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Post by NanMoves on Nov 23, 2020 6:05:23 GMT
Hi I'm looking for some advice on which swords to practice with. I've been a dancer most of my life and began incorporating boxing, for the most part, in my teens. I purchased a samurai sword around 12 years ago and began a passion for the swords flow of movement. Unfortunately it's not a practical sword for a woman. 1. It's to heavy 2. I could never defend against a stronger opponent with it extended 3. Reversed it's awkward, heavy and too long Now, I'm not going to be walking around with a couple of swords on my hips. Lol. I have been exercising with this method of improvised defensive movement for many years. It developes a scenario sequence that becomes almost like slow motion. The calmness and grace in movements has been invaluable in the face of aggression many times. 8 years ago I did my left shoulder rotor cuff. Extension on this arm is not possible. I'm looking to practice with 2 swords in the reverse position. I have been looking at the Yatagan sword for my right arm (though worried about its length) and have found a supposed Ottoman "Elif" 600mm sword for the left arm. I would love some practical advice and recommendations on any Smiths if custom is my best option Many thanks Leonie
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Post by Adventurer'sBlade on Nov 23, 2020 10:33:27 GMT
I think you'll find that nobody here will recommend using swords in a reverse grip.
But if you're a dancer and you want to do forms or some kind of flow with two swords,I recommend you watch some Krabi Krabong videos and mimic that with a pair of sticks, then find some edgeless aluminum training swords if you like.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Nov 23, 2020 15:35:30 GMT
Like Red said, I don’t think anyone here is going to recommend a reverse grip for a sword. However having said that and if your heart set on a reverse grip you might consider Chinese butterfly swords, not to be confused with butterfly knives which are Filipino. They normally come in pairs and with the design of the quillon can easily be reversed. There are trainers on the market that are cheap and if you want to go the butterfly route I suggest you buy first. I am not necessarily promoting the butterfly swords only throwing the idea out there for your information. There are videos on YouTube that will inform you more on these swords. I have a pair of Cold Steel’s and a pair of trainers. I’m fine with the trainers but have reservations about the real thing. They are the only swords that I have that I fear and therefore packed away. I am afraid in the excitement of a tight I’ll hit my arm. Probably not, I’ve been in tights with no excitement just too busy concentrating. The video below gives several scenes showing reversing the swords at mark 7:19, 7:33, 7:47, 8:00, 9:05 and probably more but I stopped watching at that point. You might want to check out other videos as well. FWIW I have no problem with mine rusting and live in the tropics.
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Post by tommyh on Nov 23, 2020 23:00:15 GMT
What samurai sword did you purchase? There's a huge range of styles, not to mention a huge disparity in quality between various brands. There's a lot of junk out there. Also, maybe this is just a terminology thing, but I don't consider swords or any other cutting weapon to be really "flowy" weapons. Cuts have to be properly aligned in order to do well, and the spinny moves you see in a lot of movies actually make for terrible cutting mechanics, regardless of if they are "tactically" sound (which they generally also are not).
Defend against a stronger opponent? Are you trying to get involved in competition, or are you planning on using a sword for self-defense or home-defense? Regardless, weapons exist as equalizers. A stronger opponent might be able to beat a weaker one in a wrestling match, but if the weaker one has a knife, the field has been shifted. So what's your goal here?
As has been said, no one here will recommend a reverse grip. It compromises reach and cutting power, and gives you really next to no advantage, except maybe for in a couple grappling situations. Additionally, I would not recommend using two swords at once without substantial professional training. One sword is dangerous enough, and using two can be incredibly disorienting. Ask anyone who has tried to drill with a pair of sticks how many times they have hit themselves or their other stick by accident. Combine that difficulty with a grip that people don't really train, and I honestly think a double sword reverse grip fighting style would be very dangerous to the user. And again, it poses this danger with no perceivable benefits.
Maybe I'm tainted by my experience with traditional schools of martial arts. If you've come up with something new, please enlighten us. And I don't mean to sound rude or critical. I just truly don't think this is a very good idea, and I think you should go back to the drawing board on styles of fighting that you can do in light of your injury. As has been said on this forum many times, swords are not toys. As a person who has seriously injured myself with them in the past, I don't want to see that happen to anyone else, and I'm concerned that this approach would set you up to do just that.
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nanmoves
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Post by nanmoves on Nov 24, 2020 0:23:15 GMT
What samurai sword did you purchase? There's a huge range of styles, not to mention a huge disparity in quality between various brands. There's a lot of junk out there. Also, maybe this is just a terminology thing, but I don't consider swords or any other cutting weapon to be really "flowy" weapons. Cuts have to be properly aligned in order to do well, and the spinny moves you see in a lot of movies actually make for terrible cutting mechanics, regardless of if they are "tactically" sound (which they generally also are not). Defend against a stronger opponent? Are you trying to get involved in competition, or are you planning on using a sword for self-defense or home-defense? Regardless, weapons exist as equalizers. A stronger opponent might be able to beat a weaker one in a wrestling match, but if the weaker one has a knife, the field has been shifted. So what's your goal here? As has been said, no one here will recommend a reverse grip. It compromises reach and cutting power, and gives you really next to no advantage, except maybe for in a couple grappling situations. Additionally, I would not recommend using two swords at once without substantial professional training. One sword is dangerous enough, and using two can be incredibly disorienting. Ask anyone who has tried to drill with a pair of sticks how many times they have hit themselves or their other stick by accident. Combine that difficulty with a grip that people don't really train, and I honestly think a double sword reverse grip fighting style would be very dangerous to the user. And again, it poses this danger with no perceivable benefits. Maybe I'm tainted by my experience with traditional schools of martial arts. If you've come up with something new, please enlighten us. And I don't mean to sound rude or critical. I just truly don't think this is a very good idea, and I think you should go back to the drawing board on styles of fighting that you can do in light of your injury. As has been said on this forum many times, swords are not toys. As a person who has seriously injured myself with them in the past, I don't want to see that happen to anyone else, and I'm concerned that this approach would set you up to do just that.s I should have explained in a little more detail, but didn't what to sound like a ego maniac. The samurai sword is a generic store brought piece though of reasonable quality and good balance. I trained in Mauy Thai many years ago now, my trainer expounded on areas of defense against a bigger and stronger opponent, for the most part I'm pretty good with my elbows. This training developed the sequencing I mentioned. The routine I developed for myself ranges from shadow boxing to tai chi. High cardio to meditational flow. The flow of movement exposes weaknesses, my left shoulder for instance. I really did some damage, so it's pretty much useless when extended, I have only got strength in a tucked position (chicken wing). This is the main reason for the reverse position. That and the fact that women have naturally weaker wrists and upper arms. (My muscle mass in my shoulders and upper arms ialready bigger than "normal" by 20cm according to proportional measurements) I'm looking for a training set for the most part, though I'll want the real deal as well. And yes, if put into the position I wouldn't hesitate. I understand your concern for injuries, I have enough scars lol. I would be more than happy to practice with wooden pieces of the same shape and weight. The purpose of this for me is as always, expose my weaknesses and develop methods around them. Prevention is better than cure! That calmness and grace in the face of aggression, I mentioned before, is like a neon warning sign to any "bully"
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nanmoves
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Post by nanmoves on Nov 24, 2020 0:47:40 GMT
What samurai sword did you purchase? There's a huge range of styles, not to mention a huge disparity in quality between various brands. There's a lot of junk out there. Also, maybe this is just a terminology thing, but I don't consider swords or any other cutting weapon to be really "flowy" weapons. Cuts have to be properly aligned in order to do well, and the spinny moves you see in a lot of movies actually make for terrible cutting mechanics, regardless of if they are "tactically" sound (which they generally also are not). Defend against a stronger opponent? Are you trying to get involved in competition, or are you planning on using a sword for self-defense or home-defense? Regardless, weapons exist as equalizers. A stronger opponent might be able to beat a weaker one in a wrestling match, but if the weaker one has a knife, the field has been shifted. So what's your goal here? As has been said, no one here will recommend a reverse grip. It compromises reach and cutting power, and gives you really next to no advantage, except maybe for in a couple grappling situations. Additionally, I would not recommend using two swords at once without substantial professional training. One sword is dangerous enough, and using two can be incredibly disorienting. Ask anyone who has tried to drill with a pair of sticks how many times they have hit themselves or their other stick by accident. Combine that difficulty with a grip that people don't really train, and I honestly think a double sword reverse grip fighting style would be very dangerous to the user. And again, it poses this danger with no perceivable benefits. Maybe I'm tainted by my experience with traditional schools of martial arts. If you've come up with something new, please enlighten us. And I don't mean to sound rude or critical. I just truly don't think this is a very good idea, and I think you should go back to the drawing board on styles of fighting that you can do in light of your injury. As has been said on this forum many times, swords are not toys. As a person who has seriously injured myself with them in the past, I don't want to see that happen to anyone else, and I'm concerned that this approach would set you up to do just that. I should have explained in a little more detail. The samurai sword is a generic store brought piece, though it is well balanced which is why I have continued using it. The exercise routine I developed incorporates a wide range of movement and style. And speed, from shadow boxing to tai chi if you will. I did Muay Thai many years ago, my trainer expounded on areas of the art that would defend against a bigger and stronger opponent. This developed the sequencing I mentioned.
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Post by tommyh on Nov 24, 2020 1:13:49 GMT
I should have explained in a little more detail. The samurai sword is a generic store brought piece, though it is well balanced which is why I have continued using it. The exercise routine I developed incorporates a wide range of movement and style. And speed, from shadow boxing to tai chi if you will. I did Muay Thai many years ago, my trainer expounded on areas of the art that would defend against a bigger and stronger opponent. This developed the sequencing I mentioned. This helps. If it's a generic store bought piece, it's likely a Musha or some other sub-$100 sword, unless you happen to have some really niche stores in your area. Pictures would help us assess if it's any good or not. Musha makes functional swords that are good on a budget, and I'm not trying to disparage them, but they are not always the best balanced or weighted. A katana should not be a particularly heavy sword; it shouldn't be difficult to hold one in Chudan for the duration of any reasonable fight. And this is somewhat enlightening on the style front. Unarmed fighting does not translate into armed fighting very well. In Muay Thai, or any other unarmed combative style, yes, size, weight, and strength are serious considerations that can't be overcome without some deliberate thought. Armed combat is substantially different. Though there's some overlap between the two (particularly when it comes to grappling) your size and strength are not the weightiest considerations anymore. There's much more of a focus on speed and dexterity. And that makes sense. In a fistfight, your muscles are doing all of the work. In a swordfight, your muscles are doing much less. They're certainly still working, but the sword is doing a lot of the work for you. The old phrase that a weapon should be "an extension of your body" is very misleading in this regard. I'm not trying to discourage you from finding something that works for you. But I have to ask, what's the purpose of this post? Are you asking because you're seriously considering a live weapon for defense, or are you just trying to incorporate swords into your workout routine?
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