Dual Wielding
Written by Jesriad Man'dolian
This class can be used to learn the dual wielding advantage - and/or presumably a weapon skill point, probably.
[Board Intro/Signup Message]
[Lesson One]
[Lesson Two]
[Lesson Three]
[Lesson Four]
[Lesson Five]
[Lesson Six]
[Final]
[Return to the Archive]
OOC Introduction
OK. First of all, welcome to everyone who has joined this class and has yet to join! I intend to keep this class running as long as there is interest in it. The basic gameplan for this class is probably something you'll be curious about, so I figured I'd lay out the plan for you to look at. Feel free to offer up any suggestions on things you think should be added/removed or any opinions about things you would or would not like to see included in this class. For now, this is the general plan:
Lesson 1: This weapon is just going to be a good, slow, basic introductory step. In almost every aspect of battle, you are as much a danger to yourself as to others unless you have excellent knowledge of the weapons with which you fight, so this first lesson focuses on that aspect. This will basically be a refresher course for you on the intimate details of what you wield and a look at your cool toys for me. *smiles mischeivously*
Lesson 2: This second lesson will be more about the knowledge of yourself- how you wield what you wield, precisely. This, like the knowledge of what you wield, is also quite important, because even if you know the ins-and-outs of your weapon's every facet, if you can't do anything but pull it out of a scabbard, you are in quite a bit of trouble. Thus, this second lesson- for now- is set to be about how you wield your weaponry. How would you wield the first blade, based purely on its size (which ultimately dictates its fighting style to a certain extent)? How would you wield the second blade, based, again, on its size? How is the wielding of the two similar when they are together, and how is it different? What personal twists does your character have for wielding them, and why? These are all good things to know, because they lay a great foundation for some kick@$$ fighting!
Lessons 3 through 5 will most likely be on different stances. I will, again, focus mainly on the wielding of dual swords-- in Jesriad's case, two single-handed blades-- but any combination of dual wielding that a student presents I will do my best to offer stances for (since you obviously wouldn't use EVERYTHING the same way).
Lesson 6 will be a basic final. You will run a simple, short-term spar of four to six posts apiece (I can RP with you if it becomes needed!) in which you can implement everything learned up to this point: the physical make-up of your weaponry, the characteristic make-up of your stances and personal fighting styles, and the reasons for what you do. After the spar, Jesriad will stop you and your partner (who can be an NPC you create if necessary, though I would rather you have a dual duel with a real person) and ask both of you for your reasoning. When that's all said and done, you'll pass!
Lesson One: What to Wield
Jesriad paced in front of his small group of students. "Welcome to Dual Wielding," he began. "Today, we're going to begin our class by focusing on what you wield. Eventually, all of you would love to be out on the battlefield using two weapons simultaneously and crushing an entire horde of Trollocs without breaking a sweat. We would love to merely crush a Myrddraal's body with our bare hands without even an effort. But then, those of us who still have those dreams wake up." He paused briefly, allowing the few laughs to sink in. "Before you can even begin the road to any sort of elitist wielding, however, you have to begin somewhere. In most cases, the first obstacle is always the same: yourself. Untrained, you are as much of a danger to yourself as you are to anyone that you are fighting. Therefore, I wanted to make this class to show you the art of dual wielding.
You cannot simply pick up two weapons and begin to use them together. Whatever two weapons you pick should compliment one another, or, at the least, not get into one another's way. For this reason, certian combinations are usually encouraged while others are quickly discouraged.
No one here can pick up two greatswords and begin hacking away skillfully; it is not possible. For that matter, you cannot pick up a greatsword single-handedly and wield it at all unless you practice thoroughly with it that way, and even then it is essentially impossible to do with any level of skill at all. This eliminates the use of a greatsword in dual wielding at all, for the most part. While it is a fine weapon, it has no place here.
However, there are plenty of combinations that you can utilize. Sword and dagger or rapier and dagger are two combinations that are fairly popularly accepted. Using two swords is also a combination that works, whether one chooses to wield a longsword (2-handed) and a broadsword (shortsword/1-handed) or two broadswords. Dual longswords wouldn't work because you have no short-range defense, and any good swordsman could tear you apart- something we attempt to train against the occurrence of. Dual rapiers are a possible combination, although many think that they are more trouble than they are worth to use together."
Pausing for a moment, he caught his breath and let the few students taking notes finish their furious scribbling before he finished up his lesson. "The other important aspect of dual wielding- and of any form of armed combat, at that- is that you must know the weapons you wield in and out. While choosing an acceptable combination is an important step, you must know your weapons well as well. So... Your assignment for this class is to go and get whatever practice armaments- or real weapons, though in training you will still use bundles, like it or not- you would like to use together. Next class, you will all tell me of your choices and the intricate details of your weapons. You can choose from the combinations I spoke of today."
OOC: More or less the same thing, except that I've limited the possible combinations for realism. I wanted you all to be picking weapons for dual wielding that were actually applicable, unlike a few choices that got mentioned. Again, tell about your weapons and how they appear, but this time your combinations are limited to:
+ Two broadswords
+ Broadsword and longsword
+ Rapier and sword (broadsword or bastard sword)
+ Dagger and sword (same)
+ Two rapiers (though this will be QUITE difficult to learn, if you are seriously interested)
Lesson Two: How You Wield
Jesriad returned to the front of the gathering of students after checking that all had completed the assignment from their previous class together. "Today we will focus on another key element of fighting, no matter what type it is- armed or unarmed. Today we're going to focus on how you wield what you wield.
In any battle situation, the knowledge of your weapon is key. The other half of that knowledge is knowing how to use it. For a moment, set down one of your two weapons and examine the one still in your hand. If you were still wielding solely this weapon, how would you use it? What personal styles of fighting do you incorporate with it? What things can you and can you not do based on its limitations? All of these sorts of things are important. Take your other weapon now and examine it and think of how you would fight with this one just as you did with your previous armament." He paused for a moment, letting the students think things over. "Now... what I want you to do is tell me how you wield each of your two weapons individually. Not just what you were taught in terms of forms and styles and limits, but also your personal fighting style. Then, from what little you know of the two, try to make an assumption- unless you already know- how wielding the two in unison will be the same and how it will differ. If you don't know too much about this last question, that is fine; that's what I'm here to teach all of you."
Lesson Three: Beginning Stances
Jesriad spoke briefly. "For these next few lessons, we will pair off into groups based on the combination of weapons that you are using. Dual broadswords will be over here," he gestured, "broadsword and longsword here, dagger and sword there, and rapier and sword down the hill from here." With that, the groups paired off.
Jesriad stood in front of the small collective of students that were learning to wield dual broadswords. "First of all, for those of you who had trouble with the final question in our last class, let me settle your minds." Setting down one of the two bractice bundles he held in his hand, he hefted the other one into his right hand and began to demonstrate as he spoke. "When you are only using one single-handed sworded, as I am in this case, you can combine your attacks with your open hand. Kicks, punches, grabs, trips, and other such things are incorporated into your fighting style. Also, if you, for some strange reason, desparately need to have a two-handed grip on your broadsword for a powerful finishing strike, you can do that. However..." He picked up the other practice bundle in his left hand. "With a second sword, all of that disappears. You must now be equally good with your blade in EITHER hand to wield both of them in unity. Physical attacks are almost completely ruled out, although they can occasionally become helpful. What you get in exchange for this is a second blade. While it's far less maneuverable and slower than a fist or a kick, it deals greater damage with its strikes. Your lethality shoots up because you can now block a single-sworded opponent's attack with one blade while still attacking with the other, constantly rotating the two blades in turn and yet in unison. Plus, you have the ability to block attacks from heavier weaponry with a dual-bladed block." He paused a moment, demonstrating this by crossing the blades in an X overhead as if catching a falling greatsword's attack. "Is everyone alright with this?" After taking a few questions, he moved on.
"Stances then. There are two basic stances when wielding two broadswords; both have the option to have either the left or right foot forward. The first is known as the Middle Guard, which is quite similar to the Middle Guard you may know from single-bladed combat." Setting his feet at shoulder's width apart and angled towards his opponent, one would notice that a line drawn through his shoulders would fall about forty-five degrees off-center from the center line between he and his opponent. "As you see, its very similar- except- for the positioning of the blades. Both blades remain essentially vertical, in the sense that they lean neither left nor right. Your lead blade will point toward your opponent at about a forty-five degree angle, while your rear blade remains truly vertical and is held about two fists distance behind the lead hand, and slightly to the side. For tight-in work, the space between your hands is the axis around which your blades will move. As you can see..." He switched sides. "...Either side can lead."
Waiting for his students to let him know that they understood, he moved on. Jesriad let his rear hand (the right, as he had his left side forward) drop down and back behind his rear hip, holding the blade with the lead edge down and the point forward, following a horizontal line just below the level of his belt. His lead hand moved slightly to the inside, and the blade tilted slightly sideways as well as forward. "This is our equivalent for the Wild Boar used in sword and buckler fighting."
Straightening, Jesriad looked over his small group. "Once you all demonstrate that this makes sense, we'll move on to some defensive strategies."
Lesson Four
Jesriad stood before the students briefly, taking roll before handing out the orders to his class as he usually did. "Just as with our last lesson, we're going to break up into groups." Pointing each group to its selected area, he took off for the dual broadsword/shortsword group first.
Jesriad rose in front of the group of students- HIS students- and clapped the hilts of his swords together to gather their attention. "Today we will be learning two more stances that you can use for dual broadsword wielding. Just as with before when we used the Middle Guard and the Wild Boar, these two stances can also be utilized with either foot forward."
"For the first one- the Near Stance- you will actually square off with your opponent. That is, you will face him directly, with your shoulders equally far from him. One arm should be held across your chest, with the sword pointing backwards, at or just below the bottom of your ribs. Your other hand will be held up, so that its blade points backwards over your shoulder. This puts both blades on the same side of your body, ready to swing. It is also the starting position for one of the practice patterns that swordsmen use to build coordination." He demonstrated, sweeping the blades across in a staggered rhythm so that they ended in the Near Guard on the other side of his body.
"The fourth and final stance is our equivalent of the Guard of Wrath; some of you, I see, recognize the name from Sword-and-Buckler Combat with Sigmund," Jesriad commented. "For this stance, your lead blade will be forward - as it would be for a middle guard with a single sword. Your rear sword is held back and up, pointing at your opponent from above your head (and usually somewhat in front of your chest). Despite how it may look, this stance is not for blocking high attacks, not will you be able to stab with the rear blade. The basic idea here is that you create an opening with your lead blade, then let the rear blade swing down behind your back, then come up and over into a powerful whipping attack." He paused, then added: "It is like the Wild Boar, but you are preparing to chop instead of stab." Jesriad paused momentarily to look over the group and to quickly catch his breath after having demonstrated the stances as he lectured.
"What I'd like you to do today is the same task you were asked of at our last meeting. Practice setting yourself into the stances first (OOC: describe things in detail but DON'T copy what I said more or less word for word; I want to make sure that you understand what it means! If I sound confusing, just ask for some one-on-one clarification!) until you feel comfortable with the way that the two stances should feel from either side. Next, think about how you could use the four stances we have learned up to this point in combat. When would differing positions be more or less beneficial to you? Which stance do you, personally, think would best suit your fighting style, and why? Think about what you've learned; there is a vast world between knowing something and applying it."
Lesson Five
Jesriad stood before the group that he had become accustomed to ovre the past several months of training. His Gaidin's fancloak was cast off to one side, leaving him exposed with nothing but his sweaty practice shirt and a well-worn pair of pants. Sweaty, since he had been forced to carry the hunded-some-odd practice swords out to their class' training grounds by himself today... Focus yourself. You have a class to teach.
Gathering the class together around himself, he silenced the class by bellowing the beginning of his lesson for the day. "Today, we're going to focus on something equally as important as the individual stances that many of you have been learning: footwork and transitions. While you may all feel fine and dandy about looking pretty with twin, slender blades glittering in the sun," he jested, drawing some scattered laughs and the overall scent of passing anxiety, "a Trolloc will still find you just as tasty in his big cooking pot," he smiled. "So, today we work on the last basic principles of Dual Wielding training."
Casting a gaze around the classroom, he could easily see how the class had grown over the course of their time together. "Don't be frustrated to find that this will be your hardest lesson yet. No one became a Blademaster overnight, and not even Shienaran babies can pick up two sharp, pointy sticks and cast back the assaults of the Blight. Practice is what makes you perfect- or as close to it as you can be, at least."
"For starters, no one lifts a sword until I say." A few hurt looks and shocked expresseions were the worst reactions, and he made sure that those who felt offended recieved looks that were reminders of who the class tutor was.
"First and foremost, I want to review Unarmed Combat skills. (OOC: Any of you who can give me a link to a page with your pass notice from that class or who can e-mail me a copy of your pass e-mail are free to skip over this section and to go on to your individual classes. Just post here either the copy of the link or a notice that you have e-mailed me your pass notice. I'll double-check things, of course, so don't BS it. Otherwise... :-D) This also relates partially to Quarterstaff footwork, for those of you with knowledge in that field. While you already know several good swordsman's stances, not all fights are completely textbook work. A man who used to be a friend of mine, for instance, was Gaidin Urikanu Shin Larithan; he fought more by the use of fighting styles than of any particular sword forms." Pausing to let things settle, he went on. "Thus, having as much in your repetoire as you can is always a good idea."
"Now, to footwork. One move that you can make in Unarmed Combat- or Quarterstaff Wielding- is called a pass. The pass is where you begin in any particular stance that you desire and make your way forward, with one foot." Jesriad settled into Offensive Ready Stance with his left leg forward. His torso was rotated to face forward, and his back was as straight as a puppet with a string pulling through him and out the top of his head. His left arm was slightly advanced of his right arm, although both arms were bent at ninety degree angles up with fists. His left leg pointed straight ahead, towards his invisible opponent, while his right leg, just beyond a shoulder's width apart from his left leg, was back and to the right. This foot pointed ahead and to his right. Both legs were bent loosely at the knees, so as to allow quick motion without the prerequisite of drawing his butt off of the floor. "This is Offensive Ready Stance; some of you are familiar with it, and some are not. For those that are not, the exact opposite of this stance," he said, pivoting on his right leg, "is Defensive Ready Stance." His right arm was now slightly advanced, and his right leg pointed forward with the lead; his left leg was back, pointing ahead to the left, and his left arm was also behind his right. "The motion you just saw me make is, again, known as a pass, which is simply moving forward while switching from one stance to another. Two passes in a row, leading you from the stance you began in to into the opposite stance and back into the stance you started in is a grouping of footwork known as an advance." He demonstrated by pivoting on his leg to move from the Defensive Ready Stance that he was in into Offensive, and back to Defensive. "A retreat is the same motion as an advance, but backwards. Be careful here, as it's all too easy to fail to move your feet quite right." He again demonstrated, this time making it clear that he pivoted on his BACK foot, not his front foot, to move from D-R-Stance to O-R-Stance and back to Defensive.
"For those of you familiar with the Center Stance from Quarterstaff Wielding and from this class, you can move from Offensive or Defensive Ready Stance into the Center Stance by simply making a pass and stopping halfway."
"While this all sounds hard, it really is simpler than it sounds," he said to the class, encouraging a few of the younger faces that were a bit more greatly in need of hope. "The only true complication to this is called a jumping-advance. This is where you have an advance marked by a pass," he said, switching from Defensive Ready Stance to Offensive, "followed by a leap-" he said, leaping forward through the air while pivoting, landing in Defensive Ready Stance, "-to end up in the stance you began in." Scattered clapping drew a slight smile from the Gaidin, though it was nothing that he let go to his head. "You also could use this as a retreat, though it generally isn't the best idea."
Looking around the group, he decided to make sure that his quick lesson in Unarmed Combat Skills had not gone to waste. "Now, everyone show me that you understood what I just said. I want each of you to demonstrate the three stances- Offensive, Defensive, and Center- and to practice moving from one to another with ease in each type of movement: passes, advances, retreats, and jumping-advances."
Lesson Six: Transitions
Jesriad gathered close his usual group of Drin'far'ji, Ji'alantin, Gaidin, and the few Ji'alantar and Gaidar that were also present. "Now that you've all refreshed yourselves on the footwork, we're going to work on a few more things that are more specifically suited for we dual broadsword wielders."
"When you wield two blades, there are numerous blocks that you can use." Bringing up a burly lad for a volunteer, he told the man, "Take the large greatsword-sized practice bundle over there, and swing it down at the top of my head as hard as you can." A few murmurs from the class arose as the young one smiled slightly, nodding to the instructor in faith that he would know what to do. The strike came down hard and fast, as Jesriad had asked, and in the blink of an eye his dual practice bundles crossed overhead in an x-shaped block that bled off the speed of the greatsword in but a moment. "This is your block for the times when you need to repel the most powerful offensive moves of your enemies." Getting creative, the young man quickly slid the greatsword out of the block and pivoted, bringing the blade in hard from Jesriad's right side. Reacting out of muscular memory and years of training, Jesriad's blades swung down to his right side and made an X from there that caught the attack just as well. "As you can see, it works just as well from any angle of attack, whether from high, low, sides-" The man's blade whipped around again in a frenzy as he pivoted and brought it in from left and a little high. Jesriad brought his blades back across his body to allow the man's blade to catch in his trap yet again. "-or from diagonals." Jesriad smiled slightly as the frustrated young man began to bring in the sword again and again, until every one of the eight principal attack angles had been covered. As the blade swept in from high and right, Jesriad's arms both crossed his body to set his bundles parallel to one another. The man's monstrous sword kareened off to one side as Jesriad quickly rapped him in the back of the head with the combined blow of the two bundles. Allowing the burly lad to get back to his feet, Jesriad smiled slightly. "A dual wielder clearly holds an advantage against any normal foe," he said softly for the man.
"As you just saw at the end there, I used a second type of block. This block is meant more for deflecting away the enemy's blow. Typically," he said, settling himself back into the Middle Guard, "one of your blades will follow your enemy's weapon out and away as your second weapon goes in for the kill, just in case they should have the ability to get back in time for one last assault. A third type of block is similar to this, though it involves a bit more precision in your timing." Calling back up the young man as he settled into the Wild Boar stance for dual wielders, he whispered into the man's ear a promise that he would not be humiliated this time, so long as he didn't try anything again. "By using a beat, which is a slight parry to your opponent's attack," Jesriad said, motioning for the man to strike with a slow thrust, "you can knock your opponent's weapon away from where they want it to be with your first weapon," Jesriad said, making it a key point that he was rotating his torso, and bringing his right handed blade through in a block that knocked the slow thrust off to the left of its mark, "and striking with the second blade." His left blade then came through slowly and symbolized cutting off the man's left arm just short of the elbow. "This could also use a tighter cut, such as something akin to Parting the Silk, for those of you that recognize it," Jesriad pointed out. "Of course, the attack can also go to other parts of the body, but, again, always watch out, should your opponent try to create a counter-attack."
"If you should find that your block doesn't move your opponent's weapon enough," Jesriad said, "don't fear. Remember- you have your second blade yet." Jesriad motioned to the young man for another attack, but this time he wanted a strike from above. The young man obliged, dropping his weapon in towards Jesriad's head. His right blade twisted itself so that the length of the blade pointed down and away, towards the ground, and the man's blade careened off of it. Bringing in his left blade from below, he struck the student's blade back up with a hit from the tilted blade below. The right blade dropped in from above, a half-foot further down the blade, and the lower blade again struck from below. A quick sequence of about six hits, all in just over a second, allowed Jesriad to play drums right up the man's arm until his upper practice bundle again stopped in contact with the man's wrist. "It's almost like playing drums up the length of their blade, though you need to be quick about it. Again, remember not to cross your arms. You want to use a series of taps to keep his blade down, not to hold it with brute force."
"Blocks from the Near Guard are the trickiest of any of your stances," Jesriad pointed out, "since your blade will need to snap out fast enough to block your enemy's blade. The benefit to this is that it will be the strongest block of your four key positions. In this case, your second weapon- the one over your shoulder," he demonstrated, "will make a downward cut that you can aim at your opponent's head, arm, hand, or shoulders."
Assuming the Guard of Wrath, with his left blade forward and the right blade above his head, point forward, he smiled. "The movements are much as you'd expect here." He made a sweeping motion with the lead blade, taking it further out to his left. As it moved out, the second blade dropped down behind his back, then looped up and around into a diagonal chop. The motion ended with both blades low on the left side of his body, and his right shoulder forward. "This can be done from the Wild Boar as well," he added, "except that you stab with the rear blade instead of chopping."
Straightening, Jesriad shook his body to loosen up a little bit. "The last thing we will look at is the recovery from the Guard of Wrath. A few moments ago, you saw me blocking and striking at an opponent to end up in a position something like this." Sweeping across with his left, he let the right drop and whip around before descending in a powerful diagonal sweep. He finished with his right shoulder forward and both blades down beside his left hip, their points back and slightly out. "The recovery from this position is a variation on Low Wind Rising," he continued, twisting his body back and bringing the blades up in a strong diagonal slice, the left a half-beat behind the right. From here, there are several possibilities. You can continue, going through a full spin and letting the blades sweep back down again. If you stop with the blades up, you can stab with the left blade - something like Kingfisher Takes a Silverback - since your left shoulder should now be forward. Or, you can simply reverse their direction at this point, bringing them back down into a Middle Guard or starting a downward attack like Striking the Spark."
Straightening as he finished, Jesriad looked around the group to get a grasp on how much of what he had just asked about everyone had understood. "I'll be coming around to check on you all, but I want everyone to start to practice these blocks in pairs. Have one of you use two practice bundles at first and have the other start with one. Try each block as a person, and then trade off before going on to the next block. Be sure to correct one another; this is all about learning as a group to fight."
(OOC: I want you to demonstrate the blocks for me. Don't quote me word for word; if you do, I will notice and I won't count it! :-P I want to make sure that you understood this; if not, feel free to ask questions of Jesriad.)
Final
Jesriad gathered the group around himself for one last time. "My, how you all have grown," he said, just loudly enough for his voice to carry to them all clearly. "Today is your final lesson with me, although I am sure that I will see your faces around the halls of the Grey Tower for quite some time to come. Feel free to stop by in the future when I have other classes making their way through this course if you ever have questions to ask of me."
Looking around, he could only help but smile at the extra large thorn he had built into the Dark One's side with this class. "I encourage each of you to continue to practice on your own and to continue on your own paths to success and skill with two blades, even if it is not what you choose for your prominent form of armed combat."
"For your final, today, we're going to go through the group, two at a time, holding spars with the practice bundles. I want you to spar, in groups, and I want you to demonstrate the techniques that you've learned in this class. It is your choice as to whether you spar with two bundles a piece or if you would prefer to fight two blades against one, each of you taking a turn with your dual wielding. At the end, I will ask you to sum up why you did what you did, and after that..." He smiled. "You will all be official Dual Wielders at the end of this day, I am sure."
(OOC: If you are having trouble finding a partner, Jesriad will be willing to spar you. Also, you can use an NPC, so long as you don't completely dominate them. Make sure to demonstrate what I've asked of you, and you should be on your way!)
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