Thanks for sharing too, Matt! :D

Matt Easton wrote:

We have a bunch of sparring videos here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMUtS78ZxryOQ0UQ1F0JCK2EesyjdnuH4 Matt

http://youtu.be/4nPpNdFXArQ
Freestyle fencing on wet ground.

You're right. The varying reach will be her next aim in practice. That'll require more stamina, which she needs to strive for. hhahah. She has become ill and has a fever after the bout. It was too demanding for her I guess.

Jean Thibodeau wrote:

Lancelot Chan wrote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBEKBySOQ8w Practicing with wife and her spear. Always loved seeing your wife " killing you ' with the spear: She does a good job of using the range advantage of the spear but her survival rate might improve if she got into the habit of quickly shortening the spear when you get past her point as you rush in when you have managed to get past her point.

Thanks for your kind suggestion. She isn't healthy even in woman's standard and had gone through an operation last September. It was her second bouts after the recovery. So she has to be very careful in the progress and yes, having fun is important too. I'll have her practice the slipping hand thrusts and retractions first. Even that alone is tiring for her hahha. But everybody starts somewhere, so as long as she's willing to do some exercises in whatever form, I will encourage her. :D

Jean Thibodeau wrote:

Lancelot Chan wrote: You're right. The varying reach will be her next aim in practice. That'll require more stamina, which she needs to strive for. hhahah. She has become ill and has a fever after the bout. It was too demanding for her I guess. Jean Thibodeau wrote: Lancelot Chan wrote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBEKBySOQ8w Practicing with wife and her spear. Always loved seeing your wife " killing you ' with the spear: She does a good job of using the range advantage of the spear but her survival rate might improve if she got into the habit of quickly shortening the spear when you get past her point as you rush in when you have managed to get past her point. Well, it might make for less interesting video, unless you edit out rest pauses, but maybe if your wife's stamina is an issue you could separate each engagement/fight with a rest pause so that your wife can be fresh for each ? Usually these individual bouts only last 10 to 30 seconds maximum but not resting means many minutes of continuous action which can be more tiring. As your wife's adapts she might need less rest, but she does have to progress at her own pace according to her fitness level or health issues ....... the point is for her to acquire skills and have fun doing it, as I'm sure you are very considerate in respecting her current limitations. Oh, slipping the spear in the hands to control range can be done using very little energy, it's when it is combined with whole body fast advances and retreats that it can become exhausting I think: It may be useful for her to practice just the lengthening and shortening of the spear in isolation without any footwork or body motion as an exercise in control of the spear and only combine it with full body movement for actual bouts ? Hopefully useful suggestions of breaking down the spear training into isolated skills acquisitions.

http://youtu.be/MLiOabIU0nY
Practicing with Dicky, one of the advanced students.

BTW, wife continues to spar after recovery, which I'm very glad that she has the determination to go on. :D

http://youtu.be/Sx1WGCjshPQ
Freestyle fencing with Annie with the new product "simple spear". Simple spear's head features an internal airbag to dampen impact.

http://youtu.be/33BClQvFxi4
Yue has become good.

http://youtu.be/mlV9xx-RO48
Spear vs spear with old ghost

http://youtu.be/Xdf7s98530A
Spear vs spear with Fion

http://youtu.be/ptpKXb_A944
Spear vs sword with Henry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2Co3W_cWms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz5vQDBTBrk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF4g4indCqU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeAlmPmL4p0

4 more spear vs sword training for my advanced students.

http://youtu.be/DW4qN_0NgAE
Annie won the match

Yes, exactly, by being very accurate with the tip to strike my hand and elbow, and travel a shorter path than I did to save energy. She performed helix thrusts. :D I'm so happy that she kept on working out and getting improvement.

Jean Thibodeau wrote:

Lancelot Chan wrote: http://youtu.be/DW4qN_0NgAE Annie won the match Seems like she is out manoeuvring you by being subtle and being devious in her manoeuvring the tip of the spear: Sort of like being good in the bind with fühlen but with spears rather than with swords.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M66v6uUxixI
Practicing with wife, messing around with meat cleavers and butterfly swords.

http://youtu.be/jxIdSgESJ6Q
Annie Ma​ spear vs spear practice.

Thank you very much. I passed your comment to her and she's very happy about that. Thanks a lot for your long time support.

"Some people just don't seem to realize that moving back is also a good option because when in measure it is very very dangerous to stay there at a distance where reaction time can be too short to do something smart if surprised by a good attack in return! "

You know, by writing this statement, you've shown how good a swordsman you are already. This is a very important point in measure.

Once again, thanks a lot! It means a lot to us. She's getting better and better generally in health.

Jean Thibodeau wrote:

Lancelot Chan wrote: http://youtu.be/jxIdSgESJ6Q Annie Ma​ spear vs spear practice. Really a pleasure to watch, and Annie is really sneaky and devious, and hard to block or parry. She may not be varying the length/reach of the spear in her hands to any great degree, but she does seem to do it if a bit subtly, but she does control distance and measure plus timing very very well: As opposed to some who get into range initially for an attack, she avoids staying in range with no plan or reason. Some people just don't seem to realize that moving back is also a good option because when in measure it is very very dangerous to stay there at a distance where reaction time can be too short to do something smart if surprised by a good attack in return! If you think she will be pleased, pass along my complements for being maybe your most challenging opponent that I have seen in any of your clips. In bouts with my swordmaster some years ago, I was very happy when he spontaneously made the remark out loud that fighting me felt like fighting a slippery eel in the bind, and Annie's style sort of seems a bit like my style, and watching her I could almost feel my own body moving ..... LOL.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWs-3LVCGX0
Practicing with Taku and his 4 lbs long dao.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w3EBtrhiKs
Practicing with Henry and his 2 lbs katana.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0W9TBNYHH8
Practicing with Fion and his 2.75 lbs dao, I was using the 2 lbs katana.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMbpfdB68dk
Bought her a softball face mask as birthday gift as a result.