Just swing already!

Intimidation is a powerful weapon in Belegarth. Some methods used on the field are questionable, like faking an illegal or dangerous shot to force an opponent to flinch, while others are simply a matter of dressing well and knowing what you're doing. For the record, I don't condone fakes of illegal or dangerous strikes; there's too much room for error and too many other options to throw your opponent off his game.

As a new fighter, you have an awful lot to be intimidated by. From the over-aggressive guy screaming in your face while bowling you over with a tower shield, to the silent knight in head-to-toe armor who barely even glances in your direction as he kills you, you've probably realized Belegarth can be a pretty frightening place. That same guy may help you back to your feet with a smile, and that knight may offer to train you on the side, but when you're getting tossed around like a rag doll out there, dying left and right, their kindness isn't the first thing on your mind.

Wait, he's coming to kill me? Yeah, no thanks.
Photo © Ellie Apland

Unfortunately, when you combine fear with being new to Belegarth, freezing up is a natural response. You don't know what to do, panic, and just stand there while the battle keeps moving around you. That's when you hear someone shout these words: "Just swing, newbie!"

It's not like you aren't trying, but you don't know where to swing. Every time you swing, you die.  Every time you don't swing, you still die. You want to fight, but it seems like you'll never even take someone's limb.

I'm here to tell you two things:
1) You are not alone. Most fighters have gone through these same feelings on their journey as a fighter.
2) Just swing anyway! No one other than you will remember if you die. You'll only get better if you try to stand up and fight.

To drive this point home, I have two quick war stories for you about new fighters learning to "just swing".

Our first story begins at a normal Belegarth practice. Near the end of the day, one of the veterans parried a glaive poorly and hurt his hand. Still wanting to fight a little longer since there were so many new people out, he tucked his injured hand into his tabard and picked up a shield but no other weapons.

When "lay on" was called, three new fighters were lined up across from him. They had seen him running around killing people just moments earlier and gave him a wide berth. Laughing, the veteran urged them on, even pulling out his injured hand from his tabard and waiving it to say "See? No weapons!"

Still, the three kept their distance.

"Come on guys, swing on me! I only have a shield and there are three of you."

More hesitation.

"I promise, you'll be able to kill me. Just attack!"

One of them finally got the courage to step forward just in time to be hit in the back. You see, by delaying so long, the veteran's team had managed to break through their line. If they had charged in and given it a chance, they may have been able to break the veteran's line first. At the very least, they could have killed the guy with nothing but a shield instead of simply dying that round.

Okay, so what does "Just swinging" actually look like?

At a smallish event, there was a two team battle going on with plenty of top-tier fighters on either side along with new ones. In this particular battle, a veteran got in close to a knight and started grappling him. Within moments, they were both so effectively tangled up that neither could swing or move at all. It was then the veteran called out:

"Newbie! Kill him!"

The new fighter, following orders despite the knight's terrifying persona, ran up and swung at wherever there wasn't armor on his back. And just like that, it was over - the newbie had killed a knight at her very first event. Talk about a fun story to tell to your friends, and I can tell you the other vets noticed it, too.

Now, I realize opportunities like that don't happen to everyone.  Sometimes it won't matter to your team if you charge in or hang back. Still, learning to listen to orders and put yourself out there is important in Belegarth; you can't get better if you don't try.

And if you stick with it, one day you will earn your first knight kill. You'll just need to swing to do it.