Saber Exercises

First off, Merry Christmas, all! Anyone find Cold Steel treats under the tree? Now on to my main reason for posting. I'm heavily considering to make my first sword purchase the 1830 Napoleon Saber, having already purchased a synthetic training saber to get myself better suited to wield the functional blade. Does anyone have any suggestions as far as what exercises for the body I would need to focus on to be able to wield it efficiently without becoming tired too quickly? I don't expect to go into battle any time soon, but, like owning a gun and not needing it, I'd rather be able to use it in emergencies without finding out I can't use it properly. As far as techniques, I've got a number of 18th through 19th century manuscripts on the broadsword and sabre, along with the basics section from Cold Steel's Fighting with Sabre and Cutlass dvd, and a number of other qualified sources. For anyone who answers, you have my thanks for taking the time to respond. God bless!

Your purpose in life reflects in the steel of your blade.

You`d want healthy shoulders, strong wrists and stable knees. So for exercising functional strength in regards to fighting with a saber and to also avoid muscle imbalances I'd suggest at least high rope rows or neutral grip face pulls for the upper body and hip abducted externaly rotated (HAER) hip thrusts for the lower body, maybe add some lunges. Off course there are a ton of other exercises, but these are what I'd prefer to get best results with minimal effort in the shortest amount of time. It's also important to stretch the hip flexors, pecs and lats. Some kind of cardio training (running, swimming, cycling or whatever) is essential. All of this can be easily done at home (all you need is a pull up bar or door rack and a rope - think of suspension training; hip thrusts can be done on a couch or on the floor, with different kinds of weights for added resistance) or outdoors and takes up little time (mainly depending on your amount of cardiovascular training, of course). Merry Christmas. PS: I also like to use a heavy steel pipe for slow-motion flourishes.

For as we are not all of a single nature, so we also cannot have a single style in combat, yet all must nonetheless arise and be derived from a single basis. - Joachim Meyer: Gründtliche Beschreibung der Kunst des Fechtens, 1570

Thanks for the reply, markusagain. I took your advice and looked up the exercises needed for those certain muscle areas. Here is what I have figured out so far, just to see if you'd approve. I am not able to attend a formal gym, so hopefully these will do the trick just as well. Wrist: wrist curls beginning with 20 reps; when I get the training saber, I'll be adding moulinets to the routine to give that extra push Cardio: 30 min on gazelle edge, to start with Shoulders (and arms in general): basic pushups beginning at 20 reps [I could not believe how much arm strength I had lost! I got into 15 and I seemed to strain the last five, while trying to keep in form. I've got my work cut out for me.] Hips: barbell lunges [which will of course help the knees, as well] (using a 24-25 lbs bar I found in our backyard shed), beginning with 20 reps; also, as suggested, standard hip thrusts (glute bridge) [I haven't done this exercise before, so I'll have to see how many can be done before setting the standard.] Is there anything else you think I should add? Thanks for the input thus far!

Your purpose in life reflects in the steel of your blade.

I would add some exercises that put focus on the external rotators of your shoulders and hips. These help to keep the structural alignment and prevent injuries, when using your whole body for powerful cuts and solid parries. For example, you could use an elastic band to strengthen your rotator cuff and gluteus medius (shoulder w exercise and side lying hip abduction, for example). My english is not that good, so here's a good link to start with, if you're furthermore interested in this subject: http://www.mikereinold.com/

For as we are not all of a single nature, so we also cannot have a single style in combat, yet all must nonetheless arise and be derived from a single basis. - Joachim Meyer: Gründtliche Beschreibung der Kunst des Fechtens, 1570

I'd also be be careful to not overbuild the pecs, because they tend to pull the shoulders (and whole upper back) forward. To execute powerfull blows from overhead you want to have strong muscles around your thoracic spine and proper glute function. http://www.t-nation.com...ps_face_pulls_and_shrugs http://bretcontreras.com/2010/04/new-ideas/

For as we are not all of a single nature, so we also cannot have a single style in combat, yet all must nonetheless arise and be derived from a single basis. - Joachim Meyer: Gründtliche Beschreibung der Kunst des Fechtens, 1570

 Hello! Saber, what kind of synthetic training saber did you buy? I with my friend training in 18th -- 19th century saber fencing. We use as a traning weapon the best that we have found– a polypropylene bokken as a saber and cold steel medieval training sword (waister) as a backsword. Can you share links to useful manuscripts on the broadsword and saber manuals? We use Alfred Hutton “A Practical Treatise on the Sabre” manual http://www.skynet.ie/~n...ces/files/cold-steel.pdf

 I bought the training saber from Purpleheart Armoury, just because Cold Steel hasn't made any as of yet. Thankfully, it'll be arriving on Monday, so I can begin to enjoy getting ready for the real thing! I did customize the standard Cold Steel bokken to a cutlass trainer, which has stood up to everything I have thrown at it so far. :) Excellent call on using Hutton's method! I actually have that book myself, and have found it more than helpful in my training. I'll also be using the Hungarian Highland Broadsword, which you can find here: http://www.hroarr.com/manuscripts_sabre.php Enjoy the manuscripts you find!

Your purpose in life reflects in the steel of your blade.

Saber, thanks a lot! By the way, here is another good idea about traning weapon making. You can use polypropylene sheets: http://www.youtube.com/...r_embedded&v=kucX9kM1Amk

After 4 weeks of waiting, it finally arrived! The 34" nylon waster blade is manufactured in the UK. The d-guard is completely hardened leather. Considering the depth of the curve, I'll have my work cut out for me. lol Next stop: the CS 1830 Napoleon Saber!

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Your purpose in life reflects in the steel of your blade.

It's also worth looking at Indian clubs.  Purpleheart does a nice line in equipment and training info.  The roatational exercises match large blade work well, I find.

Perry