Know your range: Attacking from standing

Range control is probably the number one thing I see new fighters struggle with. They're so focused on hitting hard and remembering the rules that they don't take time to practice engaging and disengaging their opponents properly. This is something that some very good fighters have extensively written about before, but I'm going to try to keep it simple for the newest fighters.  When you're ready for a more in-depth explanation, you should read through what they've written.

This is what happens when you misjudge your range. Photo Ellie © Apland.

When I talk about "knowing your range", I'm really referring to a few different things:

1. From your usual fighting stance, how close you need to be to hit confidently with your weapon of choice.  The typical rule is you should be connecting around the top 1/3 of your blade.
2. How large of a gap you can close before you take that swing. When you're starting out, you can think of this as how far you'll get if you take a single step toward your opponent. Eventually, you'll learn different ways to close the gap between the two of you. You need to end up close enough to hit confidently, as described in #1.
3. How far your opponent can move to avoid your attack. This is probably the hardest of the three for new fighters to master, since it cannot be practiced alone and changes drastically based on the fighting style and experience of your opponent. The way most intuitively take advantage of this is by waiting for an opponent to commit to an attack before counter-swinging. That effectively gimps their opponent's ability to retreat because they're already shifting their weight to attack.

Note that I'm only talking about offense in this post. Obviously, range also affects whether or not your opponent can hit you, but that's a discussion for another day.

Today I'd like to focus on #1, since it's one of the easiest to teach and learn. I find studying a weapon's reach helps new fighters learn to stand their ground more effectively and reduces the number of times they whiff or graze their opponent. It also can help with safety issues because it forces a fighter to be cognizant of where they intend to hit and how to hit there.

A quick note: The one exception to "hitting where they intend to throw" is versus opponents that have good or very active footwork.  Most beginner drills use a "track" mentality to simplify concepts (only moving forward and backward), so they may still struggle with the odd angles decent footwork creates until they've solidified the basics enough to learn it themselves.

Onto the drill, which is really a simple warm up.  Stand opposite a partner with both of you in your fighting stances. Using your weapon of choice, take three simple shots - a straight cross that hits the shoulder diagonal from your sword arm, a shoulder shot that hits the shoulder directly in front of your sword arm, and a leg shot on the leg directly in front of your sword arm. You'll find you need to either move closer or lower to take the leg compared to the first two shots. Remember to take your time here so you aim for the "sweet spot" if you're using a sword - the top 1/3 of the blade connecting with your opponent.

After both you and your opponent have determined your maximum range while in your stance, spar for a couple rounds. It helps here if you have a third person who can watch you. If you catch yourself missing or grazing your opponent, even if you think it might be because they stepped out of the way, stop and repeat the first exercise. The idea is to keep drilling that good range, so you don't develop a habit of swinging while you have no chance of connecting solidly with other combatants.

Once you're done, if you have other weapons you like to fight with, make sure you do the drill with those as well. You want to cement in your mind exactly what your range is with every weapon you use. Over time, recognizing the range of a weapon will become second nature, allowing you to focus on other parts of the battle.

As a last step, feel free to add other shots you like to throw into the drill. It is a good way to test the viability of different approaches safely. If you can't connect properly 100% of the time while standing still and moving carefully, you shouldn't be trying that strike on the field yet. Don't be afraid to take extra time to drill more slowly during water breaks if you're struggling or ask for help from a vet. The only way you'll improve is through mindful practice, and sometimes full-speed battle isn't very helpful.

If you are a new fighter, this little exercise won't solve all your range problems, but it should start you in the correct direction. Just be sure not to get too attached to standing still and swinging; out on the battlefield you need to move your feet to be successful. For now, keep practicing and fighting as much as you can!