Ravencroft

ive been working on a new move lately...however its hard to describe over text i wish i had one of those cameras like spin so i could show u guys to get more accurate feedback.

i know the tai chi sword fairly well but i cant teach myself double swords very well.

I think it is perfectly ok to use flashy techniques in katas as long as you know youre bases and what really works there in terms of combat and competition. i love trying flashy techniques(too bad i suck at them) because they are a lot of fun and build great coordination as well as improving youre over all shape as a person and a martial artist. ive seen a lot of people diss the flash. if u dont like it thats cool u dont have to do it but i hate it when people insult it just cuz they are sour at the fact they cant do it. there is absolutely nothing wrong fancy moves i think.

Ok im sure this is pretty obvious but just to make sure...out of ice wood and cement bricks which is the hardest to break and which is the easiest?

Ok, im sure this has probably been covered like a million times on this board before but how the hell do you break a board, let alone a brick, let alone like 20 of them. i tried breaking a wooden board maybe an inch thick at most and my hand just stopped completely, i was not getting through that board. so im sure there are people who know how its done. can anyone give me some insight how to break? Thanx.

It is arguably the most efficient style out there to date because thats what it was based to be. and they dont just use it to train the israeli special forces it is taught to all of their military. depending on the class set up(amount of people and how fast paced it is),as well as how the teacher trains you it may be plenty. some schools are taught very well, as well as having few people and having an intense style can make it unnecessary to make classes longer than one hour. there are variables to consider. find out how much it is then see if u cant watch if not even participate in a class...then decide.

ah yes...the revered book by miyamoto musashi...arguably the greatest samurai ever...him or or tsukahara bokuden

I know i sound cliche but i like bruce...hell he trained norris. 5'7'' 135 lbs?take down just about anyone and was arguably the biggest influence on he martial arts popularity in the western world... the man has done more for martial arts than anyone. hes a hero to us "wei lo"

i hate it when styles have a million different belts before black. i think anymore than 8 is pointless unless theres A LOT to the style itself. because so many times i have seen no difference between a green and purple(or whatever). more time and effort should go into each belt rather than have so many different ranks when half of them are futile in the first place.

man that ones easy its the capoeira type stuff that gets complicated. i tried stacking a bunch of pillows on my living room floor and i still couldnt grow the balls to try any flips. i mean there are basic easy ones like the one mentioned earlier or even the au batido but i really want to learn aerial cartwheels and butterfly twists. so hard though.

This is just what ive seen. i dont claim to know even a quarter of what there is to know about the chinese sword. i just kinda go by what i do know and then take it from there.

Me? like i said i am mostly self taught so i am not all that great...in fact id say im not very good at all but see i use a tai chi sword and i have some knowledge of some of the techniques...not to apply them but ive seen them and of course it is its own distinguishable style. from that ive kinda taken what ive seen and taught myself to apply it. if anything my style is like almost mixing wushu and fencing. but i dont know how authentic that is hence the reason why i started this topic. and just to clear things up i didnt mean that chinese sword had no combat efficiency obviously with different types pf weapons it can be but what i use by itself isnt that combat efficient its just fun to do and builds good handling skills. thats why i tried incorporating a little fencing. its all based off of influence rather than instruction and this is just the type of stuff i feel ive been able to teach myself since there was no available sword instruction in my area.

all sword styles have their strong aspects. the japanese forms are very powerful. iaido especially, meant to bring the opponenet down in one strike. but like i said earlier the european styles are very quick, kind of like sticking and jabbing. the chinese stuff isnt always terribly combat effiecinet but builds excellent coordination and flawless technique. it just sux so much because i like the more exotic martiala arts and and there arent any schools anywhere near me for it. but whatever you do what you can right?

actually the samurai were not only proficient in multiple types of swors, but also hand to hand, spear, and bow and arrow so the weapons thing really doesnt work too well.

Wow this is turning into a pretty heated topic. I personally dont think that the belts mean anything at all its just the training u earned to get that belt. i mean i dont claim to be particularly skilled or any sort of tough guy, but ive full contact sparred a couple of tae kwan do blackbelts(point being that they would naturally be better at it because TKD today is more sport oriented)and i was amazed at some of the different skill levels. some would handle themselves very well in different situations yet some when i would test them by crowding them and boxing them they did exactly what i had hoped...they panicked and started kicking. point being that it all depends on the person, on the instruction as well but ultimately on the person. a belt to me means only status, pride, and respect, not at all about skill. when you see a black belt who is lazy and their technique is poor(which u see many times in kids) then u ask why are they a black belt...even if they are just a kid if the the technique isnt right then they shouldnt be a black belt. but anywho back on topic(just my little rant) dont be concerned about belts because they cant prove your skill only ur ego.

Wow this is turning into a pretty heated topic. I personally dont think that the belts mean anything at all its just the training u earned to get that belt. i mean i dont claim to be particularly skilled or any sort of tough guy, but ive full contact sparred a couple of tae kwan do blackbelts(point being that they would naturally be better at it because TKD today is more sport oriented)and i was amazed at some of the different skill levels. some would handle themselves very well in different situations yet some when i would test them by crowding them and boxing them they did exactly what i had hoped...they panicked and started kicking. point being that it all depends on the person, on the instruction as well but ultimately on the person. a belt to me means only status, pride, and respect, not at all about skill. when you see a black belt who is lazy and their technique is poor(which u see many times in kids) then u ask why are they a black belt...even if they are just a kid if the the technique isnt right then they shouldnt be a black belt. but anywho back on topic(just my little rant) dont be concerned about belts because they cant prove your skill only ur ego.

Wow this is turning into a pretty heated topic. I personally dont think that the belts mean anything at all its just the training u earned to get that belt. i mean i dont claim to be particularly skilled or any sort of tough guy, but ive full contact sparred a couple of tae kwan do blackbelts(point being that they would naturally be better at it because TKD today is more sport oriented)and i was amazed at some of the different skill levels. some would handle themselves very well in different situations yet some when i would test them by crowding them and boxing them they did exactly what i had hoped...they panicked and started kicking. point being that it all depends on the person, on the instruction as well but ultimately on the person. a belt to me means only status, pride, and respect, not at all about skill. when you see a black belt who is lazy and their technique is poor(which u see many times in kids) then u ask why are they a black belt...even if they are just a kid if the the technique isnt right then they shouldnt be a black belt. but anywho back on topic(just my little rant) dont be concerned about belts because they cant prove your skill only ur ego.

oh there definately has to be but the problem is finding them. and thanx for the advice. what is your sword training history if u dont mind my asking? just curious.

Hey I was wondering if anyone here knew some sword techniques, or tips, or even links to sites that are good. I am sort of a swordsman, a martial artist first of course, but that is my favorite area of MA, the one i excel at the most. And of course, there are no schools around here or reputable instructors of any sort being that swordsman ship is kinda rare. I am almost completely self taught and use what I like to call Euro-Chinese fencing, a combonation of the quick dodging and parrying principles of european fencing and the fast fluency of the chinese sword. both are great for building coordination but i am missing the power based, techincal styles of the japanese and im not sure if i can teach myself that like i did the other style. like i said swordsmanship is a little rare but anything to help me out would be appreciated.

ok then thats just a rumor ive heard so i didnt know exactly how that worked. but are there any one hit kill strikes and if so what are they. and no one say shoot someone because that doesnt count.

Holy crap yeah Drunken Monkey is right...it looks like a friggin gunblade haha. is that the way its intended to look?

Yeah the knees are always a good choice especially if you can get ur whole body into it. but about striking the nose i thought if u palm heeled straight up into it (make ur hand go the same direction as the nostrils) hard enough it was a kill strike...maybe not thats just what i heard i havent actually tested it...yet.

it does somewhat vary that is true...but mostly there is a standard set of movements and way teaching...teachers each do it just a little bit differently though. thats a given but yeah soldiers are just so tough and strong and in great physical condition. they are very intense in their mindset along with knowing some great techniques. thats why they are such effective fighters. but anywho im getting just a little off topic so...back to the topic at hand.

well if i knew every art that i studied id say something better. but unfortunately in the military they only teach what works, they dont go into specifications of what styles they derive from. but i do know some of the stuff they teach the military as i have commented on this before. i just learn what my brother teaches me. but lately i have been doing some stuff as part of a club which teaches a combination of sambo, BJJ, and Muay Thai. if u ask me it doesnt get much more practical than that. its great for getting you in shape, its good for striking, and has nearly all the elements of grappling you could ask for. but then again im just a very practical person. learning those styles and military stuff as well as some outside JKD ur gonna be a practical fighter.

that is right to an extent. does speed qualify for punching speed? or just foot speed because when punching greater velocity does mean less dodgeability and greater impact force. but of course a little power behind that punch never hurts.