Research and Discussion Forums

Hi Mike, Thanks for the elaboration on Meyer. That's interesting. I'll see if I can get some videos done about control sooner or later, I'll be out of computer access from tomorrow morning for a week or so, but after that, and when the dust has settled, I'll see what we can do. <img src="/forum...

Sean, Yes, I live in an environment where a long list of street-fighting encounters whatever is concidered stupidity. It may make you a good fighter if you brawl all the time in a dangerous part of town. I'm lucky of not having that experience, yes. And I respect the knowledge you may have gathered ...

Hi Mike, You can hold your opinions on peasant-gentleman. I don't mind. <img src="/forum/images/icons/smile.gif" alt="" /> I'll try to be gracefuul in my actions, though. It's a martial art after all, as masters also called it. Thank you for the quote from Meyer. Please call me i...

Mike, I would rather fight like a peasant any day, its only the SCA that imagines our medieval and renaissance past filled only with effete gentry . The reality was much more practical and brutal and decidely less romantic. In the 16th century in germany these duels were fought between people of all...

Stacy, 1. Full speed and power - Weapon is propelled at full speed through the entire arc of the cut, with muscles stiffened to add the mass and force of the body to the impact and support penetration. Try not to stiffen your muscles, your cuts will become faster. The sword is already hard, and the ...

Mike, Combat is not an orderly gentlemanly affair, combat is chaos. Sparring is embracing that chaos to learn from it. Duels were fought between the nobility, between gentlemen. They tried to look good while fighting and remain graceful. Even if you lost and died, you could've done it with style. Th...

Hi Aaron! Yes, the supervisor would need to be experienced, then he could easily stay out of harms way and also be better able to comment the fight, spot out hits etc. Of course the combatants should also try to be aware of the supervisor, just as they should be aware of a possible third attacker. -...

Post deleted by Gene Tausk

David, Thank you for a thoughtful post. Yes, when sparring I am concerned of the safety of my partner. But I would have second thoughts on my actions even in a real fight (he may parry my cut, he may step suddenly to where I didn't expect etc., or I might not want to kill him, for example because hi...

Aaron, And for that pepper you are willing to give away all that using steel gives you over padders? It's a bit like eating the beef with pepper rather than the whole hamburger without pepper. Or actually more like eating the wrappings with pepper rather than the hamburger without pepper. <img src=&...

Gene, Yes, I know what a padded sword is, thank you. <img src="/forum/images/icons/smile.gif" alt="" /> Would you kindly now understand, that what I'm trying to say is: a) controlled blow is a blow made by correct mechanics, with correct blade alignment, correct posture and corre...

Sean, I hope your post was not targeted toward me, because if it was, I must say I'm a bit offended by it. Firstly, I am not attacking ARMA in any way and I am not questioning the use of padded swords. I don't use them, and I can see why people use them, I just don't agree with their usage and I am ...

Mike, It is control that I am talking about Jako I know, it is the theme of this thread. if you don't strike hard and fast you are never doing it at full speed Again, if I do it fast I may be doing it full-speed, but it has little to do with how "hard" I do it. ...as you would actually do ...

Gene, With wasters and blunts, however, I do have a mindset of controlling speed and impact because, if these tools are used at full speed and power and without control, it is obvious that injury could result. Are you telling me you free-fence with padded swords "without control" then? If ...

Mike, If you're talking about countercutting to hands, yes, you normally do this during your opponent's attack. but what gives you time for it? Not that you would be faster, but the fact that your opponet is trying to reach your head, and to reach his hands you don't need to take such a big action. ...