Sword fighting

[red5angel]

Not real knowledgeable in the sword department and was wondering if anyone has any good suggestions on what to look for if I want to learn sword fighting. Fencing is the obvious one, also kendo, anything else?

[Kristoffer]

Iaido

[Kinjit]

http://www.thearma.org

I would try a seminar with John Clement's if you have the chance. :)

[red5angel]

Kinjit, are you familiar with that group at all? the reason I ask is because I work at a Renaissance Festival and have to deal with the SCA and all the so-called fencers out there (stage fencing and ballon fencing mostly) and don't really want to get mixed up in the geek squad goes to the martial arts thing. I will look over the webpage when I have more time but any information or experiences you have had would help.

[Kinjit]

Yes, I practice the ARMA method... It's just a small group and none of us is terribly experienced (my instructor has 20 years in japanese martial arts prior), but I've been to one seminar with Clements and I have to say that he really knows his sh!t - he is the tasmanian devil with a longsword. :D Anyway, as always when there are swords involved you get your share of geeks. But the focus on arma is martial effiency only, it does not concern itself with roleplaying, reenacting and what not. So most serious practictioners are interested at being able to fight in realistic conditions. I haven't done SCA but from what I know about it I have to say arma's sparring method is much more realistic. It's pretty much vale tudo with a sword. ;) Anyway, check out some of the videos on the site.
Well, just a suggestion.
:)

[red5angel]

Thanks Kinjit, I wil ldefinitley check it out. I am not looking to do it for any other reason then I want to. I don't see sword training as terribly practical, but it look slike a hell of a lot of fun anyway!

[joedoe]

Depends on what kind of sword fighting you are looking for I guess. Fencing is based on duelling, so if you are looking for melee fighting fencing probably won't give you that much. Good fun though.

Now I will sit back and wait for someone like Gene or another fencing guru to spank me for that statement.

[FatherDog]

Originally posted by red5angel
Thanks Kinjit, I wil ldefinitley check it out. I am not looking to do it for any other reason then I want to. I don't see sword training as terribly practical, but it look slike a hell of a lot of fun anyway!

Presumably, you're not planning on getting into a sword fight anytime soon, so "fun" is your main factor here.

So try out several different kinds of sword fighting, and see which one feels the most fun to you.

I fenced in college, and it can be lots of fun, but only if you approach it with the right mindset.

Kendo's a bit more hard contact, but the equipment involved's pretty expensive. I don't know if that's an issue for you or not.

[red5angel]

fatherdog, yep, just looking for something to do for fun. doesn't mean I won't take it seriously but lik eyou pointed out, I don't expect to get into any real sword fights anytime soon! ;)

[Christopher M]

http://www.martinez-destreza.com/

[apoweyn]

Red5Angel,

I studied fencing briefly because of its relation to eskrima. Loved it. If you give that a try, I expect you'll see a lot of crossover.

(But then, that'll probably be the case for other types of swordfighting too.)


Stuart B.

[red5angel]

Ap, I am looking at studieng fencing see if I enjoy it. The problem I have is that much like any martial art, there seems to be quite a few people claiming to know more then they do, and many of those people teach. I've had some negative exposure to some fencers locally here, like I said, "Balloon Fencing" is what they do and it seems more in the pursuit of girls then anything else.

[apoweyn]

Hmm... Never really considered fencing to be a babe magnet. Maybe I was doing it wrong.

:)

Yeah, quality of instruction is always going to be an issue. When I did it in college, it was the SCA crowd. They did competition fencing as well. Personally, I didn't care much where one started and the other ended. I mostly just valued the opportunity to put on the gear and test conclusions.


Stuart B.

[Guile]

Originally posted by apoweyn
Hmm... Never really considered fencing to be a babe magnet. Maybe I was doing it wrong.


:rolleyes:
hehe

[FatherDog]

One thing fencing will do is improve your footwork and awareness of distance quite a bit.

[apoweyn]

Amen. Reaction time too.

The economy of motion in fencing is pretty amazing as well, I have to say.

[Chinwoo-er]

or has no body talked about the sword fighting skills of CMA ?

[apoweyn]

Nope. I thought about that myself. But since I don't have any experience with CMA fencing...

[Kinjit]

I would love to learn some chinese jian skills, but folks instructing it in a practical manner seems pretty... rare indeed!

[Oso]

I don't expect to get into any real sword fights anytime soon!

yea, but we could still dream about it....is that a jimmy buffet song I hear in the background (son of a sailor).

this is a sucky age to be alive in...too late to be a pirate and we're not in space yet !!!

[Kinjit]

Originally posted by Oso


too late to be a pirate


Go to Indonesia. :D

[ZIM]

The ARMA is one dam ned good & serious organization. If you want, try to get on the western martial arts e group on yahoo- its very good, serious stuff. They also cover portuguese stick-fighting on occasion.

If you take the time to look at george silver's book [its elizabethan- online at arma] you'll see loads of wing chun-ish stuff. also, take a look at the articles on wrestling, leg use within fencing, at the same site. Destreza, if you can find it, teaches a lot on footwork.. it approachs ba gua, in its way. Fencing improves your touch reflexes, infighting game, stepping, etc.

SCA is geek squad, very true! They just role-play, the chinese silk outfit crowd.

[Dave Fulton]

Yeah ... "the cannons don't thunder, there's nothin' to plunder" :D

Just for grins, I have always wanted to square off against a sport fencer and as we salute give them the line "My name is Diego Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!"

or ....

Go to one of those SCA matches and yell "There can be ONLY ONE!"

:D

Dave.

[Oso]

I'm glad I'm not the only one...

[Vapour]

If you do WC, my recommendation is to look for chinese swordmanship first. The reason is that there are number of aspect of weapon works which relate to your kung fu.

For example, practicing Dao (Chinese Broad Sword) will teach you how to rotate your hip. Practicing spear will teach you fajing and Jian (long sword) will teach you how to use footwork.

As of footworks, i think fencing is closer to jian bit too linear compared to say kendo.

But as of anything, if you enjoy it, go for it. :)

[Kinjit]

Vapour, which teachers instructs in these weapons? Forms doesnt count..:)

[KC Elbows]

Zhang Hongchoa in Chicago teaches weapons sparring, and his sword word, both broad sword and straight is very cool. I learn from his senior student out here. None of this helps Red5.

If you decide to go the fencing route, Aldo Nadi's book On Fencing is superb, and includes an account of his one duel before duels were outlawed.

BTW, Nadi was an olympic fencer and a prodigy. Pictures of him in competition look like form, his postures are so perfect and he was so good at moving into them in the pressure of the moment.

[Kinjit]

http://www.tacomafencing.com/Nadi.htm

[joedoe]

Originally posted by Dave Fulton
Yeah ... "the cannons don't thunder, there's nothin' to plunder" :D

Just for grins, I have always wanted to square off against a sport fencer and as we salute give them the line "My name is Diego Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!"

:D

Dave.

I have done this. :D

[KC Elbows]

Thanks, Kinjit, that's the article. The whole book is very good. There's a fencer working in the same building as me, and I got him talking fencing one day, and I told him about Nadi. He's been really thanking me ever since, so I guess the technical stuff in there must be pretty good.

I'm mostly versed in the chinese methods, not so knowledgeable on the western ones, especially the more revived old stuff you're seeing around, as opposed to more sportive stuff. The guy I learn from practices with a guy who uses sword and shield a la romans or some such thing, I haven't gone at it with him yet.

All I know is I love that moment when you're going at it with another decent swordsman, and you've both decided to go for the other's sword. It always seems like such a skill game at that point. Of course, it's all a skill game, but that close, skill or lack of it has some pretty immediate consequences.