Practicle Fencing

Wow! Time flies when you're having fun! I just noticed it's been awhile (again) since my last post. So let me rectify that right now.

I'm always looking for new stuff on the web that is related to fencing and martial arts. Sometimes I get inspired to make searches from the reading that I do and sometimes I just get lucky and find things in related searches. Anyway, I came across this video (I think I may have found it on the Kendo World Site, but I can't remember!) and thought it was pretty cool.

There are people in the world of kendo that are beginning to regret, or even mourn, the loss of the "practical" side. That is to say, it has become more and more a form of sport and less of a martial art. The techniques that were once used and were practical are now considered illegal in the sport. Because of this, many of them are not being taught anymore and the fear is that they will get lost to history. This has already happened to a large extent in the West. Have you ever wondered why western fencers hold one arm behind? It's not because of balance nor is it because they are trying to make themselves as small of a target as possible. It's because it has become useless in the sport of fencing! There was a time when when you would hold your sword in one hand and use your other to do your deflecting, grabbing, or hitting. There are a few out there that are trying to preserve the old ways, and more that are doing extensive scholarly work to try and resurrect them. If I can find more information on those, I'll be sure to post it all here.

For now, enjoy this video of Taisha ryu Kenjutsu, where their old ways are still being preserved.

 

(No. I have no clue as to what he is saying, but you can learn a lot from his actions!)

Araki-ryu Kempo

This is off of the Kendo World site (Specifically their YouTube page). They have a lot of really great videos that I might link to this site. This happens to be Araki-ryu Kempo. The fact that they are doing kata with a staff  and other weapons really interested me. Notice how each time these kata are performed the swordsman ends up on the losing side. This is probably due to the fact that the other weapons were developed specifically to counter a sword. The peasants back in the day had to find ways to defend themselves from errant samurai (ronin), that were looking to create trouble.

Notice the need for the nice forward roll in the last kata!

E-Bogu on YouTube

I noticed recently that e-bogu.com has posted their own YouTube Channel. It's got some cool stuff, so you might want to check it out!

A Little Bit of Karate

Oops! I have been a bit busy as of late, so I am long overdue to post something new!

First up, I found this clip from a documentary on YouTube. This is why I enjoy the soft forms of martial arts like Aikido and Judo. People who are willing to dish out this much punishment, as well as take it, are rare. My experience in these hard forms taught me that it wasn't for me. There is nothing quite like leaving class with your forearms all black, blue, and lumpy, and you not being able to walk the next morning!

Alas, if you are going to take up Karate, Tae Kwon Do, or something like them, then you need to be ready for this level of brutality. The unfortunate thing is that many dojos and schools in the U.S. have turned into businesses, thus watering down the martial arts. How many would PAY for someone to do this?! Not many. Most kids want to be Power Rangers or something silly like that, and most adults want to use it as a fitness routine. While there is a strong fitness quality to it, it is still fighting, and if you are not going to train like it is life and death, then you're just cheating yourself - not to mention contributing to the watering down of the martial arts.

The Next World Combat Games

I just noticed that the next SportAccord World Combat Games will be held in St. Petersburg from October 18th till 26th in 2013.

This will only be their second time being held. The first happened August 28 to September 5, 2010 in Beijing. You can check out their website at SportAccord.com . 

From their website: 

The World Combat Games are a stage for the martial arts and combat sports.They showcase Olympic and non-Olympic martial arts and combat sports, among them Aikido, Boxing, Judo, Ju-Jitsu, Karate, Kendo, Kickboxing, Muaythai, Sambo, Sumo, Taekwondo, Wrestling, and Wushu. Featuring the best athletes of each sport, the Combat Games are a top-quality sporting event. But the Combat Games are not only about sports. They are accompanied by a rich and entertaining cultural program that reflects the ancient traditions and values of martial arts as well as well as their contribution to modern society.

To see the site on Kendo go to the following link: Kendo-World Combat Games
You can also view the other sports pages from there.
There is also a YouTube Channel that you can hit to see highlights and a promotional video for the the upcoming games.

Miniature Menaces

Okay, someone out there has a little too much time on their hands. There will be one or two office managers out there who should be afraid! Even more if this goes to market!

 

Oh, let's not forget the cannon! 

Just be sure to watch for those "quiet ones" when you go to work! You never know what they may be doing!

Our Heroes Today and Their Weapons

As a huge fan of sci-fi and fantasy style films, I am looking forward to geeking out on a lot of  movies coming this summer. As I say this, I can't help but notice that even our super-heroes need some sort of weapons to help them in their fight against evil. While it's fun to watch  two individuals go at it in hand-to-hand combat, there is something particularly exciting about seeing weapons being used. It comes to upping the ante in a fight - when weapons are involved it immediately turns to a life or death conflict.  Take Thor for example: A Norse God who uses a hammer. While not exactly the most subtle of weapons, it can prove devastating in combat!

 

Then there is Captain America, who manages to fight with  a shield.

We also can look forward to Green Lantern and his ... er ... um ... ring.   But, it's a really cool ring!

Finally there is that new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, On Stranger Tides. I am a big fan of the other Pirate movies, but the first two in particular had spectacular sword-work. Here's hoping that the new film will return to that style!

Later!

No April Fools Allowed!

If you were to ever carry a sword with you, it would be wise to at least inform yourself of the ways it could be defeated. Better still, to go out of your way and learn some of those other methods. You certainly wouldn't want to be caught unprepared!

When it comes to weapons combat, it doesn't matter who is the bigger or the stronger - weapons can level the playing field so that it all comes down to speed and skill. With that said, there are far too many people out there who have a myopic view of swordsmanship. There is always someone who wants to say that there way is the best, or that their school is the best, or even that their weapon is the best. The fact of the matter is, it all comes down to how good you are with whatever it is that you are holding your hands. To paraphrase Jet Li in his film Fearless, "Every school has its champions." To try to decide which one is the best would be impossible.

I try not to take such a short-sided view of things. That is why I like to watch other people practice their skills with different weapons. If possible, I might even try to practice those techniques just to deepen my understanding.

Below are a couple of clips showing people practicing with the kusarigama. The kusari is a chain that would have a weight at one end of it, though in practice it often consists of a rope and a leather ball. The kama is a handheld scythe that farmers would have used to harvest rice. The two together formed a formidable weapon that could be used in defense of aggressive ronin or bandits with swords.

As a side note, I have heard of people who routinely practice with a kusari and can shatter clay jars at 20 feet. Think of what that would do to an unprotected human skull!

                                                              


No fools here!

At The Movies!

People who know me know that I love going to the movies. I even recently got myself one of those streaming Netflix accounts so I can watch more while I am at home! (It really does beat always buying the ones I missed when they first came out. That was really beginning to cost me!)

Anyhow, last weekend I was feeling a little funky, but I did make it out to see Sucker Punch. I pretty much knew what I going in to when I went. I saw the trailers. What surprised me was that it actually had some depth to it. Not only that, it was a little bit darker than I thought it would be. You have to keep in mind that this was, at least in most part, all in one girl's mind. That girl, the one they would call Baby Doll, seemed to be living on multiple levels of consciousness: where her daydreams would merge with her reality. I don't know whether she was insane, or if it was all just defense mechanism to shut out the realities of the world she lived in. Go see it and decide for yourself.

That said, I thought it was really well done and the director, Zach Snyder, is fast becoming one of my favorites. At least you can tell what is going on in the action scenes. Even though he does get a little too artistic at times with the camera, he is way better overall than most of the directors out there, who seem to be employing a bunch of over caffeinated monkeys to do all of there action photography! If you are looking for girls with guns and swords, and a lot of juicy visuals, this is the movie for you.

On a side note, I noticed that a lot of the critics out there just didn't get it. I say this because it seems to me that they have a hard time grasping the fact that there can be real communication within action scenes. They want to look at a fight sequence as just a fight sequence and nothing more! They just don't understand that a lot can be said while people are fighting. Often it reveals their true beliefs, philosophies, feelings, and more. But, I digress. I'll rant more on that another time. No one said you had to posses a great mind to be a critic, only that you need a sharp tongue.

 Enjoy the trailer!
 

Remember When ...

I found this a while back. It comes from a t.v. that was call "You Asked For It", which aired from 1950 - 1959. This was not long after World War II and you can tell that these guys were practicing what some of call "old school" style kendo. Notice the sweeps that were still legal back in the day. Also, try to ignore the host. I know he was doing the best he could back then, but it still sounds strange to modern ears!

Kendo in Slow-Mo

I really like all forms of swordsmanship, whether it's Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Indian, European, or wherever. That being said, I personally have studied some foil, epee, and sabre techniques, but I am really drawn to kendo (way of the sword) and iaido (drawing of the sword).

I found this kendo video on YouTube and really liked it. It does a really good job of showing the shear speed that some people have. It also goes to show how fast you have to think on the battlefield!

A Word On This Site

I forgot to mention before that this site will focus mostly, but by no means solely, on Kendo. However, as my horizons broaden, that could change just a little.

Kendo is literally translated as "The Way of the Sword", where "Ken" means sword and "Do" - pronounced "doh" - means "Way". I don't really want to get into all of the philosophical implications that that one word implies right now, but it basically refers to a way of life. Modern Kendo is basically Japanese-style fencing.

I hope to get some video up later, but for now enjoy the art!

Later!

First!

Well, I have had this site sitting here for some time, so I thought I might as well do something with it. In case you didn't know, kenshi means "swordsman" in Japanese. Actually, it is more often translated as "fencer". Either way works for me. The other part, wolf, has to do with where I graduated from. If you don't know what a wolf is, I really don't know how to help you.

Anyway, here's to the future of this site! I hope whoever reads it enjoys!