all of us to succeed, we may meet other places, but this event has a special place in my heart as where it all began, and where I know I can find a good fight, a decent drink, and some great friends always willing to stand in my corner when I need it.

Till next year my friends!
Jordan (You know that Henry VIII dude)

Why we will never travel in time as I see it.

I have given a lot of time and thought to time travel as it is presented in movies and television and there is one thing that stands out. In all of these representations of time travel someone goes back in time, changes the timeline, then comes back to a changed future. In that way "everything has changed". I am not convinced that time travel could or would actually be that way.
Think of time travel as a spiral instead of a straight line. Rather than going back then coming forward on the same line, you go back, change something then the future you move to is the one in which belongs to the changed past rather than the one you know. In that way, nothing is truly fixed, rather it is fixed as we know it or as what is our history but not universal.

This also presents a whole different problem that is often overlooked for the sake of simplicity. If you go back in time on this time line, then come back to a different one, unless in that one you also "Disappeared" you are entering a timeline where you exist at the same time. This may not be a true paradox, and may not strain the time space continuum but what it does do, in a very real way is create 2 of you. (Again, unless the you from the new time line also went back and changed things then moved to a different strand) This may not be as big of a problem as people think, but who knows.

Think of it this way. In timeline X you were born, had all of your life experiences up to and including the movement through spacetime. The fact that you went back at all creates all kinds of problems, (See butterfly effect) When you move forward from that point, you are moving forward into a timeline we will call Y. To that end the question of becoming your own grandfather is definitely possible as you could be the grandfather of someone who you are in timeline Y having been grandfathered by your own grandfather in timeline X. There is of course another point to timeline Y you may not or never have existed at all. (Say back to the future without fixing the relationship with mom) Here is the thing, You are made up of millions and millions of genes, all of which were dependent on which sperm fertilized what egg.  It is possible that in that time line you never existed, or you were a completely different genetic person based on the randomness of which sperm fertilized the egg. Even barring that, if you are the same genetic person, there is nothing that says that all of your experiences would have brought you to the exact same point or to be the same person you are today. In timeline X you get beat up in 5th grade and do nothing about it, in timeline Y you fight the bully back, thus changing a part of who you are. Or even more subtle, In one you are beat up and you are depressed, and it changes your whole outlook on life from that point forward, in the other you are beat up and you take it defiantly in the future. even this perspective shift could change the outcome of your life, so much so that when you change the past in the shared time, and you move forward and meet yourself in timeline Y you are not the same person at all.

Here is the point. Everything we do has an impact, whether we want it to or not. In Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder" we are lead to believe that it is the dead butterfly that changes the future, but even your presence in the past would change the past.  For the time you are there, even if you were able not to meet someone you shouldn't have, you are there, breathing the air, which changes the amount of carbon dioxide on the planet for that time, that may not seem important but it could be due to the larger implications.

If we are to ever move through time, we will need to do so without interacting with it to avoid any movement from one timestream to another. Want to see the declaration of independence signed? You will need to do so by observing it but not physically being in the room. The added advantage this has is that if you are moving consciousness, rather than moving a body through space time it will take less energy to do so, as well as not having any impact on the past. To make time travel work we must find a way to be non participant observers rather than going back and being active participants.