THE GOODWELL FIGHTING STYLE

Since there's been quite a bit of combat in my recent past, I thought it might be useful to describe the Goodwell Fighting Style in a little more detail. We don't usually call it that of course - it's just 'the Style'.

WHO KNOWS IT?

Most of the (extended) Goodwell family have the option to learn it if they want to. It's a very demanding technique though, and most only learn the very basics as part of their normal education.
So for a typical Goodwell (such as my cousin Tim who I've mentioned already) it's just one little part of their training. If they're taught to fight, they'll get a few lessons with the two long-knives, but many don't go beyond that. Although ambidexterity is very common in the family, most as are at least a comfortable with a sword as with the two long-knives.

Only a handful of people are really trained properly. Among the living, only my uncle Jonathan is regarded as having truly mastered the Style.

LEARNING THE STYLE

The Style is learned in two stages - the Basic Style and the Master Style. In each stage, the Student begins by doing non-combat physical training to build endurance and dexterity. At the same time, he reads a training manual, and trys to replicate the techniques. Obviously, this results in only a crude approximation of the optimal technique. A Master then shows the Student his interpretation of the technique. This might seem a strange training method, but it gives all students a far greater level of insight into why the Style is as it is. A superior style is better appreciated when a lesser style has been tryed.

THE BASIC STYLE

The Basic Style consists of learning to use two long-knives. The Basic Stance involves holding one knife upwards and one downwards. Against a right-handed opponent with one weapon (the 'standard opponent'), the left is downwards (the defensive) and the right is upwards (the offensive). Both weapons are used to attack and defend, but the left is more commonly used defensively than the right.

The Basic Style consists of the Basic Stance, and the use thereof. You learn to switch from right-stance to left-stance, to dodge (in fact this is _the_ basic skill), to deflect/parry and to strike.

In avoiding injury, the three protections in order of preference are dodging, deflecting, and armour.

DEFENSE THROUGH THE DEFENSIVE WEAPON

Consider a swordsman in the 'high stance' (i.e. sword above head). This is the easiest to deflect/parry.
The defensive hand is usually held at some angle between the knuckles being verticle and being horizontal.
When the opponent strikes, you use the defensive hand not to block, but to push his blade away from you.

In 'mid stance', the opponent might lunge, or slash. A lunge can be pushed aside easily; a slash is more difficult. The main defenses are jumping back, or jumping forward as he prepares to swing. In this case, the defensive weapon is used to hold his weapon in place, while the offensive weapon is used to attack.

The 'low stance' can be dealt with much like the high stance.

It's better to use the blade to deflect, not to block, if there's much force in the attack. This is more reliable and less likely to damage the blade over time. (You should also try to have the flats of the blades touching while deflecting, rather than the edges, although this can be tricky to achieve.)

THE MASTER STYLE

This consists of more advanced skills that build upon the Basic Style. I'll just list one here for illustrative purposes, but there are many of them. This one is called the 'Spin Past'.

Normally we use one hand quite defensively. If the defensive weapon is help horizontal, it can be used for a slash or punch-like stab, but mostly it's defensive. In the 'Spin Past', we reverse this. Here's the situation: you're facing a 'standard opponent'. As he strikes at you, you shift your left (i.e. defensive-side) foot backwards, and deflect/parry with your _offensive_ weapon, aiming to briefly leave your opponent off-balance. You continue to spin around counter-clockwise, so that you end up stepping around your opponent. At this point, you are behind him, facing away from each other, each with your opponent to your left rear. You have a backwards pointing long-knife in your left hand; he has a sword in his right hand, facing forward. You can strike him in the lower back with impunity, as you continue to spin around, withdraw the left blade, and find yourself behind him, facing him, having effectively flanked him. He is now dead meat.

[OOC: Consider a forward 'turning' a defender in soccer.]

There are many variants on this - the clockwise spin-past (use the left stance instead of the right), the run-past-and-slash, and the inward-facing spin-past, which is less spectacular but in some ways safer.