Saber Forum

Tune in tonight for our lastest show on the foundation of all Lightsaber Combat!

Ask questions and let us know what you think!

Just thinking out loud here.  Since it's The Beginning, it might not be bad to go over where the Shii-Cho material is coming from too.  Like the Chinese/Western roots of some of the stuff we do. 

This looks excellent!

Kind Regards
Bluesky

Covered sufficiently or is there more detail you were looking for?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNTAue1imBY#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNTAue1imBY#ws)

Hmmm... While it's nicely padded the profile on my mask is looking a little funky. I'm going to have to tighten that down or do something with it.

Quite sufficiently!  Thank you. 

I'm sorry it took me this long to catch the episode.  A bit upset with myself too.  This one was very good.  I'm glad I did catch it before the next one on Friday.  I had a "doh" moment when y'all were talking about the various strikes and stopping at the hip. 

Hi there from Australia ;D

Thank you so much for sharing not just about the guards but your development, thoughts and experience. You guys inspire me with your dedication; I always pick new stuff every Saturday!

I also have to admit I love your robes Master Nonymous!  8)

Forward grip and the guards are so important to learn, I started out fencing young but once armoring up and clanging away if you could not project control over the center they would often walk all over you. (Literally; one guy knocked me over half-swording and then held me down with his foot on my chest having a breather. I remember it well because my girl friend at the time thought it was worth mentioning over and over ;D)

(Cutting into the Plow with the tip at their eyes is a fundamental practice: I use it FG and RG)

These videos are some of the best in the world.

Kind Regards
Bluesky

Master VorNach and Eerock have convinced me about the modern armor; where can I get it in Australia?

Bluesky

Lacrosse and/or street hockey gear should be available at any good sized sporting goods store.
Fencing masks are readily available through Amazon.

For fun tonight saberites! We will be going over the accelerations and dulon concepts.

I am looking forwards to this ;D

Whenever I practice my version of Shii Cho I always think of the claymore sword techniques of Scotland.

The Highland Broadsword texts of the 1700s portray 7 cuts and numerous guards. The footwork is sword leg forward (usually right leg) with the other leg behind, similar to modern fencing. Traversing footwork allows one to step off the center-line of attack, either to right or left. The following Guards are listed in these texts:

Inside Guard: Defends the left side of your face (or if you are left handed, the right side of your face)
   
Outside Guard: Defends the right side of your face (i.e. sword arm side). Typically one's default guard.
   
Medium Guard: A stationary position that defends cuts from neither outside or inside one's line of defense, but is in wait to shift to either Inside or Outside Guard. Tip is usually facing up, but in Mathewson's treatise, the tip is aimed at the opponent, and the body is in a lunging position.
   
Hanging Guard: Another default guard that defends the head, but can also shift easily into other guards. Hilt is held above head, with tip facing diagonally down to the left side.
   
St. George Guard (aka "Cross Guard"): A horizontal guard defending the top of one's head.
   
Half-Hanging Guard: Similar to the hanging guard, but held lower to defend a cut 4.
   
Half-circle Guard (aka "Spadroon Guard"): Similar to Half-Hanging guard, but the tip hangs to the right, and defends against a cut at the wrist (i.e. Cut 3). One may also hold the guard above the head and defend a cut at the right side of the head, similar to the regular Hanging Guard.

Inside Half-Hanger: Defends a cut at the belly (i.e. Cut 5), and the tip hangs straight down, hilt held to the left side.
   
Outside Half-Hanger: Defends a cut at the ribs on one's back (i.e. Cut 6), and the tip hangs straight down, hilt held to the right side.

The Cuts are as follows:

The Advantage of Shifting the Leg, from Henry Angelo & Son's "Hungarian and Highland Broadsword", 1799

    Cut 1: Diagonal downward cut aimed at the left side of an opponent's face
    Cut 2: Diagonal downward cut aimed at the right side of an opponent's face
    Cut 3: Diagonal upward cut aimed at the left side of an opponent's wrist
    Cut 4: Diagonal upward cut aimed at the right side of an opponent's wrist
    Cut 5: Horizontal cut aimed at an opponent's belly from their left side
    Cut 6: Horizontal cut aimed at an opponent's ribs from their right side
    Cut 7: Vertical cut aimed straight down and an opponents head (Note: This cut doesn't appear in all of the Scottish fencing manuals)

Notice how Descending, Ascending, Straight and Horizontal are clearer terminology?

I am really looking forward to it! This is me!! (Maybe not!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-kpnvxyj9Q#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-kpnvxyj9Q#ws)

Kind Regards
Bluesky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_ecNznW41I#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_ecNznW41I#ws)

My thoughts after having watched half of tonight's show:

1) VERY detailed information and background; so much to integrate into my training practice, especially "whole body mechanics" and "weight sinking";
2) Will have to work on my Shiim a lot more; they're not as clear as they should be;
3) Building a "dummy" for training solo? Why do I always need you to bring up these "simple" ideas ?  ::)
4) Damn, I should have waited a bit longer to send in my trials-video!!!  ;D

Thanks, Masters Nonymous and VorNach for your outstanding work!

I came in about 10 minutes late, but still managed to catch a lot of good stuff!  Most of it was really subtle stuff like the body position things. 

I will say, Master Nonymous, that while I love the Jedi outfit you wear, it does make it more difficult to see exactly what your legs/feet are doing when you demonstrate footwork.

Will definitely try to catch the next show (though it's right in the middle of the night in Germany  :(). Have my google+ up and running, so I should be there ...

This will be very interesting; hope to get some pictures in my head for further training sessions (without a training partner  :().

Really looking forward to the next TPLA live !!

FORM 0 ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufbR2CwBrIY# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufbR2CwBrIY#)

Kind regards
Bluesky

Form "0"
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Form_%22Zero%22 (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Form_%22Zero%22)

Exactly the reason some people in modern times favor Open Carry.  Defusing a situation before it even begins can be an invaluable tool in preventing unnecessary bloodshed.

The deterrent factor in the sight of any weapon is intimidation. intimidation can swing the other way as well and instigate or escalate situations.

I would also say that it is not diffusing the situation just postponing it.

In the case of a lightsaber, possibly, yes.  In firearms, there is not one single documented case in which the open carry of a firearm by a private citizen escalated or instigated any kind of altercation.  There is, however, documented cases of open carrying citizens deterring armed robbery/assault without so much as getting out of their seats. 

In any case, I was talking more of the mindset than the actual deterrent value. 

As was I. It is dangerous to make the error of seeing weapon and diffusing a situation.

And I have been in plenty of situations where the introduction of a person carrying a firearm escalated it. Weather it be sword, gun or knife. The presence of the weapon makes things far more dangerous.

The Form Zero concept will be centered around avoiding conflict and being able to remove yourself from it without the use of an external weapon. Non agression in a very strict sense.

More dangerous, yes.  But more dangerous to whom?  Presumably we're talking about an encounter with a criminal intent on doing us harm here, so it wouldn't make any noticeable difference in the danger to us, but it makes it far more dangerous for the criminal.  Criminals, just like any other person, have varying degrees of risk aversion.  The higher their risk, the less likely they are to act on their plan.  

And since I know it'll get brought up (it always does) there are again very, very few documented cases in which a firearm is taken from the person defending themselves and turned against them.  Just as disarms are a difficult thing to accomplish in swordplay, so they are with firearms.

But, I didn't come here to start a debate on firearms.  So I'll bow out.  

Again it doesn't have to do with guns. It has to do with that there are more factors to think about than a criminals doing harm, good guy vs bad guy scenarios. You have by standers, obstacles, any number of unknown agressors in a crowd. The possibility of the escalation due to the presence of a weapon is not debatable. It doesn't have not be an action movie disarm, or anyone getting shot. But a smal argument can turn into an all out brawl when the added stress of weapons in introduced. In emotionally charged and high stress situations people become unpredictable. If one is in a crowd or protest situation, even the hint of the presence of a weapon can create unruly situations.

This isn't a point about numbers, it is a point about how to handle ones's self without exacerbating the situation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6XuZCTUAww#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6XuZCTUAww#ws)

The final Shii-Cho show.

We are set to begin explorations of Form VI and VII...

Hi there from Australia ;D

What a nice day; what was that bird chirping in the background?

This is an excellent video with lots of interesting elements. I especially like the interaction of many thoughts and opinions.

1/ Shadow sparing: Visualization, execution and extension.
2/ Circling the opponent is very important to learn.
3/ Shi Cho: Block = Cut
4/ Cancellation: Same cut cancels cut
5/ Train slowly and develop your technique over speed.
6/ Slow time training
7/ Slow time corrects for errors
8/ Slow time one of the keys.
9/ Changing directions and moving with your opponent mirroring and matching.
10/ Focus, watching and drilling.
11/ Flow walking/dueling: Controlled slow time sparring
12/ Over focusing on weaknesses
13/ Extending dueling with slow time for beginners.
14/ The terrain plays a part in your decisions.
15/ Know the rules before you can break them.
16/ Training your perceptions and awareness.
17/ Eye focus/contact.
18/ Training with a teacher as opposed to training by yourself. Training realities.
19/ High Guard (Roof/Crown) Strengths/weakness
20/ Flanking with attacks

It is great to see a new learner discovering and clearly getting better. Closing the High guard is a sound strategy; I would suggest on top of closing allowing them to exhaust or complete their stroke as well EErockk. Steal the energy in their guard by making them misfire or react into a disengage or feint. Someone proficient in the High Guard will be aware of jamming and closing attacks and you might find they move and withhold their strike long enough for your commitment to trap you into a position before they strike.

With High guard I would suggest a strong sense of distance maintenance as well. Always keeping out of range; always controlling the space. If they move you move. Fencing is very good at this; practice advancing and retreating so that their energy in the Guard has nothing to bite into.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G81Qju1ttU0#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G81Qju1ttU0#ws)

1/ Disguising distance.
2/ Weight distribution can help prevent Counter attacks and stop cuts from landing.

Eerockk, play around with your weight distribution and your distance; attacks are born and die in your feet. The challenges you face all swordsmen have faced. The basics that have been covered here will come out during sparing and if you have prepared right then you should hold your own. Be confident, I can see how much you have improved; great stuff! ;D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcurmW2VefU# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcurmW2VefU#)

Great Job guys ;D

Kind Regards
Bluesky

One of my teachers, during some classes, would get us started with very slow one-step sparring, then move on to three-step sparring, and then onto more extensive sequence sparring to train to synthesize and execute techniques learned. Loved learning this way, and it can quickly lock some techniques to the point of becoming second nature.

Thanks, Bluesky! That's good advice for sure. The next time Nonymous and I spar, I will be more of a challenge to him, and that will be partially due to my mental preparation as well as the physical! He's lightning fast, so I will have to be as well. When I match the speed to the proper form, I'll be ready! I have loads to do to get there, and that's the fun part, so I've found so far.