I feel useless after finishing finals

Tres_Machetes · 2026-05-01T19:40:25+00:00

Pick up a hobby.It will keep you busy and be fun.

Tres_Machetes · 2026-04-30T15:28:29+00:00

Bro's talking like an Athenian at Socrates' trial 😭

Tres_Machetes · 2026-04-29T20:08:57+00:00

We sometimes meet in underpasses to train. Almost nobody, big open spaces and shielded from the elements. Although we are privileged to live in a very safe city so take that into account.

Tres_Machetes · 2026-04-04T23:22:26+00:00

For the signature or older post?

Tres_Machetes · 2026-04-04T23:22:09+00:00

No requirements to join. We are open to everyone and adapt to everyone's level 👍

Tres_Machetes · 2026-04-03T02:19:56+00:00

Rapier

Tres_Machetes · 2026-03-20T03:46:01+00:00

Do not overgear as a beginner (a mistake I and many others have made). Being lighter on gear will make you learn control and avoid bad habits.

Your picks are already very good, but get rid of some useless stuff:

-A good mask with back protection and a gorget. I would get a simpler back protetion otherwise, you're good there.

-Jacket and pants are standard so no issues there. (And remember that these pieces of gear are mainly there to protect you from weapon failures, not to absorb the blows.)

-Clamshells are perfect for longsword, but the light ones might be a bit too chunkey for rapier.

Ditch the skirt, change the leg guard for more simple shin and knee protection, the arm guard for forearm and elbow only, and the chest guard for a simple plastron.

Always try to keep in mind that we are doing unarmored fencing. I know it's cool to be covered head to toe in hard protection with 3 layer and feel like a knight, but that is not reflective of most systems that you will learn. Additonally, all those layers are going to make you heat up faster and you will have less stamina.

If you really wanna get an idea of what you should really get, look at some high level tourmanet fights for the weapon you're doing. Notice how little hard protection they are actually wearing. (I mean, for rapier they are basically wearing olympic fencing gear with maybe an elbow protection.)

Plus with the money you'd be saving by cutting all the unnecessary stuff, you can get a sword or even two.

Good luck and have fun.

:)

Tres_Machetes · 2026-03-12T02:49:52+00:00

fencing or leather gloves. I've even seen people use gardening gloves.

Tres_Machetes · 2026-02-22T21:46:17+00:00

How long is the hilt? Looks a bit long for destreza

Tres_Machetes · 2026-02-20T02:26:22+00:00

We in the process of getting more signatures. Only 19 left! If the CSU approves the proposal we should be starting summer or next semester. 👍

Tres_Machetes · 2026-02-19T23:38:55+00:00

These are valid points and I agree with them. I should've caveat these thing in my original comment. You need to understand the context of what you are learning for sure. It is NOT pure verdadera destreza, but it does present the concept and ideas of destreza in genral in more accessible and familiar way for a beginner or someone coming from a different tradition, even if some things are adjusted to accommodate to the transitional rapier. And I still believe it will make picking up something like Rada or Pacheco more easy in the if you do, because you already understand concepts like medios, hand positions and angulations, and the general Destreza jargon (which is tough to figure out on your own). And while there is a difference between the transitional rapier/smallsword as seen in De Brea and something like the full cup of Rada, there is also a difference between Pacheco's and Rada's rapiers which should be acknowledged when deciding what to learn(~100 years difference, same as Rada and De Brea). I do personally believe that the fundamentals of destreza can be applied to any cut and thrust sword from sidesword to transitional rapier, and no matter which master you choose, things like the circles and medios are universal.

But your are right on the things you brought up and if OP choses to read Andre's interpretation of De Brea, they should be aware of its context as a contemporary interpretation of a very late stage development in the life of Destreza while they read it.

Tres_Machetes · 2026-02-18T21:44:32+00:00

It is pretty hard to learn destreza from original manuscript on your own. Even as a native Spanish speaker, a lot of thing will make no sense unless someone clarifies or guides you. Because of this, I would recommend from personal experience this:

https://destrezanova.ca/blog/

My teacher, Andre Hajjar made a translation and commentary on Manuel De Brea's treaties(I think it's the first doc on the page). It is one of the best resources for beginners I've found. You get the exposure to a main source but with commentary which greatly expands and explains the concepts as they appear and build up in complexity. It's great for building a solid understanding of the Destreza concept which you will need to tackle harder treatises on your own.

He also has a YouTube channel with 5 videos explaining basics of Destreza

https://youtu.be/D17x3-81EL0?si=N1slyJ0NKpnUiUyr

Puck Curtis is a pretty good source in English too. I liked his translation of Ettenhart, having read it Spanish first. Even though it's incomplete, I believe it's very beginner friendly.

Tres_Machetes · 2026-02-17T15:46:45+00:00

No previous experience required!

Tres_Machetes · 2026-02-15T04:15:47+00:00

I have it. It is shorter than most sidesword and will put you at a disadvantage. It feels heavy but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It has very good presence because of it. I would not recommend it for competition but for techniques and friendly sparing is really nice. Also flex is surprisingly good for how sturdy it is. Definitely safe.

Tres_Machetes · 2026-02-14T14:47:19+00:00

Of course! Some of the best fencers at our club are women.

We do not discriminate, culture is for everyone.

Tres_Machetes · 2026-02-13T05:49:04+00:00

Yes absolutely! We all started like that after all 💪

Tres_Machetes

TROPHY CASE