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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Yari
Jun 20, 2005 17:53:50 GMT -5
Post by Saionji Shonagon on Jun 20, 2005 17:53:50 GMT -5
Is this the same hotel you were constructing armor in, Otagiri-dono? ;->
I'm thinking rings cut from a plastic soda bottle might do for this gizmo.
M.
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Yari
Jul 15, 2005 6:26:53 GMT -5
Post by Yamamori on Jul 15, 2005 6:26:53 GMT -5
My own limited experience with spear is that it is a 'cold' weapon.
Again in my limited experience, some weapons, most notably ax, are what I would call 'hot' weapons - they work best with little rational thought, just attack, react, attack, attack, attack.
Spear is different. I am much better with it when I keep clear and wait for the openings. With spear, my best kills have generally looked elegant, almost nonchalant - one single poke to the opening with full confidence of what will happen, especially when he just starts to move, or has stopped moving, looking for an opening and thinking he's out of range: it is, as we have heard of another weapon, "Not as clumsy or random as (other weapons) - a more elegant weapon for (heavy-list armoured fighting)"
For spear I try to train to have faster shots, know distance, work on foot work, and recover on-line, &c, but I don't try to train my muscle-memory to execute rapid combinations of attacks. When you know what you can do, how fast you can recover, you just wait for the openings. Fighting shield & spear against Sir Cadogan, now King of Drachenwald, he said that the most frustrating thing about fighting me was that he knew that I could only hit him if he made a mistake. This didn't happen often, but it did occasionally, and the point is - wait for the mistake, then nail him. This doesn't mean you relax - the opposite: you must be ready at any moment to take advantage of any opening. This is pressure - semei.
Maai, as Ii-dono says, is important. The most common mistake I have seen in opponents is failure to properly understand distance: they salute, start, then saunter up without a proper guard because they underestimate your range. That is the best time to hit them. Or when they dis-engage to take a breath, they step back out of their own range, but not yours. Whack.
On close range, the spear makes a dandy shield - draw your side-arm, keep the spear up in your off-hand, wave it menaceingly a few times and he'll think it's still your primary. Whack him with the side-arm. Or he might concentrate on the side-arm, especially if he sees you use the spear as a shield - he'll try to close to sword-range, forgetting about the spear as a weapon: poke.
In general:@think in straight lines, and look for his mistakes. Above all: elegance is the supreme virtue of the spearman.
So it seems to me.
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Yari
Jul 15, 2005 16:09:00 GMT -5
Post by Otagiri Tatsuzou on Jul 15, 2005 16:09:00 GMT -5
... one single poke to the opening with full confidence of what will happen, especially when he just starts to move, or has stopped moving, looking for an opening and thinking he's out of range ... These are the ones that usually get me. If I live through that very first thrust, once the spears have begun to move and the spear play is active - I am usually victorious. But catch me just at that instant the attack begins ... and the game goes to you.
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Yari
Jul 15, 2005 16:22:53 GMT -5
Post by Otagiri Tatsuzou on Jul 15, 2005 16:22:53 GMT -5
On close range, the spear makes a dandy shield - draw your side-arm, keep the spear up in your off-hand, wave it menaceingly a few times and he'll think it's still your primary. Whack him with the side-arm. Or he might concentrate on the side-arm, especially if he sees you use the spear as a shield - he'll try to close to sword-range, forgetting about the spear as a weapon: poke. I would love to get more practise against a spearman comfortable with his sidearm. Many of my spear engagements include close encounters and I am curious as to how this would change the nature of the exchange.
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Yari
Aug 1, 2005 0:33:51 GMT -5
Post by Otagiri Tatsuzou on Aug 1, 2005 0:33:51 GMT -5
... one single poke to the opening with full confidence of what will happen, especially when he just starts to move, or has stopped moving, looking for an opening and thinking he's out of range ... These are the ones that usually get me. If I live through that very first thrust, once the spears have begun to move and the spear play is active - I am usually victorious. But catch me just at that instant the attack begins ... and the game goes to you. "It is the same with spirit. As long as it flows smoothly, a person will remain strong and full of life. But the moment it is diminished or fails, that person becomes vulnerable, both physically and mentally. The Japanese call this condition suki. ... Suki means opening or gap. Physically, it occurs when strength is applied excessivly at particular points in the body while remaining areas are ignored. And since no one can keep every muscle in his or her body tensed indefinately, people who rely soley on physical strength are always prone to excessive suki. This does not mean physical strength is unnecessary, only that we must learn to use our strength naturally. Natural means balanced. ... More than anything else, though, suki is a condition of the mind. All weakness, even physical weakness, can be directly linked to unbalanced mental effort. We all know that when we are involved in any serious undertaking, total concentration is absolutely necessary. What we fail to realize, however, is that our efforts to concentrate completely often become excessive and we tip the balance in the opposite direction. We become so engrossed in the process that we move from a state of awareness, in which we are extremely alert yet calm and undistrubed by sudden movement or unexpected events, into a trancelike state where we lose all sensitivity to the world around us." -Don DeProspero
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Yari
Apr 21, 2006 18:19:56 GMT -5
Post by tomoyuki on Apr 21, 2006 18:19:56 GMT -5
I have found, that any type of side weapon, when your spear fighting, is just about useless. The flip mace is likely the best. But, I have found, 7 out of 8 times, you will be dead before you are able to flip the thing in your hand. You may as well use both hands to effectively block with your spear, and have one of your buds kill the guy attacking you. Practice blocking sword fighters every chance you get. A LOT! Staying alive is a huge part of 'one death' battles. When you get to be a scary spear fighter, they will come after you hard. Learn to see this. You will live longer. Talk to the shieldmen around you. Let them know where the threat is. They will usualy help all they can. I love the yari. Tomoyuki
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Yari
Apr 27, 2006 10:09:38 GMT -5
Post by Yoshimitsu on Apr 27, 2006 10:09:38 GMT -5
Even though we walk the same path, our mileage varies... I am a proponent of what Calontir commonly calls "back-up weapons" or "fish bats" and quick to encourage warriors to experiment with auxillary weaponry. There are a number of benefits to carrying side weapons but, and I agree with Tomoyuki-dono on this point, a spearman's efforts should be primarily directed at mastering the yari itself. Yari is a very flexible weapon: practice and experience will bring the confidence and calm needed to be superb. I do not encourage the use of weapons that are left to hang from the arms/wrists. Having fought battles exclusively with yari for years, I am loathe to enter the fray without my side weapon (a large and fairly heavy knife). It has served me, and those I have served, very well and is worth the small amount of effort involved in arming myself with it (in the obi across the belly). Whether in close or open fighting, side weapons: The use of side weapons in spear fighting calls for knowing when the time is right. If you are in the company of good warriors with shorther weapons, defend yourself with the haft of your weapon and allow your companions to dispatch the foe (as Tomoyuki-dono recommends - talk with your companions, an informed unit is a more effective unit). If the pressing warriors can be ignored, out-maneuvered, etc., there is no need to draw additional arms. Etc., etc., etc. Yoshi
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