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Zoom Rabbit's University of Zen Swordsmanship


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Today we begin basic Medieval Swordsmanship. The area we cover is the sword and shield. However before that there are some other things we must cover.

 

First Sparring. When sparring two options are open to you. The First is using a wastrel. These are wooden swords with the same weight and balance of an actual sword. Getting hit with these hurts, which is a good thing. You will shortly learn to avoid getting hit. This can be used at full speed with less risk.

 

Your second option is using steel. This is can be dangerous if you do not take things seriously. The sword must be blunted (aka no edge). When sparring with stell go at half speed. DO NOT PLAY AROUND. Finally use steel for individual pratice.

 

Live Steel: THis is a sharpened sword. Use these for test cuts and thrust. DO NOT USE FOR SPARRING! Test cuts are crucial to understanding medieval and Renaissance Swordsmanship. This will be covered later on.

 

A couple of other things. When I refer to your left arm that is your shield arm, your right arm will be the sword arm. The reason for this is because most people are right handed.

 

Finally were protection, such as a helmet and padding. Finally do what Zoom said and stretch, and build up your strenght.

 

Next Lesson: Shields, and Footwork.

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Aaaah...konichi wa, sensai Kjolen-sama. Forgive please this humble student's lack of a slashed 'o' for your most excellent name. ;) I would indeed like to join your school, and submit to any silly hair-do or public rituals required, but first I must be sure that the teacher is...qualified. :) Please understand that my following zen riddle is not disrespect, but a polite request for credentials. If you answer correctly, I will sweep the dojo every day in humble servitude.

 

'It can be said that I am a skeptic, but not at all a cynic when it comes to a thing. Yes, that is a two-edged sword--who is holding it? If you say God, you are wrong; I do not have the sword, and you do not have it yourself. Where is there air in the mind to cut with steel that has thoroughly rusted?'

 

The riddle is: 'Who is holding the sword?'

 

Hmm. :dozey: Looks like its time to break out the zen...

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Talon: Your confusion is not an uncommon reaction to zen. Your solution to the problem, though, is a wise one. :) That's not to say one should stay out of the discussion by any means, but rather this: 'Admitting you don't know is the first step on the path to wisdom.' I'll discuss the zen riddle later, but first I want to give everyone else a go at it before I start fouling it up with any notion of a right or wrong answer.

 

Admiral: What did you think of the tournament sword ring and jousting in A Knight's Tale? Was it realistic or no? I'm not bringing up the disco music at the ball or the wo-man's modern fashion dresses, mind you...! ;)

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Ah a Knights Tale. A good movie because it makes no pretense for being historically accurate. The princess would have been killed a dosen times over (especially for yelling at a priest).

 

To answer you question, No and no. In the sword ring you would not twirl, hit a guy on the head with the flat side of the blade. Then you have the classc movie style fighting. You do not and I repeat do not use the cross guard and the edge to parry, unless you are a complete fool. (I will explain in future lessons)

 

Jousting: That was pretty good. The armor was exact, take the scene where the arrested him. The soldiers were wearing spanish helments. Also there wasn't a world championship ect. Each tournament had it's own rules ect. A couple of scene like the helment flying into the crowd is not possible. Unless you also remove the mans head.

 

It was somewhat accurate about the knight losing his armor and horse if he was unseated. However, it is a little more complicated. The Armor of the losing knight was basicaly held ransom by the victorious knight. This is the twist, the victorious knight would not set the price for the armor but the losing knight would. In the end the victorious knight would get money and the losing knight would keep his armor. If the losing knight was poor this still could seriously hurt him in the pocket book.

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Heres a sneak peak at my Lightsaber Dueling Guide:

 

 

Defence:

1 Blade:

1 Blade diffence can be a little tricky. Your gonna wanna stop your opponent from getting his saber to close to you. You can stop this by holding your lightsaber out, instead of by your side. Don't try many of the moves in the movies. Pulling off the move Obi-Wan did in Episode 1 against Maul, when he stopped Maul's attack by putting his saber behind him, is very hard to pull of sucsusfully. Keep it simple, and just try to watch your oppoent, guess what they are gonna do, and always keep on guard.

2 Blade:

Using two bladeds on one hilt can be very difficult. You have to just move the saber toward the opponent's saber. You can't swing it, because you could hit yourself. When using two blades, you'll wanna concentrate more on offence than defence.

2 Sabers:

This is the easiest defence to pull off. You the same method as 1 Blade defence, except now, you can use one saber for defence, and the other for offence.

 

;)

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Dual Wieldling 101--Katana and Wakizahi

 

Good morning class, please be seated. Today, I'll cover the basics of dual wielding these two blades. unfortunatly, i have no pictures to accompany the lesson at the moment, but i should have them shorty. Also, this is my personal style and preferences. The way i use these blase is a style that barrows from others and a flair of my own, because i've never studied formally. use of these styles is untested, and could very well get you killed in a read fight. you have been warned.

 

First part of todays lecture shall be on the placement of the blades. The Katana shall obviously be warn at the side, opposite of your main arm. I'm right handed, so the Katana is on my left. this makes drawing the sword much easier than if it's on my right. also, it opens a few one hit menuverse that shall be covered at a later date.

 

The Wakizahi is worn horizontally on the back. the sharp edge of the blade is facing the ground, the handle facing the left side. why? simple. You want the heaviest sword in your strongest arm for obvious reasons. this leaves your left hand to wield the Wakizahi. efficiant, and effective. also, place it so you can quickly draw it when needed to block a blow that you can't raise your Katana to deflect. this is key. that Wakizahi could save your life, so you want to be able to get it out very quickly. experiment on the exact position on your back until your comfortable.

 

Now, why have the Wakizahi in the first place? one, since it is an easy to reach spot, you can block with it. Say your opponent has blocked/parried a strike so that your open. solution? Wakizahi. get it out and block. this has a great element of surprise, and you could win easily by swinging the Katana at your distracted and open opponent. I can also be used offensivly. if you can FORCE your enemies sword down, you can have one hand leave the Katana, reach for the Wakizahi, and slice him through the neck or midsection. Photos will be available very soon, i promise you.

 

Next time, i will cover some of the one hit openerse you can do, with some basic defense against counter attacks from these.

 

and no, i have no name for my style. i'm not that arrogent. ^_^

 

Class dissmissed.

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Cracken: Seriously...interesting lesson. :D I anticipate your photos of neck and midsection slicing with bloodthirsty abandon. BTW, I too have never studied *formally* (formally meaning to pay someone to tell you the stuff in class.) ;)

 

Admiral: Fun movie, though. My favorite line: 'Well, the Pope may be French...but Jesus is English.'

 

Purchasing and caring for a samurai sword (part one: nihonto)

 

Since the instructions for this vary depending on what kind of sword you buy, which most likely depends on how much $money$ you have...I will divide this into price ranges. Tonight I start with the most expensive range.

 

$1000--up For around $1000, you can start thinking about buying a real samurai sword. If you are lucky enough to live in the US (pauses for ironic reflection) then you have access to what is still the largest market of authentic samurai swords outside of Japan in the world. During and immediately after the second world war, many military swords and even civilian ones were confiscated by American occupationary forces...most of these wound up on the US collectibles market, although since then most of the truly valuable ones (the kind that should be in a museum) have been identified and (rightly) sent back to Japan. However, since Japanese officers wore tachis of traditional design, many of these swords had antique or modern hand-forged blades that their proud owners took with them to war. The rest of these swords (and here I caution the buyer), some say most, had machine-made blades...which is fine, but one of these swords should have a price tag with three digits, and not four. Three words to know when buying from a pawn shop or antique dealer:

 

Nihonto means that the blade is completely hand made, old school style, by a registered Japanese smith. All pre 1900 blades are considered nihonto, but some dealers will use the term nihonto to refer to the hand worked construction, criteria by which a nihonto can be a brand new sword.

 

Gendaito refers to a sword that was made during the world war two period, by a registered Japanese smith, using nihonto means. All gendaito are nihonto, but not all nihonto are gendaito...see? ;) Unless your dealer is misusing the term, 'gendaito' is considered assurance that the sword is *real.*

 

Showa is a term used by collectors today to refer to a machine-made blade. A 'showa sword' that you paid $1000 for is a badge of shame among collectors. However...the word 'showa' actually refers to a specific time period when used in a tang inscription. On the tang of hand-made swords is the smith's signature and date when it was forged, and 'showa' in that context merely means that the sword was made between 1926 and 1989 (not to be confused with a 'showa stamp,' which is a factory design, meaning that it is definitely machine made.) This intricate interplay of definition tripped up a pawn broker I know, and allowed me to purchase a gendaito for $550. He saw the word showa in the translation of the tang inscription (which curiously also identified it as a gendaito) and set the price too low. The little guy won that day, but this doesn't happen very often.

 

As one can see, Japanese sword collecting is a vast subject, and when you're buying one, your wallet is in the weighing. One should either bring an expert along to check it out before one buys, or buy from a reputable dealer in the first place. It's in a reputable dealer's best interest to sell you what you think you are buying, because if you discover otherwise later, his reutation will be at risk. The third option is to spend long nights reading and studying online to educate yourself about them. ;)

 

Care: You have a real samurai sword, one of the finest weapons ever created by man--don't f*ck it up. These weapons are considered fine art for purposes of insurance, and should be treated as such. Believe it or not, the most sensitive part of the sword is the steel, with rust being its mortal enemy (idiot collectors with buffing wheels being number two on the list.) See all the grain and interflowing design in the steel? That is the result of three craftsmen all doing their job: the smith, the grinder and the polisher. Do not do anything to affect that polish...no sandpaper, no buffing, no NOTHING. Fingerprints are out of the question; if you touch the steel with dirty hands and fail to wipe it off in time, your fingerprint will be on that sword forever...besides, it's sharp. :) Just believe me, and don't touch the steel.

 

You should keep your sword locked away (I use a rifle case) out of sight. A sword on display is exposed to more moisture, and attracts burgulars. If you wish to display swords on the wall...well, that's what 'wall swords' are for. :rolleyes:

 

A nihonto blade must be kept oiled, and not just by any oil. Use ONLY 'choji' oil, which is available in the same store where you found your bokken on page one of this thread. If you can't find it, the recipe is easy: 1% clove bud oil and 99% mineral oil. Wipe the blade down with this oil every few months or so as a protective barrier against rust. Note: use only white cotton cloth to do this, as other fabrics can leave fine scratches in the steel and dye can bleed through the oil onto the blade. I save my old socks and use them for this. :D

 

My final word on caring for a samurai sword is this: use common sense. The stuff you see them doing with swords in the movies is NOT REAL. A samurai sword is a tough, finely balanced steel weapon...but it has limitations. The only thing you should hit with a real samurai sword (which is an investment as much as a toy) is air, a human being, or a tameshigiri target--which is a bamboo and straw dealie that approximates the resistance offered by flesh and bone. When you want to hit things with wild abandon in the back yard, that's what the bokken is for. ;)

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Good Afternoon class. Today we will be talking about shields and basic foot work.

 

Now first thing to keep in mind is that a shield will eventually be broken. Shields are also heavy and your arm will tire very quickly when a blow is landed upon a shield. Your probably thinking what shield should I use. Should I go for a round shield a kite shield or should I go for a heater? Is a large shield better then a small shield?

 

Selecting a shield is more of a preference then anything. A large shield will give a larger area of protection. However they are heavier and not as agile. A smaller shield will give you a smaller area of protection however it is lighter and more agile.

 

Next thing you must decide. Do I want my shield to have a metal rim or not. Once again this is entirely a preference choice. A rimmened shield will last longer than an unrimmed shield. You may think right now that a rimmed shield is clearly better. Not true. An unrimmed shield may not last as long but it can give you a crucial advantage. A sword strike against the edge of an unrimmed shield can get stuck for a few seconds. This leaves your advisary vunerable and allow you to strike.

 

Now you can go out and buy a shield, or you can make your own. The main items you will need are a belt and a piece of plywood. Follow these steps and you will have a shield.

 

1. Draw the shield design of your choice plywood.

 

2. Cut the shield out. (At this point the shield just needs a way for you to hold it.)

 

3. Now you could have a central grip and in that case you don't need a leather belt. OR you could do what I did. Cut the belt middle of the belt. You should have 3 pieces (2 end pieces and a middle).

 

4. Attach the grip towards the edge of the shield. The middle piece goes in the middle and the two end pieces go to the other side. And now you have a shield. All that is left is to make sure nothing is poking through (if you don't want a smooth surfact that is) and to paint.

 

Now why use a belt? Simple becauce of the buckle. A belt is already made so people can adjust how tight it is. This will also be what it does for the shield. The two end pieces will allow you to secure the shield to your arm.

 

This is how I made my round shield. However I also added a central ridge to add weight for pratice. Later on I will show pics of the shield and back so you can get a clear Idea of what I mean.

 

Now on to basic foot work.

 

You want to take a T stance. Your shield foot (left) will be in front your sword foot in the back and slanted forward. Somthing like this (lines being your feet):

 

|

.../

 

When stiking with a sword you move your sword foot in front of your shield foot and rotate them. Like so:

 

...|

\

 

Now pratice going back and forth.

 

Finally I feel that with Professor Zoom broaching the topic of caring for samurai sword I will talk about Caring for your european sword and finally purchasing a blade.

 

Cleaning Every couple of months you need to clean your sword (when praticing clean it after ever pratice). Take a lint free cloth and wipe the blade down. Then oil the blade (3 in 1 does nicely). You do not need a lot of oil just a small protetive coat. Put a small bead on the blade then take a lint free cloth and in circular motion spread it on both sides of the blade.

 

Storing If you do not have a hanger and must put it on the ground do not put in on carpet or any absorbing material. The oil you just put on will quickly find the carpet and rust will find the blade. Ideally keep the blade off the ground but if you don't have a place to put it then have the blade rest on wood.

 

The Scabbard is not a a place to store your blade. If you do that I will hunt you down. The scabbard is for protecting the blade during transportation. After removing the blade from the scabbard clean the blade. During the medieval ages scabbard were often lined with animal fur keeping the oil on the blade. However it was only a way to prevant rust on long journeys. When reaching the destination the sword was removed and cleaned.

 

Finally as Zoom said do not touch the blade with you bare hands. It will cause rust and there is another reason but that is in a different lesson.

 

Next lesson: Sword Etiquette and purchasing a proper blade.

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Admiral: Shields? Bah! :D We samurai have no use for such things...

 

Admiral brings up an interesting point: proper sword storage. What he says about storing your sword and scabbard separately applies to European weapons; the scabbards were made with leather, fleece and other materials which would damage the steel if kept in contact for long periods. I have a model 1895 Spanish officer's machete that had been stored in its scabbard during some part of its history--the leather cracked, and right under that crack is a rather nasty discoloration on the blade. :) This is why he says as he does.

 

However, storage of a Japanese weapon is somewhat different. ;) With the availability of bamboo, a tough wood that holds its shape well when carved and tends to absorb moisture, the Japanese developed a scabbard which was entirely wooden in construction, so that the blade touches nothing that would damage the precious steel. The little brass collar at the base of the sword's blade (called a habaki) is fitted precisely into the bamboo scabbard (called a saya) tightly enough to hold the sword inside and seal it against moisture. Therefore, when you are storing a samurai sword, you should leave it in its scabbard.

 

For long term storage, there is a particular style of mounting called shira-saya. Nothing more than a plain bamboo scabbard, a plain wooden handle and a single bamboo peg holding it onto the tang, the shira-saya could be thought of as 'sword pajamas' for when it's nighty-night time. This mounting, entirely of wood, has no metal parts which might discolor of *shudder* rust against the steel blade.

 

I was going to do part two of Purchasing and caring for a samurai sword, but frankly I feel rather lazy. :) I might do it tomorrow...

 

How do I get away with this? ;) I have tenure.

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Zoom: In the hands of a master a shield is a deadly weapon. Only neophytes scoff at it. :)

 

My first sword was given to me by my grandfather, who found it in a wall. Some ass stuck the sword behind installation in it's scabbard. When they blade finally reached me it was covered in rust. However now it is once again Beautiful. (I'll cover restoring a sword to it's glory in later lessons).

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I propose that the lesson plan be slowed down. I don't have the time to read all these posts. I propose that each Professor should post at a maximum twice and a minimum of once a week. This way we all get time to read the lesson and digest the information. Would anyone like to second my motion?

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Class, today we will learn to swing a Youkai-Sword properly.

Put a lot of emotion and hastiness into your mind. Now swing your sword the way it comes out in your mind.

If you have done it correctly, You shall be clumsily slicing around in the air. Practice this a bit.

 

Feel he angle and way your sword is swinging. Imagine that what you are aiming at has great speed and agility. Swing at points and angles to match their techniques.

 

Some of you might even find that a youki energy will form when you swing your sword.

 

Later, we will learn to use your swords youki in offense and defense.

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Ahem, sorry Kylilin. I guess sword fanatics get carried away at times... ;) So I get more time off? *(looks expectantly at two glorious sunny days off in the Oregon countryside.)* Consider it done. Two formal lessons a week from me, then.

 

Discussion is another matter. :D Kjolen-sama, I am intrigued with what you have to say about youkai. Perhaps you refer to ki, or chi as we round-eyed devils tend to call it in the Chinese tradition? (Or, for those of you more familiar with Star Wars...the Force.)

 

Note: Lightsabers are not real. However, the Force is. :)

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ki is close to chi. Chi is a Cinese word for a strange power or yes energy. I am using Japanese terns though. Ki means energy, youki means demon energy, Youkai means demon, yes youkai and youki look alike but they are different. I used both in my lesson.

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Ahem, sorry Kylilin. I guess sword fanatics get carried away at times... ;) So I get more time off? *(looks expectantly at two glorious sunny days off in the Oregon countryside.)* Consider it done. Two formal lessons a week from me, then.

 

Discussion is another matter. :D Kjolen-sama, I am intrigued with what you have to say about youkai. Perhaps you refer to ki, or chi as we round-eyed devils tend to call it in the Chinese tradition? (Or, for those of you more familiar with Star Wars...the Force.)

 

Note: Lightsabers are not real. However, the Force is. :)

 

Just so the staff can all coordinate lessons, I'm posting my lesson plan.

 

Purchasing and caring for a samurai sword: part two (crap)

Back yard practice tips

Innovations in Japanese steel smithing

Indoor practice tips

What is zen?

Working with and developing chi (basic meditation, ambidexterity yoga)

Zen 'riddles'

Advanced chi manipulation yoga (shugendo, sword tuning, third eye)

Advanced Japanese swordsmanship (two swords, one sword and no sword)

 

Will I be discussing valuable secrets for the development of Jedi superpowers in the last five lessons? :D Oh my goodness yes.

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I apologize for the confused posting. Apparently Kjolen was replying just as I was editing, and then demon energy made me double post for some reason. Anyway. :rolleyes:

 

Youkai is the style and youki is the energy? Comprehension dawns... ;) Clarify for us please. Are you Jedi or Sith?

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A certain swordsman in his declining years said the following:

 

In one's life. there are levels in the pursuit of study. In the lowest level, a person studies but nothing comes of it, and he feels that both he and others are unskillful. At this point he is worthless. In the middle level he is still useless but is aware of his own insufficiencies and can also see the insufficiencies of others. In a higher level he has pride concerning his own ability, rejoices in praise from others, and laments the lack of ability in his fellows. This man has worth. In the highest level a man has the look of knowing nothing .

 

These are the levels in general;. But there is one transcending level, and this is the most excellent of all. This person is aware of the endlessness of entering deeply into a certain Way arid never thinks of himself as having finished. He truly knows his own insufficiencies and never in his whole life thinks that he has succeeded. He has no thoughts of pride but with self-abasement knows the Way to the end. It is said that Master Yagyu once remarked, "I do not know the way to defeat others, but the way to defeat myself. ''

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Kjolen: Ah! Attempt at pigeonholeing sidestepped handily! Points and reverence, sensai-sama. ;)

 

Just for the record, the stuff we're talking about here is real, and the Star Wars model of Force and Dark Side is a valid way of looking at how things really do work. While I will not speak ill of anyone's chosen path, a sense of responsibility compels me to make clear for the reader where those paths taught here can lead. The sword is said to be the gate to either heaven or hell--the path I teach leads to heaven because the means that I discuss simply will not work for someone who is not following a moral code in life; the law of karma interferes otherwise. There are ways, paths if you will, which sidestep this issue for a price...but just question where a path involving demons would lead you. :)

 

So, translated into Star Wars jargon, the Tao of Zoom Rabbit is a Jedi philosophy...and the Youkai of Kjolen is one used by the Sith. :D Both of us pigeonholed, handily.

 

Kylilin: Your selection tonight reminds me of one of the wisest things I ever heard...and it was on an episode of Star Trek, of all places. "The only person you're truly competing with is yourself." :) I know people in real life on whose foreheads I would like to tattoo that backwards, so they see it every time they brush their teeth.

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I'll can go for a 2 lessons per week as well.

 

Here is a rough course outline: (coordinating with Zoom a little)

 

1. Purchasing a European sword: (how to avoid wall hangers)

2. Sword Etiquette and Chivalry

3. Sword and Shield Part II. Three basic stances and basic cuts

4. Two handed Sword Part I. Basic stances

5. Two handed Sword Part II. Grips

6. Vocabulary any swordsmen should know

7. Pratice tips for medieval swordsmanship

8. Intro to Renaissance Swordsmanship

9. The Rapier Part I. Basic stances

10. The Rapier Part II. Rapier and Main Guache

11. The Rapier Part III Two Rapiers

12. The Rapier Part IV. Advance techique: Open palm and Cloth

13. Cut and Thrust sword

14. Refurbishing a European sword. Removing dreaded rust and restoring the shine.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I'll follow Professor Zoom and speak a little about my lessons and future lessons. The sword for me has always been a symbol of honor, and valor. What I teach/share with you in these post can set you on a path of building a good character. It requires commitment and patiences. Hopefully you will grow as a person at the very least you will know more then you previously did. This does not fall into any specific religion but can make you a better person.

 

Finally the sword is and forever will be a deadly weapon. Just because it is no longer used on the battlefield does not change this one bit. To think or treat a sword as a toy is foolish and flirts with disaster. In sparring use a wastrel or if you are to use steel be extermly careful. Do not swing widely and carelessly or you will hurt yourself or someone else.

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