Dual Blue Tactics

[Wulf]

Tactics 0: Ambidexterity

Tactics for learning to wield Dual Blue.

As a starting suggestion, anyone who wishes to learn Dual Wielding must first adjust themselves to holding a weapon in both hands and using them together in unison without your off hand hindering you.(If your already ambidextrious you may skip down to Tactics 1:)

You may think that ambidexterity is something that you are born with and can never be acheived. This, while is semi true, can be gotten around. While you may not be ambidextrious, you can learn to be able to control both hands with a near equal amount of control. Your off hand may adjust over time and become just like your main, or it will at least get a better grasp on control.

The main thing to do is to start off learning single blue in your dominant hand. After learning the proper tactics for that, then your next best bet is to watch and feel how you do those moves when you swing or block. Then try and copy them slowly onto your off-hand. It will be tricky and somewhat frustrating, but doing it slowly at first will get you used to what single blue tactics you can use for your off hand. Some single blue moves may be to hard to co-ordinate with your off hand, though don't let that discourage you.

After you get used to using single blue at least a little bit with your off hand, (Recommended for at least a month) then you can pick up dual blue. In my opinion, not a MUST do thing, it may be better to weild a slightly smaller sword in your off hand. Usually an off-hand sword needs to be able to be swung in the same way at the same speed and control as your main weapon. Due to not being as fluent with your off hand, wielding a smaller blade may help you acheive this in the early stages of learning this style of fighting.

The one thing that you don't want to jump into learning immediatly how to attack and defend with both blades at the same time. It's not time to do such, as you will make yourself too defensive or offensive and not have the right move set to compliment the other weapon.

The first thing to learn is to defend with one hand, i prefer off hand but this varies depending on the person and whether or not their more defensive or offensive. Learning to use one weapon to block and the other to attack is a good begginers pose, as it builds up a good balance on learning when to attack and when to defend. It's almost like learning sword and sheild tactics, except your sheild is much smaller and more manueverable. Using this style will get you used to wielding two weapons, and using them as seperate devices. You may be prone to try and block with both weapons, or attack in the same patter with both weapons. Try to avoid this urge and work on slowly adapting your body to not react with both hands.

The most recommended way to do this is to fight against a sword and shield fighter with a more defensive type stance. This will teach you the basics on when to block the occasional shot with your defense hand and it will also teach you an invaluable skill that should be learned in ANY boffer sport, getting around a sheild.

Most, and i mean most, people in any foam fighting sport will be using a sword and board on some occasion. To make matters worse for a dual blue most people are right handed, and thus forth use their left side for holding their shield. This wouldn't be a problem except that means that your attacking side, if your right handed, will be pitted against a litteral wall that you must find a way around. Don't fret though, any sheild can be gotten around, but that will be talked about later.

The last thing that should be learned after learning to block with one hand and attack with the other is that this "rule" is not static or permanant. After getting used to fighting with one defending and one attacking, start working a bit more off your new found instincts. You'll find yourself feeling more and more like throwing a shot with your off hand when you see an opening in their defenses on your off hand side. Sometimes, you find that you can't block with your off hand and must use your main hand. Start to adapt the process of doing what feels right, not single mindedly following these directions forever. Their ment to teach you how to dual wield properly and thus forth are meant to get you into the habit of fighting with both weapons, not to permanently assign each hand a task that MUST be done. Loosen up and use your instincts on what your body should be doing, and you'll get your off-hand working together with your main hand in no time.

[Wulf]

Tactics 1: Offensive style

Tactics for an offensive Dual Blue style.

The first thing to be said for any offensive fighter wielding two swords is that speed and accuracy is key here. Power and one hit kills are not necessary when being offensive. Working on using both swords to be able to fight doesn't mean that you can't use defense, and actually encourages you to learn the hardest type of blocking skill, deflecting attacks.

Deflections mean that not only are you blocking with your sword, but your doing it mid swing. Deflecting a weapon can be as simple as getting it our of your way so you can keep attacking, or as tactical as putting their weapon into a position that makes your opponent have to regain control over their it. Though this skill is VERY usefull, it takes alot of practice, effort, and skill to wield properly and is a must for any offensive style.

First off for offense is learning to attack in two seperate ways with both weapons. You don't want to use both weapons doing the same move together, as that completely destroys the purpose of having two weapons. You want to let them flow freely and do two different things, aimed at two different locations so that you have a much larger chance at hitting your enemy in at least one of the spots you aimed for.

The first key element is speed. Without it, your attacks won't be able to overwhelm your target, and thus won't be effective on keeping your opponent from attacking you back. Speed is heavily complimented by momentum. If someone hits your weapon, then use the momentum of your blade being hit in a direction and spin it in your hand, letting the momentum carry on to the next attack. Learning this will use your opponents strength against them, and will allow your attacks to be constant, fluent, and fast. Make sure however that you don't get too enthralled with speed, as it may end up pinning your weapons in a way you can't move or it may bounce them back into eachother, breaking your combo and speed.

The second key element is accuracy. Accuracy is so much a part of control that not having one means litterally not having either. If you control your weapons with a good grip, combined with good hand-eye co-ordination, you will be able to hit your opponent right where you plan every time. Mind you, with two weapons, this makes one hit kills unecessary. If their is an opening for such a kill where it won't comprimise yourself to an attack, i encourage you to take it, otherwise, stick to limbs over torso. Since you have two weapons, and if you keep your speed and accuracy up, you can litterally take two limbs and be done with your opponent without having to try and work around any armor or sheilds that may be present.

The last thing to remember about an offensive stance is that in order to create the perfect balance between speed and accuracy you need to find your comfort zone. Within that comfort zone, you can mix your attack speed and your accuracy to balance them out together. Learn to slow your hits down just a bit if it seems like your constantly missing your intended target, and vise versa, speed up after you hit your target dead on several times in a row. Working on this is a very needed asset to influence yourself to get better at making your attacks as fast and accurate as possible.

Using an offensive style requires a large ammount of fearlessness. Flinching at an opponents weapon coming at you may severly damage your offensive style. Learn to move your body according to deflect any attacks coming at you so that you won't flinch or blink. Do so with a well balanced speed/accuracy ratio, and you may find yourself standing in front of an enemy waiting to be skewered and sliced before he realizes your fearlessness.

[Wulf]

Tactics 2: Defensive style

Tactics for a defensive Dual Blue style.

The first thing you may wonder is "Why?". Why would any proficient Dual Blue fighter want to be a defensive person? If they wanted defense, why not go sword and shield? Two words says it all, and a bit more. "Mobility" and "Gauging".

When it comes to defensive dual blues', you still want the ability to attack, but the difference between this style and offensive style is "when" to attack. In Offensive, it's about keeping your opponent overwhelmed with attacks and keeping them from being able to throw a shot. In this style, it's about gauging their ability and learning their weak spot when they throw certain shots. Once you've learned your enemies weakness, then just wait till they present that weakness once more, then exploit it to the best of your abilities.

Unlike the previous set of skills, you want this one to be more focused on a slight bit of power, control, and one hit kills. Mobility is the key factor that separates this style from a sword and shield style. Using both swords as a separate defensive object and being able to still be agile is what sets this apart from shield tactics. Sure, you could use a smaller shield that weighs less and attempt to get the same tactics, but you still won't have the luxury of attacking with either hand, not to mention the feared red weapons that shield users hate so much.

Mobility is, quite simply put, the art of moving freely. When using a defensive stance in unison with mobile weapons, you'll find that you don't have to block every shot thrown at you. Unlike a shield, you'll want to focus more on dodging than blocking another weapon. This does two things that will aid you in your fight against your opponent. It will give you an estimated range of their weapons, and it will allow you to be ready to block any other obstacle coming your way, whether it be another persons weapon, or your opponents follow-up swing. Using a mobile defense will greatly aid you in learning various other weapon forms as well, such as reds' and sword and small shield.

The second defense is Gauging. You may be wondering what i mean when i tell you to "Gauge your enemy". It means to watch their attack patterns, habits, and weaknesses. Gauging give you a large advantage over what your opponent will do with their next move. Most people, when fighting with foam weapons, will have a repeating attack pattern that can be read, given the certain circumstances. If you use your mobile defense and watch, or "Gauge" your opponent while they swing at you, you can understand what their thinking and start to see what they do in certain situations. They may have a move they use more than others when their either a certain distance from you or when they get desperate. You can watch any opponent and start to get a feel for their style. This in turn allows you to see when they are most vulnerable to attack them. Their weakness is blatantly clear if you watch their movements and habits during a fight, unlike when your offensive.

When your offensive, you attack with speed and accuracy at two different places and move your body in an attempt to get a shot on at least one of the places you aimed for. However with a defensive style, it's a game of patience and comprehension. You wait till you actually find their weak points or when they leave one spot open for just a little too long and exploit it.

You may wonder what the differance between gauging with a sword and shield and dual blue is. It's actually quite simple. While with a sword and shield you can be able to defend yourself a bit better with a sheild while you gauge your enemy, you will have a harder time reaching their weak spot if it happens to be on the opposite side as your main hand. If your right handed, and your opponents weakness is on their right ribs, it will be much easier to reach it with a left handed weapon. Not to mention that if your opponent is left handed, then not only do you have their weak point in your attack range, but their attack range can be blocked by your main hand. In short, dual blues give you more functionality to exploit your enemies weakness against them.

In this instance, finding a weak spot on a one hit kill zone is vital. If you only leg them or arm them, 9 out of 10 times, a person's entire fighting style will change, and you must re-gauge them and find their new openings and weaknesses before exploiting them. While there is nothing wrong with that, just remember that sometimes you don't have a long time to spend fighting only one opponent. During line battles if your a flanker, you can't fight only one person for a long time, as it leaves your back open severely to backstabbers, not to mention it leaves your team fighting an entire line while your enemies flankers are already working your teams back.

Finally, when it comes down to it, you want to gauge someone and exploit their weakness as quickly as you can. If you spend too long gauging someone else, they may gauge your dodge movements before you have their attack pattern and weaknesses down. I understand i said that this is a game of patience, but if you learn to find a weakness quickly you can easily take a person down only after dodging and blocking a few shots. Also the more you fight a person, the more you'll get used to their style. Eventually, you won't even need to gauge them. Learn the perfect mix between mobility and gauging, then between gauging and exploiting their weakness, and defensive style fighting with dual blues may end up being your saving grace on a field.

[Wulf]

Tactics 3: Flow style

Tactics for a flowing Dual Blue style.

In this last segment of dual blue fighting styles, i explain why to mix the previous two styles together, how to do so, and what you can expect from all you've learned.

In the gist of everything that you've learned so far about dual blue fighting, you'll notice that some enemies are easier to tackle with an offensive style and some are easier to approach with a defensive style. Learning both styles is a great way to get the best of both worlds. However, just like almost every style, this can turn to be a double edged sword as well. Learn this style ONLY if you are at least adept in both. Suggested time of learning to fight with both styles seperately is about a year each at least.

Mixing the two styles together is easier than you think. You just have to let your instincts take over and tell you when to use one or the other of your styles that you've learned. HOWEVER, your instincts is a VERY IMPORTANT factor of this. If you still flinch at an enemies swing towards your face, if you can still be overwhelmed while trying to gauge an opponent, your instincts may not be sharp enough yet to allow you to use both of them in unison at a usefull rate. Learning both styles and useing them seperately depending upon the opponent is a great way to teach your instincts when to tell you to switch styles. Mixing them together to use them both on one opponent may be dangrous to both you and your enemy if you aren't used to going from an offensive stance to a defensive stance in an instant.

There are some ways to make sure that you don't harm anyone when switching your style of fighting.

One, make sure that if your going to deflect their attack and exploit a weakness right after words, don't deflect their own attack in such a way where you could accidently move their weakspot out of your attack range and their face into it. If you make an opponent duck for any reason, such as deflecting your opponents weapon into their nose hard enough for them to bend over in pain. You want to defeat your opponent without ACTUALLY harming them if at all possible.

Two, if your being defensive and you suddenly switch to an agressive style as they charge you, try to use your mobil dodging skills to move yourself out of the way. Remember, you have no shield and if you opponent doesn't either, then you could butt heads, both in literall terms and arguement wise. Try to be considerate for your fellow foam-swinger's safety, not just your lose/win ratio.

And three, which should already be an important part of your fighting style, no matter your weapon choice. If your leader is in fact Creed, then i shouldn't even have to mention this next one. "Hit hard, take light". It's true that hitting hard can injure an opponent, but i beleive that it's more dangerous to make them mad by not takeing shots. If it hit you, light or no, taking the shot will avoid anyone who is short tempered from swinging hard at your face. Most people who haven't mastered some type of martial arts in some way, shape, or form will immediatly retaliate with an equally hard swing and depending upon the situation an arguement, or worse, may start up and nobody wants that.

Alright, on to mixing your new styles. Using them in unison can allow you to get all the key points into focus when you need them in any given situation. Remember, these key points are Speed, accuracy, mobility, and gauging. Knowing when each of these key points in a fight need to be used can allow you to let your body flow into each of these points one after another to keep your style flowing, fast, safe, and effective.

If an opponent turtles up behind a large shield, it may be best to go offensive on them and gauge them as you fight, deflecting any blows heading your way until you find their weakness and exploit it. Your instincts, if trained to the correct sharpness, can instantly let you know when it's time to switch between key points and when to combine them for a perfectly placed strategy on an opponent.

On the flipside, if an opponent goes offensive and is forcing you back a bit, use your mobility to dodge while you gauge them and use your offensive speed to get them to slow their attacks, forcing them to take a slight defensive. The instant their guards up, it's a matter of either finding their weakness, or forcing them to the point being flustered where they make an error for you to take advantage of.

The one thing that you never want to do when mixing these styles is try to do all of it at once. Dual weapon styles, while being very fast, effective styles, are also VERY exhausting from moving so much. While you can probably do all these things at once, it would probably only be usefull for a few seconds before you were overcome by shortness of breath, or exhaustion after constant usage. Being able to balance your mobility and your styles will keep you from being overcome by limits to stamina.

If you are of an older age group, or have a body that has trouble moving, it may be wise to use less mobility and substitute it with more blocking. If your younger and don't smoke then you may want to try learning to keep from moving too much as you may not feel short term effects until your adrenaline wears out. Then you'll be weakend for a decent amount of time before you can get your body to produce more adrenaline.

In full, this style of weapons will serve you for a long time, given you have the stamina to continue practicing it. The one thing to expect the most from this style as that it will not only help keep you healthy as far as fitness goes, but it will also teach you many skills that can be used in several other weapon styles as well. Gauging is a technique that is a great thing to learn for any weapon style, but it's especially needed for a defensive dual blue user. You can also expect to use your newfound instincts with nearly any weapon when it comes to knowing what to do at the drop of a hat. Not to mention that your mobile defense is a very usefull tactic that can be especially used with smaller weapon sets and quick fighters.

All in all, dual blues are a weapon choice for anyone with conviction to better themselves when it comes to learning skills that aid in not only dual blue styles, but skills that will help in any foam weapon fighting sport, with nearly any weapon set. If you have any questions on something i may have missed in any of my tactic summaries, please PM me, and i will add them. Thank you for reading, and i hope that my wisdom can help you become a great dual blue fighter!

[Baethor]

good idea wulf, well thought out. You get stickied

[Wulf]

YAYs! XD I feel all special now and stuff! XP

[Page Tigron Ciryandil]

yea wulf good stuff there....kinda helps me put all this stuff ive been trying into perspective better than I could by myself...

[Lady Elestirne]

VERY well done and thought out Wulf! If I had had this when I began Dag I would certainly be further along. Most of what you say in here I learned either the hard way, by accident, or through trial and error. Expect a message from me sometime in near future.

[Wulf]

Yeah, not a problem guys and gals. Honestly Lady Elestirne, thats the best way to learn anyway is trial and error. This guide is usefull i'm sure, but at the same time, error is easier to learn from than success.

[Page Tigron Ciryandil]

because pain is harder to forget. took me a while to get around wulf here's knuckle shots lol.

[Cathán Neamhnaofa]

Ok so I know you asked me a long while back to read this, Wulf. Sorry it took me so long to get around to it, but I finally read it. This is very great information for dual wielding. I really like how you explained the differences of offensive and defensive styles and how they should be learned individually before moving on to the next style. And finally putting them both together to make the perfect dual wielding style. Great job!!!

[Rojji]

great guide, i think there are some fighting philosophies that cross the board here.

[Sir Nichtmar]

I miss the Wulf

[aros]

yea, too bad he moved. Great guy.

[Wulf]

Yeah, it's too bad i moved. either way, i'm closer than i was a while ago. i'm living in illinois again, so hopefully i'll be able to make it to some of the larger events.