3 Principles of Weapons Combat

I've got about 4 years of mixed weapons combat (Filipino Kali-Ilustrisimo) under my belt and by no means am I an expert, but what I do know is how to make you a kick-ass, zombie slayer.

Everyone always tells you, train train train, that's how you get good. Yes, practice does make you perfect, but I enjoy looking at the big picture. You can be an expert at kata (forms or positions of martial art technique) but never actually apply those forms in a real fight. Sparring is very different from kata and ring fights are very different from street fights.

We train for the apocalypse and here are some big picture concepts to keep in mind while you train to fight against marauders or the undead.

Movement:

If you stay in one spot and wait for an attack, you'll probably die. Don't rely entirely on your weapon. Weapons can break or you miss your target. Moving tactically around your opponent will always give you the advantage.

Train your legs before you touch your sword.

Control:

Running and swinging violently into a horde of zombies is a guaranteed way to get dead. Keeping calm will keep you smart and alert. A level head in a warzone means you've won most of the battle. It's at this point that killing zombies becomes easy and fun.

Breathe and smile.

Precision:

Zombies don't feel pain and well all know you need to destroy the brain or remove it from the rest of the body. Same goes for an assailant jacked up on PCP. Your strikes need to be calculated and exact. Since we're dealing with very small targets on the neck and head, don't waste time and energy attacking other body parts.

10 swings are nothing against 1 perfectly timed hit.