The Browncoat Martial Arts Forum by chrisisall

Quote:
Originally posted by NewBrownCoat:

Anyway, glad to see there are browncoats from my generation.

Dude, I still have an ad torn out of a tournement program with Chuck Norris' autograph on it (he was such an understanding fellow, all us kids hopping around him and all..).

Lost my match that day, but it was on points, I HAD him!!!

Chrisisall, Okinawan Kempo at the time

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Friday, March 31, 2006 9:32 AM

NEWBROWNCOAT

Yeah, Chuck Norris is about that time frame too ;-)

You see these guys in demos and on tv, etc, and you get one impression. But it is also very interesting to meet them in person. Most of them are just "plain folk", nice guys. Probably one of the things that make the Firefly crew so facinating to all of us.

Anyway, as I mentioned I first saw Bill Wallace in 1974, probably in his prime. Fastest left foot in the business. The guy threw this side-kick, roundhouse kick, hook kick combination where each kick flicked off the hair on the head of some guy helping the demo, and it was so fast you really couldn't see his foot at all, just the hair moving !

Anyway, I last met him when he gave a streching seminar at my kenpo school. This was in the early 90's. The guy always had an amazing flexibility and ability to throw a side kick vertically straight up. But after so many years of this, he was probably the most bow-legged guy I have ever seen. Legs seemed permanently stretched out so far they really didn't come back together ;-) But while he was still very confident and commanding in his classroom demeanor, he was also rather quiet and seemingly humble. Much more so that I expected. This was a small class of about 20-25 people and he was very fun and approachable. It was a great class.

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Friday, March 31, 2006 9:39 AM

Hey, see em both here! heh heh
http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=6782126

I must have seen it 10 times in the theatre!

To the ground Chrisisall

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Friday, March 31, 2006 10:40 AM

RUXTON

Chrisisall-san,
My style is 1911, which has been proven to be most effective over many years. As one gets older, his options for running and/or kicking are compromised. For beginners, I recommend a good revolver, .44 or larger.

Not to detract from this interesting thread, but it has been said that a 12-year-old girl with half an hour's training on a shotgun can overcome the best martial artists in the world.

In one of Chuck Norris' movies, he disarmed a bunch of cops as a demonstration, by kicking the guns out of their hands. But the cops had no idea how to hold a firearm, so it looked easy.

And in this week's episode of CSI/NY the good guys find a bullet that had dribbled blood after it passed through someone. They followed the bullet's blood trail. But bullets do not pick up any blood to speak of if they pass through someone. The truth is seldom shown on TV or in Hollwood, it seems.

What really impressed me was Bruce Lee handling a real cobra, which apparently also bit him off camera. Now, he wouldn't do that with a black mamba, betcha.

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Friday, March 31, 2006 11:43 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Ruxton:

What really impressed me was Bruce Lee handling a real cobra, which apparently also bit him off camera. Now, he wouldn't do that with a black mamba, betcha.

The cobra was de-venomed, but that bite still hurts!!
Hollywood goes for what looks good. I seen plenty of real fights-they look akward and miserable. Saw one suckerpunch landed once, only 'clean' fight I ever wittnessed.

My art is the art of not getting in a fight.

Violent Chrisisall

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Friday, March 31, 2006 12:25 PM

RUXTON

Didn't think a cobra could be de-venomed.

Best way out of a fight: walk slowly over to your 600 HP F60 Ferrari, get in, and drive away swiftly.

Drive a long way away.

Keep on going.

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Friday, March 31, 2006 12:34 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Ruxton:
Didn't think a cobra could be de-venomed.

Well, it bit him, and he did another take. I read that it was de-venomed. Or maybe Lee was immune to it's bite?

Indy was a wuss Chrisisall

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Friday, March 31, 2006 3:09 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Duelist:
I practice Yang Short Form (Cheng Man Ching lineage Tai Chi,) and have been studying and teaching rapier fencing for almost 20 years. Not really martial arts, more mayhem and fun, but I'm also pretty into full-contact LARPs and scenario airsoft/paintball.

I fence Epee and Sabre. Foil isn't really my thing, I prefer to have a more solid sword in my left hand. And LARPs and scenario Airsoft are awesome.

If anyone gets nosy...Shoot em.
Shoot em sir?
Politely.

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Saturday, April 1, 2006 3:33 AM

Of the Olympic styles, epee is my favorite, but given my drutheres I'll always pick up the rapier first. Epee evolved from eighteenth-century smallsword training, sabre from the light cavalry sword. The Victorians like Burton or Castle were talking about this style of fencing - although Burton was no slouch with a sidesword, either. Last of the breed.

Rapier comes from the sixteenth century and uses full-weight blades like those made by Del Tin Antioche, and allows the use of an off-hand weapon like a dagger. Original rapiers were often in the three lb range, which is heavy for any one-handed European-style sword. For some beautiful yet affordable examples, visit www.darkwoodarmory.com. Atherton Wing's sword was a sidesword blade mounted with a somewhat oversized swept rapier hilt with quillons. Rapier is a lot slower than foil or sabre, but it's also a much closer to how the originals were used. With rapier, you can read Saviolo or Capo Ferra and actually apply the techniques they described. A fencer has time to do some of the flashy stuff like drawcuts and mandritti without getting skewered. Whole lotta fun.

I'm 90% finished writing a rough-and-tumble, Firefly-inspired LARP rules set titled 'BIG SKY.' The system is real-skill-oriented (I hate card-based LARPs) and uses airsoft guns, fiberglass/foam/latex swords, and open-palm contact fighting. Anybody interested in seeing it?

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Saturday, April 1, 2006 6:10 AM

I'll have to check out this Rapier stuff. And yes, would definately like to see this LARP of yours.

If anyone gets nosy...Shoot em.
Shoot em sir?
Politely.

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Saturday, April 1, 2006 6:50 AM

KATHEL

I am a long-time fencer in Oregon. Left-handed foil mostly. I cringed thru the dueling scene in FF. Nathan might be a good actor but I truly believe he wasn't faking his newbiness re: swordin'.

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Saturday, April 1, 2006 7:04 AM

HATESEDGE

Good to see so many active people here. Sci fi nuts arent known for their butt kicking skills. I am a licenced cage fighter with over 16 years of MA exp. Mostly freestyle ju jitsu and western boxing. Got an important match coming up in October and then (hopefully) a shot at a domestic title next year. Keep up the good work.

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Saturday, April 1, 2006 8:05 AM

Now, that's funny. I'm a leftie, too. So far, every fencer here is left-handed.

Yeah, the fencing in Shindig was some of the worst I've ever seen on-screen, and that's sayin' something. The writer has admitted on-camera that she knew Zero about swordsmanship. Gotta give 'em credit for trying, though. I love the idea of a return of the duel of honor in an expanded frontier 'Verse....

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Saturday, April 1, 2006 8:19 AM

Though it was bad, by comparison, what else on tv has done it better? I mean, yeah, there are some really good ones in cinema, but I don't think there are on tv. Odd that us fencers are all left handed, or left hand dominant ((I'm ambidexterous)) by the by.

If anyone gets nosy...Shoot em.
Shoot em sir?
Politely.

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Saturday, April 1, 2006 3:01 PM

NO, I agree, Firefly deserves full marks for getting fencing onto network TV in any form. Actually, Inara's fencing lesson wasn't half bad. Mal probably would have been better off with the Chinese dao he was fooling with when she came in, though.

Beyond Shindig, the only American TV fencing I can think of was on A&E's Scarlet Pimpernel miniseries, and I think that was originally a British production. The BBC takes a stab at it (sorry) every now and again.

My favorite fencing sequence on celluloid is in the film "Rob Roy."

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Saturday, April 1, 2006 3:19 PM

But would Ath have allowed him the Dao? I mean, if any sword is available, why not go with a Claymore ((A fine Scott's weapon, and one of my favorites)) or a Katana? Or even an O-Dachi?! ((BIG Katana))

If anyone gets nosy...Shoot em.
Shoot em sir?
Politely.

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Saturday, April 1, 2006 4:21 PM

BELOWZERO

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
To continue an old thread, long lost...
What Browncoat martial Arts people do we have here?
Like the man said to Lee: "Whatsh your schtyle?"

I studied Wing Chun, Okinawan Kempo, Aikido, Jeet Kune Do, Praying Mantis, and Tai Kwon Do.
My main style is Wing Chun, with a heavy Tai Chi influence (Summer appears to be doing some Combat Tai Chi in Serenity, along with some Wushu thrown in...).

So, styles? Real life fight stories? MA observations on Serenity, Angel, or Buffy?

Kwi-Changisall

Heh. More like Chun! (You DID read the Remo books....)

Shudukan karate, some aikido, tai chi, with a smattering of Mal Reynolds School of Fighting self defense.

I love it when you post Chrisisall cuz you are always interesting and sometimes downright hilarious!!!

"Do not go gentle into that good night....
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. . ."
--Dylan Thomas

Though my soul may set in darkness
It will rise in perfect light.
I have loved the stars too fondly
To be fearful of the night.

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Sunday, April 2, 2006 6:28 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by BelowZero:

Heh. More like Chun!

Does a nightingail sing?

Korean Chrisisall

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Sunday, April 2, 2006 6:30 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Duelist:

My favorite fencing sequence on celluloid is in the film "Rob Roy."

Mine is The Zorro film with Basil Rathbone handling the choreography.
Also like Die Another Day for it's swordplay.

Ouch! Chrisisall

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Monday, April 3, 2006 3:18 AM

By the Civil War era code duello, the challenged party chose the weapons. You're probably right, Wing probably wouldn't have let Mal use a dao - although Wing himself was wielding a sidesword, more of a cut-and-thrust than a rapier. Mal's weapon was solidly in the rapier camp.

Longswords, especially single-edged ones like katanas and up, demand a fair amount of practice before they can be used both swiftly AND effectively. It's all about precise and reflexive gauging of distance, the angle at which the edge can bite and the blade's point of percussion (sweet spot.)

I thought Mal might have done better with a dao because he's a close-in fighter, and it's way easier to hack with a short blade than to thrust or tip-cut with a long blade once you've closed.

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Monday, April 3, 2006 11:59 AM

Been thinking about what I would try to teach someone like Mal about rapier fighting if I had, like, five minutes to teach. I think, rather than bother with the standard thrusting and parrying Inara demonstrates, and which Mal just ignores anyway, I'd show the good ol' boy how to half-sword. That's where your dominant hand grips the handle while your off-hand grips the blade about halfway up from the quillons - rapiers are usually only seriously sharp towards the tip, a good pair of deerskin gloves would prevent an accidental cut on the palm. Fiori de Liberi and Joachim Meyer both taught this technique extensively in the sixteenth century. It ain't pretty, but it works if you're aggressive enough to fully commit to the press attack. The sword is used a lot like a (nice & sharp) pool cue in a barfight, something Mal would appreciate. I'd tell him to wait for Wing to attack first so he can find Wing's blade, then step inside and press up with his hilt (thereby fouling Wing's blade and gaining leverage) while pivoting to bring his point down into Wing's face. If Ath sidesteps out to try and clear his blade, Mal reverses and drives the forward quillon into that meticulously coifed skull, or pommel strokes Wing's nose if Mal misses with the quillons. If Wing backpedals, Mal just keeps coming and steers him into a tree or log or something. After all, Mal wanted a brawl in the first place, so why should he fight the way Wing wants?

Basil Rathbone could handle a sword, as could Errol Flynn. Christopher Lee still can, he's a serious epee fencer. The only good thing about the Star Wars prequels is that Lee was allowed to use a lightsabre the only way a weightless, edgeless energy "blade" with no inertia could be used - as a thrusting and deflection-parrying weapon. Cool as they are, lightsabres would probably be totally useless as slashing and beat-parrying weapons because a slashing blade has to have enough fast-moving mass to carry it through whatever matter it's cleaving asunder. Even if you assume it vaporizes all in its path, a lightsabre's blade cross-section has to be at least half an inch out at the tip. Take a lovely, light 1/2" birch dowel rod to the beach and try to slash the end eight inches of it through the water hard and fast. You'll see what I mean.

Good Lord, did I really just write all this? OK, I'm a sword geek, I'm sorry.

PS - Back to Shindig, a thrown knife/sword/ broken blade/ax tumbles no matter how you throw one, they simply cannot be thrown like darts. Spears and arrows fly straight because they have those lovely long shafts to stabilize the heavy sharp tip. The thrown sword flying straight and true into the baddie's gizzard, I hate that particular old Hollywood standby more than any other.

Sorry again. I'll stop now....

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Monday, April 3, 2006 4:12 PM

BELOWZERO

Hey, shouldn't that be
Chunisall?
Heh

"Do not go gentle into that good night....
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. . ."
--Dylan Thomas

Though my soul may set in darkness
It will rise in perfect light.
I have loved the stars too fondly
To be fearful of the night.

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Tuesday, April 4, 2006 5:13 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by BelowZero:
Hey, shouldn't that be
Chunisall?
Heh

The fool chatters, whilst the wise man listens.
I have listened.

Chunisall

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Tuesday, April 4, 2006 5:04 PM

BELOWZERO

I hear, O Wise Master of Sinanju!
LOL

"Do not go gentle into that good night....
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. . ."
--Dylan Thomas

Though my soul may set in darkness
It will rise in perfect light.
I have loved the stars too fondly
To be fearful of the night.

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Tuesday, April 4, 2006 5:43 PM

DOJO

Quote:
Originally posted by DesktopHippie:
I've watched every episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. A lot.

And I once beat my little brother at Tekken 2. I think I was playing as Yoshimitsu (sp?). He did this really cool sword thing.

Okay, I have ~no~ martial arts training. None. Whatsoever. The reason I posted is because I'd like to know what type of martial arts would suit a beginner, and what (if anything) I should try before I even think of starting a martial arts class - given that I'm not incredibly fit and have a complete and total lack of hand eye coordination.

I've heard of a self defense style derived from Martial Arts that I ~think~ was called Krav Maga, which is supposed to be very intuitive and good for beginners. Has anyone heard of it? Any advice? I'd really like to give something like this a go. It was one of my new year's resolutions this year :)

Simple stuff is fine. Not looking to become a kick boxing champ or break bricks with my hands or anything. Just looking for an interesting way to get fit, and get some defense skills too!

if your just looking to get fit some sort of cardio kickboxing class might be the best thing. if you're looking for something you can actually use to help yourself out in a fight i'd look at something like brazilian jiu jitsu. statistics somewhere show that most streetfights go to the ground and end up in a wrestling match. brazilian jiu jitsu is a grappling discipline and has been proven to be extremely effective when dealing with people that arent likewise trained in a grappling type art. the early UFCs showed traditional martial arts like taekwondo, karate, kung fu, and so on werent very effective in real world combat situations (which is not to say they're not fine beneficial disciplines). the key seemed to be that brazilian jiu jitsu emphasized training against active resistance. these days all professional fighters cross train a combination: brazilian jiu jitsu, wrestling, boxing, and kickboxing. krav maga is an israeli system that i think they teach to their special forces. i havent heard much about it. the arts i listed above have been proven.

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Wednesday, April 5, 2006 4:06 AM

If you're looking for something free, find a local high school that needs volunteer wrestling or boxing coaching assistants. I've never understood why more people don't do this; plain old catch-as-catch-can wrestling is an extremely effective self-defense system, especially if you quietly study up on the competition-illegal locks and trips (illegal because they can do serious or fatal damage.) Combat effectiveness has more to do with the frequency with which you practice than the particular system you practice. During season, high school and college wrestlers practice 5-7 days a week. Fiori's system of teaching swordsmanship begins with comprehensive instruction in wrestling locks and throws - some of the scariest I've ever seen, BTW.

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Wednesday, April 5, 2006 4:51 AM

NATEM

Quote:
Originally posted by DesktopHippie:

I've heard of a self defense style derived from Martial Arts that I ~think~ was called Krav Maga, which is supposed to be very intuitive and good for beginners. Has anyone heard of it? Any advice? I'd really like to give something like this a go. It was one of my new year's resolutions this year :)

I started Krav Maga at the beginning of the year and it is by far the best practical fighting system I have seen. I think the website would do a far better job explaining it then me.
http://www.kravmaga.com
I love it. It is a great workout but also actually teaches you how to fight and defend yourself. They have some videos on the website people should check out.
As for being good for beginners I will say it is very easy to learn. Instead of teaching techniques that will work only with a lot of practice their moves follow the natural instinct and just extend it into a great attack. It is meant to be simple so when you get in a fight and the adrenaline dump starts and you forget your name you can still fight back effectively.

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Wednesday, April 5, 2006 5:54 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Duelist:
plain old catch-as-catch-can wrestling is an extremely effective self-defense system, especially if you quietly study up on the competition-illegal locks and trips (illegal because they can do serious or fatal damage.)

My stepson was on the H.S. Wrestling team, and he was good. We were sparring one day, when he saw an opportunity as I punched to parry it, push me so that my back was facing him for a split second, and drop down to scoop my legs from behind to slam me on my face to the ground (we played a little rough, but there was a carpet...). Thing is, as I was going down, I folded into a tuck and roll, and was on my feet in a blink. No thought went into is; I simply flowed with the force (HA! Unintentional Jedi reference!).

Attitude has a lot to do with combat. My attitude is; the 'Verse is made of circles.
And Jackie Chan is my man.

Oh, and Shinanju is the Sun

.

Chunisall

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Wednesday, April 5, 2006 8:37 AM

Yep, sounds like you had a few years experience on him. He lost hold of you - the rule of thumb is to always attempt to control at least two of your opponent's limbs during takedown. How did you slip his takedown grip, do you remember? Did he put you in an armlock after he parried the strike? I'm just curious. I used to spar with a guy we nicknamed Rubberman because he could loop or worm out of any lock put on him, it was like wrestling a jellyfish. You wanted to just start wrapping him in duct tape. Only others I've met that could go as soft as him were Tai Chi players.

Speaking of circles, There's a fairly accomplished Akido guy in our rapier group who executes the most beautiful, flowing drawcuts I've ever seen. The Spanish style of fencing, La Destraza (sp?), was based on circular movements. I would LOVE to find someone to teach me a little about that system, but there's only one school in North America that seems to be barking up the right tree in rediscovering the style. Spanish style was one of two dominant European martial arts styles for almost three hundred years, before the European fighting arts were all neutered into "sport" by the Victorians in the nineteenth century.

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Wednesday, April 5, 2006 9:55 AM

AGATSU

I'm practicing Aikido, hence my nickname.
"Agatsu" means "victory over oneself", and I took it from a quote by Aikido "inventor" O-sensei Morihei Ueshiba, "Masakatsu Agatsu" - "The greatest victory is the victory over oneself". I'm gonna get a tattoo with the Japanese kanji for "Agatsu" on the back of my neck as soon as a Japanese tattoo artist comes to a convention I can get to. It'll be my first and maybe last tattoo. Call me old-fashioned, but I'm picky about things that will be on my body for the rest of my life. Because of that, I want a Japanese tattoo artist to do it, preferrably in the traditional style, no machine. I'm funny like that. However, traditional (or other) Japanese tattoo artists don't grow on trees in Germany, so I'm gonna have to wait for a convention or my inevitable trip to Japan one day. But I'm patient when I can get exactly what I want that way.
Great, now I've been talking more about tattoos than martial arts.
Anyways, I like Aikido because it is strictly defensive (not a single attack move) and doesn't end with your opponent in a bloody pile, but a neat package instead. I also like the "can't we all just get along"-philosophy behind it.

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Wednesday, April 5, 2006 5:17 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Duelist:
How did you slip his takedown grip, do you remember? Did he put you in an armlock after he parried the strike? I'm just curious.

He kind of had a half-nelson on me for a second, then he got cocky with the idea that he could let go, drop and pull my legs out from under me like lightning (which he did), not knowing that I could USE his pulling to continue the motion into a foward roll; he expected gravity to be my enemy, and make me kiss the floor.

The ground is my friend Chrisisall

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Wednesday, April 5, 2006 5:19 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Agatsu:
I like Aikido because it is strictly defensive (not a single attack move) and doesn't end with your opponent in a bloody pile, but a neat package instead. I also like the "can't we all just get along"-philosophy behind it.

That was my feeling when I studied it.

Chrisisall-O

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Thursday, April 6, 2006 6:12 AM

You guys are WAY too much fun to talk to. I gotta go do work for a while, I'll check in later. Thanks for yackin'.

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Monday, April 10, 2006 7:31 PM

Well Thought I would bring back thread + update you guys on the two latest duals/matches for Kendo that I had. 1st one was about 3-4 weeks ago. Went up against one of the Sensei. He goes into whats called Left Jodan, has the shinai bamboo blade at an angle above his head. Only he does it w/ 1 hand to mess w/ my mind. After a couple of pass w/ no points and I'm not seeing any target areas really open. I start to go for the throat area. In Kendo the throat area is a ligit target since there is protection, but you have to be careful otherwise you will injury your opponent. Anyways after a couple of rapid strikes, my sensei decides the position isn't fun anymore and goes back into a reg position.

2nd Match: This was last Friday we decide to go overtime in practice to practice what a real life Tournament match is like ie Taikai. So I'm going up against one other guy that is about my rank, slightly below. I get 1st pt wrist area I think, he gets 2nd pt head area, and I get the 3rd pt which was wrist or head area again. So I'm still in, next person I go up against is a lady that is about my skill level, so we are evenly matched eventually she misses and I get a late head strike (my reaction was a bit slow, but still counted as a valid pt) so ran out of time, but since I scored the only pt won by default there. 3rd match went up against the head Sensei's son, so no pts scored, even match. could read his attacks so blocked most of them, but couldn't get mine in either. Need to work more on cleaner hits!!! Other problem is the son is 12-13 maybe? So smaller then me and a bit harder to get at some of the targets beacuse of size difference. Bear in mind this was one match right after another w/ no break so probably talking 3-4mints,5mints,5mints maybe or what seemed like it. Well hope you guys all enjoyed it. I will post later w/ some other fun techniques you can do w/ the Katana/scabbard
mata, Ookami yori

Now ain't this a fun Shindig huh

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Monday, April 10, 2006 7:59 PM

Even though Katana take some work to learn, Duelist, if you give someone who knows which end to hold on a "Swhat?" it should be both big enough and sharp enough to be nigh-fatal before they are in striking range. You ever heard of the "Zanbatou"? The O-Dachi is essentially that, a sword with which one kills the rider by cutting them in half by way of the horse.

Favorite Celluloid use of Swords - Either the Seven Samurai, the original ((Or at least Old)) Count of Monte Cristo, and of course, The Three Musketeers.

Anyone ever used a Claymore?

If anyone gets nosy...Shoot em.
Shoot em sir?
Politely.

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Monday, April 17, 2006 7:35 PM

Well thought I would resurface the thread for a bit here. As I posted earlier, with the Katana you can do alot of fun stuff w/ the scabbard. Some examples are slapping your opponents wrist before he is able to draw, using both blade and scabbard combo to thrust at an opponents face/ chest to stun him and then free the blade to deal with your opponent or opponents etc etc. Also as to your post about teaching Mal to handle a blade. If it was a katana, my opinion would be simple thrust, holding center (although this takes time to master and probably not enough time), kote strike ie wrist strike easiest and one of the most defensive strikes, and a couple of simple blocks. Well just a quick post here. Enjoy and have fun.
mata, Ookami yori

Slow, slow, slow, slow, and pressure = Iaido

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Tuesday, April 18, 2006 2:45 AM

I've never studied the use of a katana, so I appreciate the insights. I've been told that most katana strikes are tip cuts done with the last six or so inches of blade, rather than the roughly mid-blade hacking cuts practiced by backsword swingers, or the smooth drawcuts used with scimitars. Is this true?

Though I'm not very skilled, I have played with european-style longswords - bastard swords and the early "Braveheart" style of claymore. Double-edged, counter-balanced swords like these have a very definite "sweet spot," a point of percussion about one-third of the length down the blade from the tip where the blow should land for maximum effectiveness when hacking - they will jar the bejesus out of your arm if you hack with any other part of their blade length. They are also effective tip cutters vs. soft targets with either edge, and a real joy to half-sword. The best I've ever seen with a longsword is a guy named Bob Charron who runs St. Martin's Academy in Madison, WI - I think the website is www.barbute.com. Bob is working on an eagerly-awaited translation of Fiori De Liberi's Flos Duellum.

I've heard that John Clements in Houston, TX is reallyreally good as well. Paladin Press publishes a couple of Clements titles on swordsmanship - his book "Medieval Swordsmanship: Illustrated Methods and Techniques" is a good, reasonably priced introduction to the basic principles if european-style swordplay. I think he is still associated with ARMA at www.thearma.com.

Also look for Hans Talhoffer's "Medieval Combat" translated and edited by Mark Rector. Not as good as Fiori, but much easier to find, and a real eye-opener showing just how imaginative bladework was back in the day. I especially like the illustrations of the various forms of trial by combat.

Thanks again for the Japanese sword info, hope this helps in looking for claymore techniques. I know of no period-era primary source material from Scotland - the Highlanders weren't exactly famed for their erudition. You could try digging up some of George Silver's stuff, he was the last of the great English Masters of Defense and an expert backswordsman, or look at Joachim Meyer's Fechtbuch if you have a library card at the Bodlian....

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Wednesday, April 19, 2006 5:59 PM

Thanks Duelist
Your correct about the striking area on the Katana. It is called the Kissaki. It is the very tip of the blade. First half of the Kissaki is the strongest and then the next half is about half as strong in cutting power and the rest of the blade length is far weaker in cutting power. The other stance I would have recommend is whats called Jodan. If you have seen Kingdom of Heaven, it is almost the exact same stance that the father teaches his son and calls the Falcon/Hawk stance. There are two basic variations on this. Right foot and left foot version. The left foot version has more pressure bearing on the opponent since you are already half way into the strike. Easist way to counter this is to thrust for the throat/ upper portion of stomach. I will have to add in some links to videos and some book references. Thanks for the links will have to check them out. So will post some more information later.
mata, Ookami yori

I ain't disagreen, I only wanted another drink!!!
He who holds a blade is my brother.

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Wednesday, April 19, 2006 6:42 PM

AERIN

I missed this thread the last few times it surfaced. I have a 1st degree blackbelt in Taekwondo, although I haven't had time for it since I started grad school. I really miss it and plan to go back. It was fun and a really great way to keep in shape. Depending on the instructor, we also learned a few Aikido moves and some pressure point control tactics. I broke a pinky toe sparring and I broke my right hand the night before a major biochemistry exam (you should have seen the look on my prof's face, especially since I hadn't gotten a cast yet and the hand was swollen and greeny-purple). I tried sabre fencing for a few months (slashing looked more fun than poking), but I had a tendency to hit hard rather than fast. That, and I had a powerful urge to kick my fencing partner.

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Friday, April 21, 2006 7:09 PM