I have seen video clips of RMA exponents using sabres in their
training. Seemed very intense but the training partners seemed
relaxed and fluid (a trait am seeing more and more, as I look deeper
into RMA's in general).

I too come from a JSA (Shindo Yoshin Ryu Jujutsu). Although I
beleive that repetition of an action with proper form and function of
that action, is necessary to training, experiencing variations of
that action are necessary as well. Free from excersize and
structured excersize allow the exponent to see what the move is like
and then expereince it under less than ideal conditions.

And "less than ideal conditions" are why we all train in the first
place. If every corner had a police officer and every field had a
battalion ready to defend, we wouldn't need all this kung foolery.
Training should engrain into the student the ability to operate his
chosen mode of combat flawlessly even when the "grass" has met the
mower....

Combining a regimen of free form and then repetative training helps
the student to see and experience the movement, and then test it. If
one is lacking the other, then the ability to operate when "Mr.
Murphy" comes to town could come up lacking...

I have read articles on "slow motion sparring" as a prelude to other
training as practiced by some members of the RMA community. What
other training devices do you use to get a student ready for "the
real thing."

Regards,
Walt