Saionji Shonagon
New Member
One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
Posts: 7,240
|
Post by Saionji Shonagon on Oct 20, 2005 17:38:20 GMT -5
I knew there was a reason I like you! Amen! This (the SCA) is our good time. Don't do it if it's not what you want to do. Don't do it because there are eyes boring into your back. The Smartass Behind the Kicho.
|
|
|
Post by Takeda Sanjuichiro on Oct 20, 2005 18:03:23 GMT -5
If you want to be a knight you have to look like a knight, act like a knight and fight like a knight. Do your arts and service because you love what you do, not to punch a ticket. Follows a quote of someone I admire: "A white belt is to show you what others around you have seen for a while... just don't let it go to your head." I think the person who told me meant it as a way to gauge one's skill level, a idea of what one should strive for. Not a literal figure, at least that is how I took it. I hope you hop back up there soon, I'm sure I am not the only one here who finds what you have to say valuable. I'm sure you have heard it before, but I feel life in the SCA is better for us newer "Nihonjin" because of you and the others like you who came before us. -Takeda
|
|
|
Post by OgamiBusho on Oct 20, 2005 18:19:19 GMT -5
Be careful, Takeda! Asking me to talk about knighthood and chivalry is like inviting a vampire into your house. Oh, sure, he dresses well and has good manners and after he sleeps with your sister she's a lot more docile, but the sucker never *leaves*.
(I wrote a little pamphlet once called "So You Want to be a Knight?". If you ask Saiaiko nicely, she might post it on the Yama Kaminari site.)
|
|
Saionji Shonagon
New Member
One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
Posts: 7,240
|
Post by Saionji Shonagon on Oct 20, 2005 19:03:23 GMT -5
Eek. A demon! But a chivalrous one, eh? S.
|
|
|
Post by Matsuura Suetsune on Oct 21, 2005 13:45:48 GMT -5
I have nothing but respect for the Knights I know or have observed. But I have been told by the majority of them that you can be excellent with anything you want, but if you aren't in the top 25% of S&S fighters forget it. I believe that is nothing personal, its just their version of "tradition". That mind set is slowly changing. Its not something that I can get all worked up about and if I cared enough about it I would have permanently left the S.C.A. any time in the last 20 years. As Sir Marc can tell you I'm just having a good time, whack a thug. ;D I'm on the path to the Big Bloody Bird under Master Nikulai so there is even less reason ( or energy ) to get my obi in a wad. Samurai means those who serve, so am I really that far off the path.
|
|
|
Post by OgamiBusho on Oct 21, 2005 15:06:35 GMT -5
I understand what you're saying, and I understand your sense of futility, but I reacted differently.
Look, I'm a knight. I'm an *old* knight. I'm going to tell you some crap now, and I'm going to tell it to you the same way I tell my squires. If you don't want to listen, or if you feel it's inappropriate for me to speak this way because you're not my squire and you don't know me from Adam, or if you feel you don't want or need my unasked-for help, then just skip reading this. You won't offend me, and I'm not trying to offend you. But you triggered my teaching reflex.
When people told me that samurai didn't belong in the SCA and that I'd never be taken seriously as a fighter unless I used a shield, all it did was to make me raise an eyebrow and think, "Yeah? Who sez? You? And just who the hell are you?"
To kill 75% of all the shieldmen out there isn't that hard, and that puts you in the top 25%. But why bother thinking about the unwashed masses?
I promise you that there are no more than thirty people in Atlantia that you really need to worry about. And the way to kill them is to practice three or four techniques until they're as perfect as you can get them. Then use those techniques, and slight variations on them, over and over and over again.
The chivalry is a fighting order. Before anything else, they look at your fighting. This means you have to be a very real threat to them every time they face you.
Fighting is a technical exercise. It's angles, speed, and approach. The more efficient, precise and controlled you are, the more dangerous you are.
To be a superior fighter, you have to learn that the most important thing isn't what you do, it's what you don't do. Practice in front of a mirror. See where your openings are. Find your wasted motion and eliminate it. Find the ways you telegraph and eliminate them. Find out what you're doing that slows you down. Have someone videotape you whenever possible. Study the tapes closely. Find out what you're doing that keeps you from being smooth, fast, and efficient. Look for unnecessary muscle tension. Look for jerky footwork.
Killing shieldmen, even the best shieldmen, has *nothing* to do with the shieldmen. It has everything to do with you, your attitude, your approach, your technique, and your research.
When someone kills you, ask him how he did it. What you did wrong. Then (and I don't know why people don't do this) ask him how you can kill him. A shocking number of people will tell you exactly how to do it. Make a point of finding all the 'Duke Sirs' and trying your best over and over and over again. It's the quickest way to improve.
Now, on the issue of prejudice. They don't think you can possibly be their equal because you don't fight S&S. Fine. That gives you a *tremendous* advantage. There's nothing sweeter than being underestimated by your enemy. And the nice thing is that when you trash him, *he'll remember it.*
But none of this matters if you don't have the will to commit. Nothing, and I mean absolutely *nothing,* is more crucial than completely focusing on your intent to kill you enemy and dedicating yourself to your art.
All right, I've said enough. (Maybe one or two of my squires will chime in with their two yen. They usually do.) Besides, my cat won't stop walking on my keyboard.
|
|
|
Post by Kitadatetenno on Oct 21, 2005 15:42:05 GMT -5
Look, I'm a knight (heck, and a king...). A relatively new knight, but an *old* fighter (coming up on 29 years). And just like Ogami-sensei says, I can't make you listen.
I got that same jazz whan I was down in Ansteorra, land of the 2X3 and boxer stance national style. Would you believe that I could beat a guy 10 times in a row with the same move and get told I was going nowhere unless I picked up a shield?
Ogami-sensei is right as he describes what it is that you do not do that is important. But I'd add that what you do in the fight is important -- as long as what you do is hit the other guy.
And it does require that you be committed. I have no doubt that decades of fighting have left their mark on me. When the first Crown of Northshield was coming up, on of the other contenders asked what I was doing to train. I said that I was regularly doing 1000 sword blows with each hand each day. He paled. I have spent countless hours trying to perfect my art. And it's been worth it.
I never set out to be a shield fighter. My brain and body really aren't wired up that way. But it doesn't matter. When I fight with fan these days, the only guys who beat me are the Sirs and Count Sirs and Duke Sirs who specialize in that form. The lower rank guys don't have a chance. Why? Because I learned to fight, not 'fight with a shield'.
Yeah, that teaching reflex is pretty strong. I recently added an event 9-10 hours away from home, during the reign, specifically to teach sword and shield for a bunch of ladies who want to do combat archery. And I guess I'm less likely to sleep with your sister...
|
|
|
Post by Otagiri Tatsuzou on Oct 21, 2005 15:54:41 GMT -5
I said that I was regularly doing 1000 sword blows with each hand each day. I am such a slacker.
|
|
|
Post by Kitadatetenno on Oct 21, 2005 16:25:21 GMT -5
Perhaps you are, and perhaps you are not. 1000 blows each hand was what *I* need to do at the time, perhaps you need to do something else. For example, what I needed to do to win the Crown I won was not to do that much technical work, but to strengthen my mind and resolve. Good thing I worked on that as hard, too, because I badly sprained my ankle the Tues. before. Nobody (except AEsa) knew about the injury until after the tournament. Then again, I've apid for fighting hurt by essentially not being able to fight for 2 months afterward, and only at events until now. Rehab sucks, but I won the tournament.
As in all things, it has to do with balance. What are you willing to pay for what you want? I was willing to pay with not fighting for a while to fight for the possibility of winning. I was willing to pay for the hours of instruspection and discipline necessary to strengthen my spirit to increase my chances of winning.
People always say,"Gee, I wish I could fight like that."
They never say,"Gee, I wish I spent as much time training as he did."
|
|
|
Post by Otagiri Tatsuzou on Oct 21, 2005 16:59:42 GMT -5
Perhaps you are, and perhaps you are not. 1000 blows each hand was what *I* need to do at the time, perhaps you need to do something else. Not trying to derail the topic ... but even by my own self-imposed [non-crown contender] standards ... I've been slacking. And I know it. And, thus, I heard what I need to hear. Thank you, Tenno. Here I am last December ... (I got my weight down to 185 by Febuary, its back up to 207 now). I was on travel then, and I do find it easier to train when I am travelling. I need to find a better way to keep it up at home. Date # Ave# Target# Calories SQ PU RP TM CR JO ZA Dec 06 197.5 199.8 199.9 1630 16 16 16 16 32 4 10 -6.0 mile bike -1050 yard swim Dec 07 197.0 199.5 199.7 1390 - - - - - -3.0 mile walk -200 spear thrusts -200 sword cuts Dec 08 197.5 199.3 199.5 1530 64 32 32 32 32 3 15 -3.0 mile run -200 spear thrusts -200 sword cuts Dec 09 197.0 199.1 199.3 1480 64 32 32 32 32 6 15 -6.0 mile bike -1000 yard swim -300 spear thrusts -300 sword cuts Dec 10 196.5 198.8 199.1 2090 - - - - - 15 -3.0 mile run Dec 11 195.0 198.4 198.9 3500 32 16 16 - - - -Caer Mear Investiture - Hi Guys! Dec 12 197.5 198.3 198.7 1700 64 32 32 32 32 6 15 -3.0 mile walk -100 spear thrusts -200 sword cuts
|
|
Saionji Shonagon
New Member
One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
Posts: 7,240
|
Post by Saionji Shonagon on Oct 21, 2005 17:55:43 GMT -5
To give Otagiri-dono an idea what TRUE slacking is like, I used a knee injury I sustained - crap, I just did the math, that was 9 years ago! Anyway, I've used it as an excuse to not "overdo" it. In other, words, turn into a turnip. Then a month and a half ago, I got to move everything I own into a second floor walk-up with a third floor bedroom by myself. In August. Naturally, the normally temperate Bay Area decided to have a hot spell. Thirty two steps (from sidewalk to bedroom) doesn't sound like much, until you do it over and over and over with something to carry on every upward trip. Load Number One was eight file boxes full of books and six boxes of cassettes and CDs. The books all had to go to the third floor. I didn't throw up - though I thought I was going to come close a couple of times. I did, however, mentally yell at myself every time I had to take a break. The good news is that after several days of making multiple trips up those stairs I had no ankle pain (minor nerve pinch in May), or knee pain or back pain. In other words, I have no excuse anymore. I'm up to my old 14 minute mile pace these days, walking on breaks at work. Then again, I don't want to be king. Saionji
|
|
|
Post by Inoue Tsukiko on Oct 21, 2005 21:48:31 GMT -5
Four years ago, when I first started to play in the SCA I wanted to be a combat archer, and was told I had to get my sword and shield as it was the ‘only legitimate way of fighting’ and that ‘I would soon come to love the shield and never want to part with it‘. There were other comments made in regards to my being female and I had one fabulous snit. I could take the idea that I had to learn sword and shield for the sake of having to know a means of defense when first beginning, but it wasn’t one I wanted to have welded to my left arm. I wanted, and still do want, my left side to have more dexterity, coordination and strength as I am sorely lacking in all three. I had to work through my snit first. How was I convinced to take up arms again? Well, I was ordered out onto the field for an impromptu sparring session. The direct method worked. As in all things, it has to do with balance. What are you willing to pay for what you want?A month before the national kyudo seminar this year I sprained my ankle. My senseis were in a panic as they didn’t have the time to teach me standing form. Fourteen days before the seminar, the doctor gave me the green light to ‘gently work my way back over the next several months’. Dove straight back into training. Learned to ignore the intense shooting pain while taking the proper stance. Granted, I wasn’t able to kiza properly being that it was the right ankle I sprained so both knees were on the ground, but hey I was at that seminar. In pain, but I worked even harder when I was there. It was worth it too.
|
|
|
Post by Matsuura Suetsune on Oct 24, 2005 13:07:09 GMT -5
I wish that I had had the confidence to blow through the..... Smutz... that I started into. In the long run its better this way. I don't "WANT" it anymore. I am happier with the struggle to improve, the desire to learn, and the real payoff in the respect and commerotry of my opponents. Its worth more in the earning of that respect each and every time I step out on to that field(unless its an off day and then its the pressure to get ones act in gear and perform to one's level ). Most of my opponents have told me that when they see a pole-arms man or someone with a short great sword they figure that their opponent is a By. Not so in my case, and if they do win that they don't have much left for the next combatant. It is now the personal struggle and on more issues and activities than just the end of a sword. maybe getting old or having a 2 year old changes one's priorities. The possibility of gaining the title and trappings looses its luster if it becomes the final goal and the only destination on this path.
Sorry, my wife's doctor decided that the abdominal pains and situation is not a hernia and sent here for a sonogram.
|
|
|
Post by Kitadatetenno on Oct 25, 2005 9:47:47 GMT -5
Then again, I don't want to be king. Saionji Uless you wanted to reign with Nagamochi, the BoD wouldn't let you, anyway ;D
|
|
|
Post by Kitadatetenno on Oct 25, 2005 9:53:25 GMT -5
Four years ago, when I first started to play in the SCA I wanted to be a combat archer, and was told I had to get my sword and shield as it was the ‘only legitimate way of fighting’ and that ‘I would soon come to love the shield and never want to part with it‘. There were other comments made in regards to my being female and I had one fabulous snit. Heh. Your Tenno is of the opinion that there should be a shield in every bout -- on the other guy's arm. Then again, I've been asked if I'll be starting an archery-only program. I won't, for reasons I think legitimate and quite different than the usual reasons. In any case, you should email me directly. I'd like to talk. And for any others out there, at Border Downs next event I'll be unveiling my new 'sword and shield for combat archers' class program. It's designed to get you through the authorization. The price you pay for that is a less complete base of technique than I teach in my regular classes.
|
|