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Post by Otagiri Tatsuzou on Jan 23, 2005 17:14:31 GMT -5
I brought my armour to VA this month and attended fighter practise in the Barony of Tir-y-don in Atlantia (Williamsburg VA) today and the Barony of Caer Mear (Richmond, VA) three weeks ago. Sir Corbet (Caer Mear) blew right through my one-hand blocks. I corrected that today by using more cross-hand-blocks. But the stronger cross-hand-block, while effective, offends my sense of sword-play. I doubt such blocks would be used much with steel - they feel like sword breakers. But I did manage one smooth transfer from an acute block with the right to the smaller sword on the left. (A cross-hand-block would be oblique - with the swords up to 90 degrees from one another, the opposite would be an acute block, with the swords near parallel - the acute block feels right to me.) I also experimented some with cross-sword-blocks, which were fairly effective but I was unable to cleanly strike out from the block.
Caer Mear fights indoors in a very confined space with a very slippery floor. I did not realize how much that actually effected my fighting until I fought in a HUGE hall in Tir-y-don with a wonderful 'stone' floor (fairly smooth (not too smooth) square brick). I was much more aggressive in my movement and scored many of my hits while passing to my opponent's right. Practised a lot of single sword today as well.
Atlantia apparently does not field many two-sworders or use many thrusting tips. I tended to downplay my use of thrusts to improve my practise and not unsettle theirs, but scored half my good blows with them. In one moment, I dropped to my knees and thrust with my left hand around my opponent's shield and into his unseen torso. I didn't plan the movement, and think that it came from the 31-jo kata I have been doing daily.
Feel free to chime in any time. I am finding review of this thread very valuable and greatly appreciate the ideas and suggestions offered herein.
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Post by Otagiri Tatsuzou on Jan 24, 2005 12:01:35 GMT -5
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Post by Otagiri Tatsuzou on Jan 24, 2005 12:03:48 GMT -5
Hold the short sword in the forward hand, the longer in the back hand - more-or-less equal lengths. I take this to mean that the left foot is forward. I have never seen or heard of a Japanese form with the long sword in the left hand (although I have fought this way against shieldmen).
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Post by raito on Jan 24, 2005 12:39:09 GMT -5
On blocking:
The only time's my block gets blown through is when I catch the blow too far out on the blade. They call it the foible for a reason. If I do block with both swords, I never do it with the blades crossed, for exactly the reason you state -- it interferes with at least one of the blades.
However, a technique I use in other circumstances may help you to strike out of such a block. Let me attempt to describe it in your circumstance.
You are fighting a right-hander, who makes a horizontal forehand cut fairly high. You make a cross with your blades, with the left sword behind the right, with the corssing point no more than a handspan in front of your tsuba. Your right hand is higher than your left. Catch his blow between your blades. Slope pace to the left, while rotating your hands clockwise, so that now your left hand is higher than your right. This puts the point of your left hand blade to your right, and somewhat down from horizontal. From here you should be able to throw any of several blows.
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Post by Otagiri Tatsuzou on Jan 24, 2005 22:16:27 GMT -5
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Post by Otagiri Tatsuzou on Jan 25, 2005 3:06:42 GMT -5
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Post by Matsuura Suetsune on Jan 25, 2005 8:14:36 GMT -5
Here in Atlantia we are under the harsh but powerful domination of the close form heater style and power above all else forms of combat. I have found that movement and changing styles and forms works best. Punch blocking while stepping into the blow bleds of your opponants power and reduces thier ability to "bounce " off of your block. If you block with both weapons at the same time you end up loosing your advantage. A sweep with one weapon, then following it with the same from your second weapon is something that most of folks here do not get. Changing to more of a fencers style of hunt and poke, hide and seek disrupts the flow of and rythum that our warriors tend to move into. After that close in for raps (not very japenese) and pass bys. A stand up, flat foot exchange of blows always leads to them delivering wide angle raps to the head and arms, of off side shots to the body and leg, or crushing verticle hammer blows. In the southern and central parts of Atlantia two weapons arent common, but they arent rare. Its about 60 -40 of two sword to sword and madu (or ax). Thrusting tips are on almost 50% of swords, including on almost every two sword. We have a tendancy to play with two long (34-38") swords with basket hilts. Order of importance: power, speed, accuracy, veriety of shots, veriety of weapons. Info for what its worth.
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Post by Otagiri Tatsuzou on Jan 25, 2005 10:08:47 GMT -5
I take this to mean that the left foot is forward. I have never seen or heard of a Japanese form with the long sword in the left hand (although I have fought this way against shieldmen). www.naginata.org/usnf/otherphotos.htmlI don't know why I am seeing what I am seeing. A leftie? A known technique? Wild experimentation?
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Post by Otagiri Tatsuzou on Jan 25, 2005 10:19:12 GMT -5
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Post by rjsimmons on Jan 25, 2005 12:00:32 GMT -5
But he also has a long sword in his right hand. Ni-to is two sword, not just long and short.
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Post by rjsimmons on Jan 25, 2005 12:04:30 GMT -5
No, what you are seeing is proper implementation of dai-to and sho-to in a rapid attack. His left hand is still in proper placement for a normal, one sword fight. It appears that he drew his sho-to for a swift attack against his opponent (who is in the process of delivering a rather nasty shin shot ).
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Post by Otagiri Tatsuzou on Feb 2, 2005 13:35:46 GMT -5
The Good I had some good approaches in fighting a particular Atlantian Knight last night. He favoured holding his sword over his shield, his point to his left. I found it relatively easy to bind his sword if he attacked my right. If he attacked my left, I had sufficient time to block to the left. This gave me several opportunities to attack.
I was able to draw attacks to specific location on myself on a regular basis.
No upper body bruises. Better blocking or the new manjunowa?
The Bad Still blocking with foible on the left.
Slow with the block on my right ... even when I draw an attack to that side.
Still having trouble defending left leg.
The Ugly Lost my balance in 'charges' several times. I survive an initial flurry and I am not closing well when my opponent backs off to recover.
The Weird Twitched myself awake twice falling asleep last night. Once I was blocking a tae kwon do kick. Another time a sword shot. Last time I did something similar I was training for a tae kwon do belt test ... 20 years ago. Is this a problem? Training too hard? Does this happen to the fighters here?
If any have advice on improving the right hand block (especially speed) to the right side ... I'm all ears.
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Saionji Shonagon
New Member
One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
Posts: 7,240
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Feb 2, 2005 17:35:18 GMT -5
Twitched myself awake twice falling asleep last night. Once I was blocking a tae kwon do kick. Another time a sword shot. Last time I did something similar I was training for a tae kwon do belt test ... 20 years ago. Is this a problem? Training too hard? Does this happen to the fighters here? My ex, a Eurocentric sword and board type, used to twitch in his sleep, particularly when he was fighting on a regular basis. He was at the point where it didn't wake him up anymore. It took ME awhile to get to that point, and of course, I wasn't the one fighting! ;-> Makiwara
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Post by Ryokai on Feb 2, 2005 23:45:40 GMT -5
Twitched myself awake twice falling asleep last night. Once I was blocking a tae kwon do kick. Another time a sword shot. Last time I did something similar I was training for a tae kwon do belt test ... 20 years ago. Is this a problem? Training too hard? Does this happen to the fighters here? I seem to do so, according to my lady that is, it seems I also talk in my sleep to, as she has concluded, Sir Haroun on occasion. On one occasion I was said to have twitched rather violently and shortly there after called "Good!" So, in response to your question I think you have a clean bill of training health Otagiri-dono.
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Post by OgamiBusho on Feb 3, 2005 2:38:33 GMT -5
I fight in my sleep, and have for the last 30 years.
My wife stopped letting me sleep while facing her after I dreamed I was snapping my katana into an opponent's face. Sadly, my hand was resting on her thigh at the time, and she had five bruises from my fingertips that lasted for almost two weeks.
I don't know if it's normal, but it's normal for me. And my students as well, apparently.
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