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Thread: Good Sword to share

  1. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by CYMac View Post
    This is a very good sword in my collection that I like very much. Posting to share. The sword is well build, sturdy, good weight but you have to know how to hold a sword right to enjoy it. Many kungfu masters who hold a sword wrong like the typical wushu "hold by the guard" method will get your hands all scrached and bleeding for sure because that's not how you hold the sword right. Enjoy the sword photos!

    This is sword no.1 Chun Gim.
    I must say, it's a very attractive cheap replica. Can you tell us, does it rattle at all when you shake it? If not, have you ever tried test-cutting with it?

    Regarding the holding of a sword: both the "finger over guard" and "finger off guard" have been used in the past, depending on the swordsman's method.

    "Finger over guard" allows the fingers to assist in cutting by creating a fulcrum/functional pivot when the fingers squeeze the guard. I've seen methods that use either single-finger or double-finger grips over the guard.

    Here is a close-up of a Yuan Dynasty painting where the swordsman is holding his sword with a double-finger grip over the guard.
    Last edited by Xiao3 Meng4; 08-25-2011 at 11:11 AM.
    "It is the peculiar quality of a fool to perceive the faults of others and to forget his own." -Cicero

  2. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Xiao3 Meng4 View Post
    I must say, it's a very attractive cheap replica. Can you tell us, does it rattle at all when you shake it? Have you ever tried test-cutting with it?

    Regarding the holding of a sword: both the "finger over guard" and "finger off guard" have been used in the past, depending on the swordsman's method.

    "Finger over guard" allows the fingers to assist in cutting by creating a fulcrum/functional pivot when the fingers squeeze the guard. I've seen methods that use either single-finger or double-finger grips over the guard

    Here is a close-up of a Yuan Dynasty painting where the swordsman is holding his sword with a double-finger grip over the guard.
    The sword is super sturdy, no rattling, no loosening, and I have been doing tons of heavy chops and slashes with it but not "cut" any objects since it is not a sharpened sword. I could sharpen it in the future and test, but I have sharpened some normal "taichi swords" from dragon well before myself and they can cut like crazy too, what's the point? haha! Just keeping things safe at home... these are already good for what they are now. The sword is more solid and sturdy than most kungfu use taichi swords now too. The screws / assembly don't get loosen over use with heavy strikes and chops. Which is good!

    About the grip, I will not go into that discussion but if you have this word, you will not grip it like "finger over guard" for sure because it won't work, you will scratch your hand badly and that's fact for this case.

    Btw, I don't refer to paintings or pictures to "correct holding methods" because the painters can be wrong or the guy telling the painter to paint such a way could be wrong. "old" doesn't means right too. So I suggest all the judge it yourself and if you hold a sword like this, you will know what's right and what's wrong by your own experience anyway, so.. no need to discuss anything, get one and test it yourself.
    (Mak Jo Si, Tin Yat Lineage Taoism) A Taoism Master with 16yrs+ of experience in Taoism and as a career. Exorcism is my profession.

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  3. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by CYMac View Post
    The sword is super sturdy, no rattling, no loosening, and I have been doing tons of heavy chops and slashes with it but not "cut" any objects since it is not a sharpened sword. I could sharpen it in the future and test, but I have sharpened some normal "taichi swords" from dragon well before myself and they can cut like crazy too, what's the point? haha! Just keeping things safe at home... these are already good for what they are now. The sword is more solid and sturdy than most kungfu use taichi swords now too. The screws / assembly don't get loosen over use with heavy strikes and chops. Which is good!
    It's good to hear that it's sold tight and that it withstands forceful swinging. To be fair, I've never personally come across a Jian, even a cheap one, that rattled; however only some real test-cutting will reveal whether or not it can withstand the force of impact. Moreover, test-cutting is important not only for developing proper power but also (and more importantly, really) for developing proper technique. With good technique, the force needed to execute (pun intended) a successful cut is reduced dramatically. Even if you're just using it to kill invisible, intangible opponents , I would think that you would have an interest in developing an effective cut - and test-cutting is the best way to do this. I recommend it. Before I started test-cutting, my cuts LOOKED effective, but I quickly learned that appearances can be deceiving after my first few cuts!

    If you don't want to sharpen your sword, then I suggest test-cutting pool noodles. Even an unsharpened cheapie Wushu sword will cut through pool noodles, and will give you an idea of how your technique is coming along.

    About the grip, I will not go into that discussion but if you have this word, you will not grip it like "finger over guard" for sure because it won't work, you will scratch your hand badly and that's fact for this case.
    With your sword, it's understandable. The guard is not built with that method in mind. I'm assuming it's the sharp corners of the guard that will scratch you (?) since the JianRen (Forte) of the blade is not meant to be sharpened anyway.

    Btw, I don't refer to paintings or pictures to "correct holding methods" because the painters can be wrong or the guy telling the painter to paint such a way could be wrong. "old" doesn't means right too. So I suggest all the judge it yourself and if you hold a sword like this, you will know what's right and what's wrong by your own experience anyway, so.. no need to discuss anything, get one and test it yourself.
    Art history is a valuable source of info. Consider the following:
    1) Illiteracy was WAAY higher back then than today
    2) Paintings were a way to communicate with the illiterate masses
    3) Misrepresenting common knowledge (such as how to wield a sword) was a huge risk, both for the artist's reputation and for the person/group commissioning the work of art - it reduced their credibility with the common people AND the elite.

    As such, art history is not something to completely disregard - neither is it something to rely upon exclusively, either. It's always good to examine things thoroughly from as many perspectives as possible, including testing it out for oneself.

    As for myself, I do not use the "finger on guard" method and agree that YOUR particular sword does not lend itself well to such a method at all.
    "It is the peculiar quality of a fool to perceive the faults of others and to forget his own." -Cicero

  4. #19
    A kitchen knife is already sharpened, and so you use it to chop your meat and bones. Why do you need to "test" all the time? You learn from chopping "real", not test.

    Practise with sword with your proper techniques are already giving you a good cut movement, but cutting with a sword on object is more a Japanese style practice, not Chinese swords' tradition. If you realize, human are not like bamboo or the rolled tatami that Japanese use for their sword cutting. For human flesh to cut apart, even with a 12 years old girl's hand and a school use exacto knife.. it will cut apart with no skills. In the past, swords are use for fighting because it is a "weapon", and so no matter how you cut, the sword is already lethal if is it made for the use. Now, not much swords are made for the use anyway because you don't fight with them anymore. I know places like dragon well or cold steel makes swords that are "battle ready" but then it is not the same as what you can find in history anymore.

    I have had a ching dynasty sword before that is sharpened, and it is not like anything you can buy now.

    Chinese swords have methods and trainings to make your method right, and that's not doing "test cutting". If you find a good sword master, then you can ask them how to do so in a "Chinese sword way". I will keep it quiet here for now.
    (Mak Jo Si, Tin Yat Lineage Taoism) A Taoism Master with 16yrs+ of experience in Taoism and as a career. Exorcism is my profession.

    Chi in Nature - My Taoism Temple Website
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  5. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by CYMac View Post
    it is not a sharpened sword.
    I don't like un-sharpened sword. All my swords are sharpened. When I run around and swing my sharpened sword in my front yard like a mad man, no burglar will try to break in to my house.

  6. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by YouKnowWho View Post
    I don't like un-sharpened sword. All my swords are sharpened. When I run around and swing my sharpened sword in my front yard like a mad man, no burglar will try to break in to my house.
    What if the burglar came in when you are not home and stole all your swords?
    (Mak Jo Si, Tin Yat Lineage Taoism) A Taoism Master with 16yrs+ of experience in Taoism and as a career. Exorcism is my profession.

    Chi in Nature - My Taoism Temple Website
    Taoist Master BLOG - my blog

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  7. #22
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    then you hunt him down like a rabid dog and put him down with a kitchen knife.
    For whoso comes amongst many shall one day find that no one man is by so far the mightiest of all.

  8. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by YouKnowWho View Post
    I don't like un-sharpened sword. All my swords are sharpened. When I run around and swing my sharpened sword in my front yard like a mad man, no burglar will try to break in to my house.
    Yes. It cuts both way.

    If you drop your sharp wepon by accident during practice.

    You may lose toe.

    Big ouyi.

  9. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by CYMac View Post
    A kitchen knife is already sharpened, and so you use it to chop your meat and bones. Why do you need to "test" all the time? You learn from chopping "real", not test.
    If you think using a kitchen knife to chop meat = properly wielding a straightsword, then you either butcher your meat from 3 feet away with a long double edged blade from multiple angles while it hangs from a hook, and can cut yourself a side of ribs, a filet, and a steak at will with the false-edge of the blade... or you're not being quite honest with yourself about the skills needed to wield a sword properly.

    Granted, perhaps using a kitchen knife will give you some experience in chopping downward with a Butterfly Sword.



    Practise with sword with your proper techniques are already giving you a good cut movement
    From my experience, it gives you the proper APPEARANCE of good cut movement.

    but cutting with a sword on object is more a Japanese style practice, not Chinese swords' tradition.
    The keyword here being "more." While it's true that Japanese swordsmanship formalized "Tameshigiri" (lit. "Test-Cutting") into an art in and of itself, it's also true that test-cutting IS a part of Chinese swordsmanship, although certainly not as formal and ritualized... and certainly not separate!

    If you realize, human are not like bamboo or the rolled tatami that Japanese use for their sword cutting. For human flesh to cut apart, even with a 12 years old girl's hand and a school use exacto knife.. it will cut apart with no skills. In the past, swords are use for fighting because it is a "weapon", and so no matter how you cut, the sword is already lethal if is it made for the use.
    Not quite so. First of all, a short blade is MUCH easier to control, and secondly, even the sharpest of swords will only deliver a surface wound without proper technique. You might even bend your blade!

    You shouldn't take my word for it, though: try for yourself! See how cleanly you can cut a pool noodle at chest height with a:

    • R-to-L horizontal
      "True Edge" cut
      "False Edge" cut
    • L-to-R horizontal
      "True Edge" cut
      "False Edge" cut
    • R-to-L downward diagonal
      "True Edge" cut
      "False Edge" cut
    • L-to-R downward diagonal
      "True Edge" cut
      "False Edge" cut
    • R-to-L upward diagonal
      "True Edge" cut
      "False Edge" cut
    • L-to-R upward diagonal
      "True Edge" cut
      "False Edge" cut


    You have very good camera equipment: maybe you could even film it for us. Don't worry, the pool noodle will not damage or bend your blade no matter how badly you muck up a cut.

    I know places like dragon well or cold steel makes swords that are "battle ready" but then it is not the same as what you can find in history anymore.
    Wait, aren't your swords supposed to be from Dragon Well?
    "It is the peculiar quality of a fool to perceive the faults of others and to forget his own." -Cicero

  10. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by SPJ View Post
    Yes. It cuts both way.

    If you drop your sharp wepon by accident during practice.

    You may lose toe.

    Big ouyi.
    Ah, the joy of Lanyards!

    Apologies for the crap quality.
    "It is the peculiar quality of a fool to perceive the faults of others and to forget his own." -Cicero

  11. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by CYMac View Post
    What if the burglar came in when you are not home and stole all your swords?

    When the burglar breaks in, I can shoot him with my 1911 and not my Magic taoist gun nor do I have to gut him with my real, sharpened swords.

    Living in the USA has HUGE advantages over nations that do not allow the people who pay for the nations to exist to arm and defend themselves. I feel for all the sheep in the UK, Canada, and Australia who let their Government tell them they cannot defend themselves from criminals.

    People that play with toy martial arts weapons, un-sharpened swords and toy guns are playing at being a warrior/soldier/martial artist.

    Beginners need to learn without cutting their hands off and should use a safe beginners weapon, but someone such as yourself CYMAC, who makes big claims as to being a martial arts teacher should go to the next level, or you are just playing at it like a child.
    Last edited by Dale Dugas; 08-25-2011 at 01:34 PM.
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  12. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dale Dugas View Post

    Living in the USA has HUGE advantages over nations that do not allow the people who pay for the nations to exist to arm and defend themselves. I feel for all the sheep in the UK, Canada, and Australia who let their Government tell them they cannot defend themselves from criminals.
    You... do... realize that Canada has more firearms per capita than the USA.

    The difference is that we didn't make it a right, so if you commit a crime, you don't get to use guns any more (legally anyway).

    It's a privilege but not one hard to exercise if you are a law abiding citizen.

    And that small cultural difference means that Canadians are much less likely to shoot each other over stupid shit.

    So, you go right ahead and feel for all those people you just wrote off as sheep.

    We'll just keep shaking our heads at the gun-mad yankees and the cult of things that go bang.
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  13. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by Xiao3 Meng4 View Post
    developing proper power but also (and more importantly, really) for developing proper technique.
    one word

    cable machine

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  14. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by bawang View Post
    one word

    cable machine
    Yes, cutting through a cable machine will develop strength and power.

    Also, math is good.
    "It is the peculiar quality of a fool to perceive the faults of others and to forget his own." -Cicero

  15. #30
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    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUY1T...eature=related


    you will be chopping heads like william wallace

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