Solo drills are an important part of any martial art, because they give you something that you can practise at home or when you are not lucky enough to have a training partner nearby to help you.
Within the longsword treatises written in German, there are some “flourishes” (solo forms or sequences) that you can practise to improve your HEMA skills. Diligent practice of these flourishes can help in a variety of ways:
- improving your coordination and sword-handling
- improving your balance and footwork
- improving your body structure and cutting mechanics
- improving your fluidity of motion
- improving your speed and strength through repetitions of techniques
Of course, solo drills are just one of the types of exercise that you need to practise. A holistic training programme would require solo drills, paired drills, test cutting, sparring, and competition. Therefore, solo drills by themselves can never (should never!) completely replace other forms of practice, but they do deserve to be part of your approach to training HEMA.