- Fundamentals
- Controlling the fight. Making the opponents play your game.
- Finding ways to get more than 1-1 at least momentarily.
- Two-man teams requires you and your partner to compliment each -other’s styles. Whether you fight side by side or intentionally split up, if you and your teammate aren’t getting value out of each other you are doing a sub-optimal job. That is, finding a way to get better than 1-1 on an opponent.
- Communicate – Call your deaths. Use this in the exercise.
- Even though I am a huge believer in flanking when playing with teams bigger than 2, the theory doesn’t translate perfectly since part of the fun of flanking lies in getting bad angles. Just splitting doesn’t always serve this purpose because the opposition has an option to try to make it into two 1-1s.
- Splitting up is easier and has a fair number of advantages. It is often the best choice.
- It breaks the opponents ability to work as a team
- If it works it can threaten both opponents with back shots. Better than 1-1.
- Requires less coordination for you.
- Sheer aggression will put off some teams
- Allows you to work favorable match ups (S&B vs pole)
- Splitting just to split your opponents into favorable match-ups.
- Often one of you looks to kill or wound while the other holds
- This gives you better than a 1-1.
- If you and your partner are significantly better than your opponents as individuals, splitting can hardly hurt you and has all the same advantages.
- Against newer teams this works even if you are relatively new yourself. Their teamwork can be more easily interrupted and they are more likely to go back to back. Sheer aggression is also more likely to force them into playing your game.
- In splitting you are by necessity giving your opponents 1-1s for at least a small amount of time. Make sure neither of you comes up with a match-up bad enough that he/she can’t live though it.
- If you split too much, the opponents can get better than a 1-1 on one of you for a little bit.
- Splitting should never mean that you aren’t worrying about your partner. You should still maneuver to make best use of your partner and to hamper your opponent’s attempts to do the same.
- Not splitting – Try to get more power synergistically than the power you can bring to bear as individuals plus the power of breaking up the opponent’s teamwork
- Very good teamwork can allow you to get more benefit from your partner than your opponents get from each other.
- This requires a fair amount of training together. It is a goal.
- The very best teams can gain the most benefit this way but need to be good enough to adapt if situations call for other choices.
- Protecting greater range, which allows you to bring better than 1-1 to bear.
- Poles are an extreme example of this.
- Opponents who are flanking badly can provide momentary chances to bring more than 1-1 if your team can move together without exposing.
- One of our team members is at too much of a disadvantage in the momentary 1-1.
- All of these things require quick action to force opponents who plan to split from dictating it into their fight.
- Very good teamwork can allow you to get more benefit from your partner than your opponents get from each other.
- Staying together doesn’t mean not moving or allowing your opponents to dictate where you go. You can move together. In fact that’s the way I prefer to fight more than 2.
- Stay together – If fighting this way stay within 2 steps.
- Choosing the right partner
- Complimentary Styles
- Weapons that work together
- What if there is no choice
- Zen and the art of Two man
- Fighting two against two
- Making match-ups (splitting or not)
- Strong against strong or vice versa
- Steal what the opponent wants to do (make them fight your fight)
- A plan that trades your death for their wound sucks even if it is the better fighter’s wound.
- Use your psychological advantage and your partners.
- Cooperative footwork (if you stay close)
- Don’t get in your partners way
- If you are rush in same direction
- Body contact can be better than speech
- Footwork can fool your opponent but probably not your partner.
- Leg Switching
- Don’t get in your partners way
- Getting shots for and from your partner (if you stay close)
- Make your man interested by looking at his partner
- You take advantage yourself.
- Temp your partner’s man by showing something
- Your partner takes advantage.
- Leg bait
- Elbow Bait
- Make a very aggressive attack on your man leaving yourself open to his partner. Only if your partner can be sure to clean up.
- Fake by leaving your partner to dry. Works with Shield men. Especially
- Multiple angles of attack
- Classic Hi-low
- Opposite sides. Low-low or high-High with motion.
- Make your man interested by looking at his partner
- Positioning to help your partner (if you split)
- Pincer (turn and burn)
- Breaks team work and concentration
- May open backs
- Steals options.
- How to react to their split
- Keep the initiative
- Avoid getting back to back
- Hard to come back together
- But easy to enter the your buddy’s fight
- Hurry and delay
- One of you hurries and the other delays
- Pincer (turn and burn)
- Making match-ups (splitting or not)
- Countering
- Opponents that split.
- You can split too. 1-1s are not necessarily good but certainly better than giving them backs.
- Get quick legs on them.
- Take advantage of the monetary 2-1.
- Both of you quickly to one of them.
- Speed is key since they are trying to back to back you.
- More risky
- Opponent switching
- Has to be planned and very quick
- Totally worth it for a pole
- Otherwise deepened on specifics
- Opponents that want to stay together
- Get a shield on the pole.
- Don’t give them reasonable leg shots. (right range)
- Stay a threat so they can’t 2-1 your partner (right range).
- Keep looking for your position to get better than 1-1 on backs.
- Opponents that split.
- Special combos
- Poles
- When fighting with poles Pole is wing leader
- Wingman covers pole but pole sets tempo.
- Pole needs to be willing to attack (especially stab.
- They will split you or rush. Anything that breaks that is good.
- When fighting against pole rush or split them
- The longer you let them keep range and protection the worse it is.
- Other combos
- Flail is real good against shield but less so on Florentine
- Madus and down spears act as better range.
- They can therefore slow the other teams tempo
- Use against fast fighters
- Poles
- Fighting two against many
- Here your disadvantage is that you must not only fight more opponents but that they come from a wider angle.
- The choice to split or not is about the same.
- Line fighting is ill advised because they can get more threats on each of you. (2.5-1)
- Splitting removes this but precludes lining guys up.
- Mistakes you make may be more deadly
- Splitting makes opponent’s teamwork easier too
- Your key is mobility (especially if staying together)
- Move together and make sure your are supporting each other.
- Move away and around, trying to line them up. Don’t hesitate to jump on any one of them that gives you an opportunity.
- Exposes fewer arcs of fire
- It takes advantage of the lazy instinct in humans
- It allows you to take advantage of the aggressive, by:
- Backing out
- Only using one of you to deal with the rush
- Hitting lots of legs
- Two cooperate better than many use this
- Both partners need very strong personal combat awareness to make this work. The odds are still against you.
- If you are the group. Use the techniques taught today and you damn well better win.
Drills
Split or not – 6 fights, 2 must split. 2 Must not (give a range advantage). 2 choice.
The Plan – Let each team fight and then class guesses the plan.
2-on-4 – No special rules.