Duke Paul of Bellatrix in a Nutshell

[Otagiri Tatsuzou]

Engage the weapon.
Seize the center.
Close the gap.
Sticky hands.
Throw shots from your hips/torso.

[Saionji Shonagon]

Gee, I thought it was "Blur - pain!"

Engage the weapon.
Seize the center.
Close the gap.
Sticky hands.
Throw shots from your hips/torso.

Sticky hands? Could you please elaborate? (The rest more or less makes sense.)

Saionji

[Takeda Sanjuichiro]

makiwara said:

Sticky hands? Could you please elaborate?

It is the principal of sticking or matching your opponent's movement, withdraw as he presses, press when he withdraws... It is based on the martial art training of moving with a partner and keeping your hands in contact with theirs as if your hands were stuck together. (kinda like dancing)

Very useful with a two-handed sword especially against sword and shield. By maintaining convact with your opponents attack, you rob him of of a successful assault upon you. And hopefuly due to utilizing two hands for your weapon you have two points upon which your weapon may move from... as he withdraws to make another attack you will wind up catching him in an comprimising position... ::blurr-whack::

-Takeda

[Saionji Shonagon]

It is the principal of sticking or matching your opponent's movement, withdraw as he presses, press when he withdraws...

Oh. Duh. Gotcha. The terminology threw me. Makes perfect sense.

Not unlike "contact" in horsemanship, i.e., keeping a feel on the horse's mouth via bit and reins. You can feel each other, that allows you to anticipate his movement, allows him to receive your direction with more subtlety and less force because there's an established physical connection that is harder for the horse to evade (unless he decides to take you on in a tug of war). Turning or stopping 1200 pounds of highly honed flight response by closing one's hand slightly on a rein that already has contact works SO much nicer than reeling him in like a marlin.

If I had two good knees and didn't hate the idea of getting hit, I'd be freakin' dangerous.

Saionji the ever curious

[Otagiri Tatsuzou]

What Takeda-dono said.

But to clarify slightly ...

with 'katana', HG Bellatrix prefers to put his right elbow on his opponents shield to control it.
with 'glaive', HG Bellatrix prefers to put the haft of his weapon on the corner of his opponents shield to control it.
I'm not sure what he prefers with great sword.

I do have a quicktime cd of his I need to review.

[Matsuura Suetsune]

At least with your horse its more like a partnership in dancing. Yes, it can be a test of wills and guile (especially if you have an Arab), but you have an established relationship. If I had been as smart as my horse it would have been more interesting a contest of wills for him. The outcome is the same though. Bang on the head (or landing on your butt), you loose. At least on my horse I can say I gave better than I got (most days).

[Saionji Shonagon]

At least with your horse its more like a partnership in dancing. Yes, it can be a test of wills and guile (especially if you have an Arab), but you have an established relationship. If I had been as smart as my horse it would have been more interesting a contest of wills for him. The outcome is the same though. Bang on the head (or landing on your butt), you loose. At least on my horse I can say I gave better than I got (most days).

Try a Quarter Horse some time for stubborn. (I have little experience with Arabs - our market was hunter jumpers mostly.)

And you DON'T have an established relationship when you get on a strange horse. I got my start riding schoolies and then whatever sale horses our trainer needed exercised, so you've got to size up what you've got under you the same way a fighter has to size up a strange opponent.

More parallels. Maybe Date-dono was right.

Otagiri posted:

with 'katana', HG Bellatrix prefers to put his right elbow on his opponents shield to control it.
with 'glaive', HG Bellatrix prefers to put the haft of his weapon on the corner of his opponents shield to control it.
I'm not sure what he prefers with great sword.

Interesting. I would imagine there are also ways to engage and maintain contact with someone not using a shield as well.

S.

[Takeda Sanjuichiro]

You know Saionji-hime, next time you are out east way I'll have to get you and my lady to go out riding together.

-Takeda