The Mystic Circle

Many of us old dinosaurs were taught that if your thighs don't burn, you're not crouching low enough. And for me, at least, having a lower stance does make it easier to achieve that ever-elusive flow we all strive to achieve. There is a drawback to a lower stance, at least for someone trying to achieve the apparent effortlessness of a courtier. And that drawback is that the idle observer can see when you're seriously fencing.

And then there's the Spanish or Mystic Circle. You stand upright and, taking short steps, dance and piroette through the fight. There is no apparent effort: you just fence. this was made apparent at Silverkeep's Birthday Bash this last weekend. The tournament was an Iron Cross that was supposed to last thirty minutes, but was probably closer to forty-five and there were four of us entered in it. Three of us were using the low stance common to fencers and then there was Albion and his Mystic Circle. Because of how few fencers there were, we were all pretty winded by the end of the tournament - I'd even worked up a sweat in spite of the sub-freezing weather - but not Albion. He was as fresh as could be, even after fencing well enough to earn second place in the tournament.

The Mystic Circle does require work to use it successfully, but if you have the time and the drive to learn it, there aren't many more effortless appearing styles of fence.