Pell Work by Konitessa Mari Alexander, OL, OP

Pell Work by Konitessa Mari Alexander, OL, OP

Originally published at http://www.swordmaiden.com/

One of the great training tools available to most fighters at a relatively low cost is a pell. In short, “pell” refers to a stationary solid object that a fighter can hit full force to further their fighting skill. Many times this consists of a wooden post or pole that is approximately man height. It is then either sunk into the ground or anchored into a mobile base that will prevent it from falling over with impact. It is best to pad the post in some fashion. I recommend old carpeting or rope wound around the surfaces to be struck. This serves several purposes; it preserves the post itself, it preserves your practice swords and it preserves the joints in your wrists, elbows and shoulders. There is the added benefit of reducing “bounce-back” that occurs with an immobile solid object. Humans in armor tend to absorb the blows differently.

As each of us are trained to fight, we are taught how to throw certain blows. By identifying the pell with “head height”, “waist height”, and “leg height” markings, you can then practice the targeting of your blows. When you are a beginning fighter, it is of value to have your trainer spend some time with you at the pell to ensure that you are throwing the blows correctly. Repetition trains muscle memory. If you practice incorrectly, you will train in faults that you will later have to fight to correct. The advantage of the pell is that you can spend the time to make each blow perfect- the pell doesn’t give much feedback, but it never gets bored with you either.

I have found, however, that I do get bored with the pell. The way to dispel this and continue to get the most from your time is variety. Here are some training exercises you may wish to incorporate into your training regime. They build one upon the other so have fun!

These are created from a sword and shield point of view mostly, but you can use these basic principles and incorporate them into other fighting styles easily. If you aren’t using a shield, assume “shield work” to be “what do I need to do to block from here?”

1) Continuous flow- begin at distance from the pell and move into “range” while throwing at your first target. Strike through the target, not to the surface. Then recover the blow and strike again. Repeat this for as many blows as you can without significant pause. Remember to move around the pell and in and out of range. Practice moving at oblique angles and moving past the pell. Your opponent is a 3 dimensional target and so is your pell. Do not get into the habit of re-setting in front of your pell. Strike and move and start your next flurry from where the last flurry left off.

This is the basis from which many other drills can be based off of.

2) Having trouble keeping your shield in position while you throw? Carry your shield with you while you do pell work. Keep it in a defensive position and be very aware of how its position changes as you step, as you swing and as you recover. Imagine an opponent throwing specific blows- head, off head, legs etc. and move your shield to “block” those and then return to your “home” position. This will increase your stamina as well as show you what you can and can’t throw with your shield in various positions. For some blows, you will need to pull your own shield into you to allow the sword to pass, for others you will have to open yourself to risk of being hit to get your own blow to strike sufficiently. Use this time to experiment and figure out how best to cover yourself to minimize your exposure to your opponent.

These drills should be coupled with slow work or full-force fighting with a real opponent upon occasion so that you can judge the authenticity and effectiveness of what you are practicing.

3) Vary your distance- work multiple distances – start outside your range and work moving into striking distance while staying covered. Throw your opening shot and move into range, strike again and move back to your extreme outside range and throw again. Keep in mind the initial principles of throwing complete blows that would count as “good”. Then move to mid range and throw your flurries, then move to close range, then work on moving past your opponent to throw wraps and change your angles. After you have done each distance, combine them, moving one to the other while imagining your opponent’s moves and your response to them. Remember to move your body with each blow and to experiment with power generation at each range.

4) Now for the opposite of the continuous flow drill- While working at a variety of distances- stop after the initial blow check where your feet are and then hold that position (feet wise) and see what blows are available to you from there. Can you throw off-side? On- side? Body? Wrap? What would you have to do to get that blow to have power and land well? Go back to the initial position after each blow and try something else.

5) How is your power from your knees and hips? On a dry day (because this is nasty in the mud) do all your pell work from your knees- then your hips. Where do you need to be to generate power? Can you keep your shield in position?

6) All of these exercises should be done with your off hand as well- you can play with an off handed shield (just in case you are ever in a silly tourney which requires you to fight off handed or you are injured and just can’t stand to not fight) or practice with your hand behind you as it would be if your arm had been taken.

Some principles to keep in mind for all pell work-

Your main objective is to learn to throw a killing blow from anywhere and how to prevent getting killed in the process.

You get to work at your pace. Go slow and practice your footwork as well as your sword work. Go mid speed to get the timing of your blows vs your body movement. Go fast and vary your timing and footwork to simulate what you want to do in a real fight. If something feels funky, slow down and figure it out. It’s hard to learn at 90 miles an hour!

Use your pell work to determine where to pause in your flow and how to misdirect a blow. In other words, how to throw “fakes” and make them believable as well as throwing off time so as to make your blows less predictable.

Get someone to work with you- especially your trainers. Have them watch your movements and watch theirs. They can help correct movements you may be training in wrong.

Be creative- we will all fight differently because we are inherently different from one another. Figure out how your body moves and how you need to generate power. Figure out different ways to throw each blow so that it feels right to you.

Do reality checks often. Go to fighter practice- see what you need to work on or change in your pell work. If you are getting hit in a specific spot, determine to the best of your ability why you are getting hit then practice blocking that spot or keeping it covered. If you are hitting without follow through, practice driving through and not pulling your blows.

The pell is a tool but not the be all and end all of your training. Use it as such in combination with your other training and it will serve you well. No, it doesn’t block nor does it move. That’s what you have friends for!