by Siobhan Richardson | Jun 23, 2014 | Rehearsal Methods
Some people have never done an intensive certification workshop before, so here’s a head’s up: A two-week intensive is like Tech Week in a theatre, except two consecutive weeks of it. As such, it is an excellent “proving ground” for the...
by Siobhan Richardson | Jun 22, 2014 | Cross Training
Just as a stable core is necessary for good structure, so is a flexible one integral to storytelling. As actor/combatants we need to be able to collapse forwards or backwards and left or right at any given place in our torsos in order to play attacks and wounds...
by Siobhan Richardson | Jun 21, 2014 | Self-Care
An alignment error I see a lot is over-extension of the wrist. Your wrist alignment should be in a biomechanically-sound position. Remember that when you’re using a sword, you are hoping to make contact with your adversary and therefore meet some resistance....
by Siobhan Richardson | Jun 20, 2014 | Cross Training
Video overload today. Forearms do a lot of work during hours and hours of swordplay. The most common complaint after fatigue (solution: do your cardio!), is sore and tired forearms. Not much time left, but get started on building that strength. Check out all the...
by Siobhan Richardson | Jun 19, 2014 | Self-Care
There’s a tendency among actor/combatants to over-extend the shoulder joints. I know several people in this field with rotator cuff injuries, and I suspect that improper shoulder alignment has a lot to do with that. Here’s a video of some of the standard...
by Siobhan Richardson | Jun 18, 2014 | Cross Training
Your feet are your stability. They are your first line of communication with the floor, but so many of us spend all of our time in shoes that don’t allow us to feel the floor. For this reason, I like to start many of my classes with a foot warm-up. After...
by Siobhan Richardson | Jun 17, 2014 | Get Physical
You can’t always feel when you’re doing it, so pay attention to how the two feel different once you start getting corrections in class. In the meanwhile, these habits can form because of strength or flexibility issues. For strength, you’re looking at...
by Siobhan Richardson | Jun 16, 2014 | Rehearsal Methods
I know they’re not scheduled during the workshop, but be sure to do a cool-down or have a personal cool-down routine. It’s two weeks of long days. Give your mind and body some cues that it’s time to rest, recuperate and relax. Maybe it’s a...
by Siobhan Richardson | Jun 15, 2014 | Self-Care
We all have different bodies and so we have different needs (you’ll hear me say this ad nauseum). You’ll find that your body reacts to physical work differently than the people around you. There is a group warm-up scheduled every day of the workshop, but...
by Siobhan Richardson | Jun 14, 2014 | Get Physical
The countdown is on! Have you started to physically prepare for the workshop? No? If you’re doing nothing else, just get working on your cardio and start looking at your glossary (Don’t worry about trying to memorize it, word for word. Just get familiar...
