I thought I would share some comments from a serious coach, Dave Nixon. I have done a small edit to put this into the realm of swordsmanship.
The power of linguistics is amazing. You can literally swing the mood of a conversation with one single word.
There are a few words we should remove from our vocabulary straight away. One of these words is the word: But.
Whenever providing feedback refrain from using this word at all costs. But takes away. It’s the middle of a poop sandwich. And nobody wants to eat one of those.
Simply sub it for the word ‘and’. This subtle little change makes a massive difference on the back end. ‘And’ adds to your point. Rather than taking away.
Example… “That was a good cut, but next time keep your stance lower and it will be even better.” “That was a good cut and next time think about a lower stance to make it even better.” A simple example that makes a massive difference on the back end.
Next training session, pay attention to just how often you said the word but.
-Dave Nixon.
Cornelius Von Becke 