Better late than never
May 16, 2013 21:45:33 GMT
Post by Librabys on May 16, 2013 21:45:33 GMT
Hi, I joined this forum two years ago and never did present myself. As I am now more active, I guess it could be nice to write down few words about me.
Little Introduction: I am 32, live in Sherbrooke, Quebec, and am an artist. I have a job as a Tin caster and some illustration gigs. I subscibed to fine arts at university for next fall.
Now I will mostly talk about the martial arts and swords related parts of my life, that is probably more interesting for you than my first steps and when I learned to talk
.
4-5 years old I was always asking my grandfather to build wooden swords and bows for me to play with, and I was running in the fiels reaping all the plants I could. Later I learned how to make them myself. I was a big fan of heman ^^
I was also very fascinated by blades even by kitchen knives. I was subscribed to a Karate class by my mother and the teacher had a katana on a stand. I cannot tell how much I dreamed of it. I was also having archery class in elementary school.
At high school I met a guy that still is my friend today. He introduced me to donjon and dragons, conan the barbarian, and practicing actual fencing with sticks (we were not aware of foam at the time). I was old enough to buy little knives and daggers without my mother to worry, and I was liking it. I was playing with them a lot, trowing them etc.
at the age of 16 I did take another karate class and some little jobs allowed me to buy my very first sword. I was not aware at the time that some swords were not combat ready. In fact where I lived I never seen a real sword in a shop. So the first I've seen, I bought. That was a Stainless katana, and strange enough it was full tang. It had an etched hamon (the very regular ugly type) and a secondary bevel, half-sharp. I did take private katana classes along with my karate classes, by the same teacher. He was not a very good teacher for more than one reason, but I guess it is true that we learn almost as much from bad teachers sometimes. At my first Katana class he took a foam cup, attached a strand to the bottom and taped it to the ceiling. he then told me to cut it. Yes: with my stainless half-sharp secondary beveled katana... He then gone in his office while I was getting mad at the foam cup that kept bouncing on my blade and coming back in place, intact. Maybe 1h later, half of the class, I was very hopeless, and did swing without really thinking to what I was doing, then it happened: a silent cut(It was the only way really). I then shouted with enthousiasm:''I got it!''. The teacher came back and said on a very unimpressed tone: I maybe will be able to teach you something...
He then explained to me that what I just did was due to edge allingment, and that as long as I am swinging a sword like a baseball bat, it will not cut.
He explained me that the best sign of a correct edge allingment is the sound. If the edge alignement is wrong, it will only do a WOOSH sound, but if it is correct, it will wistle: SSSSII. He then thaugh me a kata in the next classes and every move I was doing was supposed to wistle. Each time he was heatring nothing, or a WHOOSH, I had to start from the beginning.
Later I gave this sword to a friend and later he trashed it (he thought I casted a spell on it).
I then moved to a bigger city and gone in a medieval shop. First thing I noticed: Combat ready european style sword! I saved up and buyed my firt ''real'' sword for 300$. A nice bastard with an elvish look. I was happy with it and was even doing some sparing with my girlfriend at the moment (she bought a sword from the same place, she was into swords too) The stell was very good as it was springy but not flimsy, and took really minor damages from blade to blade sparing. But someday I did notice the pommel was missalinged and discovered the horrible truth: a screwed pommel that was holding everything. It was not that bad I know, but still, I could not accept it and solt this sword for a little more than 100$... I learned recently that this sword was an early DSA! (recognised the logo on the blade).
By this time I also discovered LARP weapons and still have a lot of fun practicing this way
I took kung-fu classes and really discovered a style I liked. Kung-fu is nearer from my natural way to move. I took a Dao form seminar and then a Jian form seminal. I then fell in love with the Jian. Thank god a warrior is allowed to love more than one weapon ^^
I then have some plimsy taichi swords, pretty but really they could just be used for tai-chi or wall hanger.
In 2011 I discovered SBG, then after some reading decided to order a tang jian from Jin-shi, But after some bad lucks, 8 months after my payment, Garrett told me my sword was finally done, but he could not send it: it was rattling. He then made me choose either I wanted it remake at his fees or my money back. I was with no job at the time and having hard times to pay the bills, did take the money back. I had to wait one year later, (about two weeks ago) to have a stable sittuation a be able to contact Jin-shi again. this time for a ready-to-ship sword that he is supposed to receive in the next days.
Oh and I just won the SBG desing a ''sword'' contest, so I will finally get a Ronin Dojo Pro first ^^ That will be good to swing a real katana, the first sword I learned to use! I am so full of enthousiasm, my girlfriend look forward for me to finally receive a damn sword: so It would calm me down and maybe I would stop speaking about swords all the time, she thinks :mrgreen:
Well I shall not forgive you then and will take a lot of pictures of my katana and jian
Have a nice day, thank you for reading my novel
Little Introduction: I am 32, live in Sherbrooke, Quebec, and am an artist. I have a job as a Tin caster and some illustration gigs. I subscibed to fine arts at university for next fall.
Now I will mostly talk about the martial arts and swords related parts of my life, that is probably more interesting for you than my first steps and when I learned to talk
.4-5 years old I was always asking my grandfather to build wooden swords and bows for me to play with, and I was running in the fiels reaping all the plants I could. Later I learned how to make them myself. I was a big fan of heman ^^
I was also very fascinated by blades even by kitchen knives. I was subscribed to a Karate class by my mother and the teacher had a katana on a stand. I cannot tell how much I dreamed of it. I was also having archery class in elementary school.
At high school I met a guy that still is my friend today. He introduced me to donjon and dragons, conan the barbarian, and practicing actual fencing with sticks (we were not aware of foam at the time). I was old enough to buy little knives and daggers without my mother to worry, and I was liking it. I was playing with them a lot, trowing them etc.
at the age of 16 I did take another karate class and some little jobs allowed me to buy my very first sword. I was not aware at the time that some swords were not combat ready. In fact where I lived I never seen a real sword in a shop. So the first I've seen, I bought. That was a Stainless katana, and strange enough it was full tang. It had an etched hamon (the very regular ugly type) and a secondary bevel, half-sharp. I did take private katana classes along with my karate classes, by the same teacher. He was not a very good teacher for more than one reason, but I guess it is true that we learn almost as much from bad teachers sometimes. At my first Katana class he took a foam cup, attached a strand to the bottom and taped it to the ceiling. he then told me to cut it. Yes: with my stainless half-sharp secondary beveled katana... He then gone in his office while I was getting mad at the foam cup that kept bouncing on my blade and coming back in place, intact. Maybe 1h later, half of the class, I was very hopeless, and did swing without really thinking to what I was doing, then it happened: a silent cut(It was the only way really). I then shouted with enthousiasm:''I got it!''. The teacher came back and said on a very unimpressed tone: I maybe will be able to teach you something...
He then explained to me that what I just did was due to edge allingment, and that as long as I am swinging a sword like a baseball bat, it will not cut.
He explained me that the best sign of a correct edge allingment is the sound. If the edge alignement is wrong, it will only do a WOOSH sound, but if it is correct, it will wistle: SSSSII. He then thaugh me a kata in the next classes and every move I was doing was supposed to wistle. Each time he was heatring nothing, or a WHOOSH, I had to start from the beginning.
Later I gave this sword to a friend and later he trashed it (he thought I casted a spell on it).
I then moved to a bigger city and gone in a medieval shop. First thing I noticed: Combat ready european style sword! I saved up and buyed my firt ''real'' sword for 300$. A nice bastard with an elvish look. I was happy with it and was even doing some sparing with my girlfriend at the moment (she bought a sword from the same place, she was into swords too) The stell was very good as it was springy but not flimsy, and took really minor damages from blade to blade sparing. But someday I did notice the pommel was missalinged and discovered the horrible truth: a screwed pommel that was holding everything. It was not that bad I know, but still, I could not accept it and solt this sword for a little more than 100$... I learned recently that this sword was an early DSA! (recognised the logo on the blade).
By this time I also discovered LARP weapons and still have a lot of fun practicing this way
I took kung-fu classes and really discovered a style I liked. Kung-fu is nearer from my natural way to move. I took a Dao form seminar and then a Jian form seminal. I then fell in love with the Jian. Thank god a warrior is allowed to love more than one weapon ^^
I then have some plimsy taichi swords, pretty but really they could just be used for tai-chi or wall hanger.
In 2011 I discovered SBG, then after some reading decided to order a tang jian from Jin-shi, But after some bad lucks, 8 months after my payment, Garrett told me my sword was finally done, but he could not send it: it was rattling. He then made me choose either I wanted it remake at his fees or my money back. I was with no job at the time and having hard times to pay the bills, did take the money back. I had to wait one year later, (about two weeks ago) to have a stable sittuation a be able to contact Jin-shi again. this time for a ready-to-ship sword that he is supposed to receive in the next days.
Oh and I just won the SBG desing a ''sword'' contest, so I will finally get a Ronin Dojo Pro first ^^ That will be good to swing a real katana, the first sword I learned to use! I am so full of enthousiasm, my girlfriend look forward for me to finally receive a damn sword: so It would calm me down and maybe I would stop speaking about swords all the time, she thinks :mrgreen:
Well I shall not forgive you then and will take a lot of pictures of my katana and jian
Have a nice day, thank you for reading my novel
