Anyone train Serrada?I'm trying it out.

[jspeedy]

I often have the opposite problem you would think in largo - people back away a lot, so I end up moving forward while staying in largo. It's all about proper footwork and distance.



For beginners, one-inch close-cell foam padding over the rattan. Headgear optional. Body and head armor is discouraged, but if using it will get you to spar, then it's OK. For advanced, half-inch padding, no armor. Eventually the goal is no padding, no armor.

Basic rules are limited time in corto, no thrusts, no grappling. Those can be altered, but generally the format is altered instead - fighting on the bench, multiple opponents, two on two, etc.

Can you strike to the head and face? I assume you use typical sparring etiquette where you challenge your partner without damaging them. But at advanced levels with lightly padded rattan or bare rattan a head strike can cause serious damage.

[tim_stl]

Can you strike to the head and face?

Yeah - it's a primary target area. When we play with bare rattan, we go light (I'm not brave/stupid enough to go full contact with it yet). When it's padded, the general idea is to go full-bore. Most of the time advanced practitioners will ease up on the less-skilled practitioners. There are rare injuries, occasional blood, and commonly a lot of bruises and lumps. Helps teach you to get out of the way. :)

If you can, you should attend the summer retreat near Ft. Lauderdale. It's June 28-30 this year- half of each day is training, half is sparring. If not, I have tentative plans to swing through Orlando this fall. We can spar and train.


Tim

[RynoGreene]

The only thing I wonder about largo styles is what do you do when you don't have the optimal range. BJJ has demonstrated how easy it is to take away range. I would think an experienced escrimador would find it easy to close the gap and take away the largo players advantage.

Traditionally, most largo systems were played with heavier impact weapons, or more likely with longer blades. A smart largo player might not initially be going for the kill/head shot, but will go for your weapon hand and such. It can be very conservative in it's approach, but is tactically sound in a classic battle setting. Just rushing to get to close, can be fairly risky if you don't set it up under these circumstances.

Of course when you start playing with light rattan, just shielding up and rushing in can be quite effective.

[1evilgenius]

that video was taken in chicago - did you drive down from minnesota?

Yeah we drove down, we have friends in Chicago so we figured we would check it out.

[tim_stl]

Yeah we drove down, we have friends in Chicago so we figured we would check it out.

how was it?

[1evilgenius]

that video was taken in chicago - did you drive down from minnesota?

It was ok. It would have been more fun to do a bar-b-que or something along with it or something more social. Not sure what happened to the host, he couldn't make it.