I’ve often been asked, “How do you suggest that someone start training with swords?”. Here’s a full video to give you the best advice I can. Best of luck, and welcome to the journey!
Transcript below.
My apologies for the low audio levels- you need to boost the volume or put on headphones.
TRANSCRIPT (with images and hotlinks):
I've often been asked, how do you suggest that someone start training with swords?
It depends on what you're interested in! Sword-fighting comes in many forms.
There were rich martial traditions both in the east and west, but I'll focus on European styles. Perhaps you want to revive the martial systems preserved in ancient fighting books, or to connect with heroism in history and mythology. You might want to master the meditative art of cutting, or to fight for glory in prestigious competitions, or create dynamic fight scenes for stage and screen, or reenact epic battles with a field full of fellow warriors, or compete at full force for the glory of team and country There are so many ways and reasons to sword fight! Also, within the type of sword fighting you want to do, there are dozens of weapons and forms to study.
We have limited documentation of European martial arts, so the bulk of the historical swordsmanship revival focuses on the 14th to 19th centuries. It is especially strong around the German and Italian schools of medieval swordsmanship, since that's where most of the martial arts records have survived. There are also strong traditions from the Spanish, French, English and Scottish schools that grew during the Renaissance. These later evolved into classical fencing, and then modern fencing as we know it today. With these meanings of swordsmanship in mind, the first thing is to do some internet research and find out what is near you. Also, you'll need to find a person or at the very least a tool to practice with!
You need tools to be able to train. Your sword or sword-like object should have a blunted end and any sharp burrs or splinters should be sanded off with sandpaper or rasp. These are some wooden wasters that I've used in the past. I now work with a unique wooden sword, designed specially for my needs. If your sword is far too heavy, it will teach you bad habits, and is potentially dangerous for anyone that you’re training with. Historically, most swords weighed between 1-3 pounds or, a kilogram. They were sophisticated, agile, and streamlined for fighting. To study historical fencing, you'll want an agile tool that is going to give you the best response. However if you want to fight in armored battles, the weapons you'll use will be limited by the rules of the combat sport that you do. In combat sports, a weapon's function always changes so that it's safer and less lethal. Blades will be thick and rounded, suitable for cuts instead of thrusts.
For Historical European and Western Martial arts, most clubs train with wooden or nylon wasters before graduating to steel longswords, sabers and arming swords. However, rapier and side-sword students tend to go straight into using steel. You can find a range of gear at any of these shops online, through Ebay and on Amazon. It's best to read reviews before purchasing anything.
For higher-intensity combat styles such as Heavy Medieval Battle, the International Medieval Combat Federation, and the Armored Combat League, you want to get gear that can take some punishment. Most of this equipment comes from individual blacksmiths working with clubs, so it's best to ask around for good suppliers. However if you're based in the US, you can get good gear at IceFalcon Armoury, or through the Facebook group, Cat's Discount Armor Emporium.
Common sense checkpoint!
Fantasy weapons and collectibles are not made for training. Whilst having some kind of sword is better than no sword at all, just remember the steel and balance on a collectible isn't going to be the same as a real weapon, so if you use it to hit something the metal will chip, bend or shatter. There are many suppliers out there making great equipment. There's really no excuse to practice with a wall-hanger if you're serious about swordsmanship.
If you want to learn historical European swordsmanship, there is a wealth of education available. The best resource we have is the Wiktenauer, a wiki with a huge collection of source material. Books, DVDs and online channels like Youtube will also give you a strong base for learning at home, if you're too far to travel to a reputable school. You can use the HEMA Alliance Club Finder to connect with groups near you. A lot of groups aren't even listed there, but it's still a great place to start. You can also start your own study group for your region. When you're researching historical manuscripts, there is a lot to learn. There are many forums and social media groups who can help you make sense of them. Forums also help you meet instructors to answer specific questions and help you grow. Also, go to events! They often have workshops, and it's great to just turn up and meet the community, even if you're not training yet.
If you are looking to get started without making a financial investment, all you need is a sword or sword like object and a pell (or pole) to strike. Striking the pell is a medieval training exercise that will teach you targeting and coordination needed to work with weapons.
Sword fighting is dangerous when people are dangerous. Building precision and trust with your partner is the way to develop as a martial artist. Realistically, most people starting to sword-fight just want to play and have fun. So how can you have fun and still stay safe?
1) You could find an instructor who can teach you the risks and keep you in line 2) You can use equipment that is built for play-fighting, such as foam LARP swords, rubber swords or other soft simulators. There are some lovely simulators on the market now that are very nice to work with and really well balanced. 3) You can practice and master your coordination with a sword, use a lot of control, and work with someone you trust. Hey, that's fun, right?
To stay truly safe you need to be on the same page as your partner, no matter how much safety equipment you wear. If one of you is Jack Sparrow and the other is out to win Longpoint, then there's going to be a problem. Remember, sword fighting is dangerous when people are dangerous. If you’re training (or even just playing around) with a partner I strongly recommend wearing safety glasses, or even sports sunglasses that wrap over your eyes. There are lots of different goggles built for extreme sports. You don't have to go buy expensive goggles, but safety glasses are a cheap way to look after yourself. I keep several pairs with my gear at all times. As soon as you can afford a medieval helmet or fencing mask, I urge you to buy one as they'll really help protect you during your training. You will want some protection for the back of the head, such as this leather mask overlay from SPES Historical Fencing Gear. I have more advice about simple safety gear when you're on a budget on my ‘Sword Combat FAQs’ page. You can also check out the Facebook group, 'HEMA Hacks' for useful gear-crafting ideas! As you become more involved with sword training, you'll want to get better equipment, especially when it's time to join a group.
Sword groups come in all shapes and sizes, and we use a lot of different names to describe what we do. There's no 'one right way for everyone' when you start learning to use weapons, and each style will have a different approach or rule set based on the comfort level of the participants. Instead of stressing about starting with the very best group, it's more important that you keep looking for better instructors and competitors as you go, even if it means changing groups eventually. Be aware that within the martial arts community different forms are judged very harshly, based on whether people think that they're valid- and I'm not only talking about medieval sword sports.
There simply isn't a one-size fits all solution when you're learning to become a martial artist, and what feels good and engaging to one person may feel threatening and uncomfortable to another.
It can be confusing, but just getting started and trying different things really is the best way to learn your way around. Once you know the type of sword fighting you want to do, and what groups offer it, you can start trying them out to find a good fit for you. Qualities you should look for in a group are: Open, positive attitudes to training and other groups, Committed members who come for weekly sessions or at least fortnightly, and regular sparring. Now, if the group are purely for scholarship, there should still be some form of practical testing of what you find. Another thing to look for in a good group is if they encourage members to cross-train for their own growth.
If a group restricts or actively discourages members from meeting with others, then there is something very weird going on. Every new physical experience helps a fighter grow, so it's good to encourage cross-training at every opportunity, especially if it's out of your comfort zone. Just remember cross-training should be a supplement to the main thing that you want to learn. If a group are afraid to spar or fight, ”in case someone gets hurt" then it’s probably a sign that the instructors aren’t confident in the techniques they are teaching or their ability to control their environment Physical safety is very important, but it also needs to be balanced with actual practice. That's the only way to improve! Swordsmanship is a wonderful art, one that you will never stop learning. Welcome to the journey.
Want more great sword content? Here are some places to start.
You can also follow me on my social media channels where I share news and interesting things from around the wide world of swordsmanship. The swords depicted in the background of this video are from the makers Albion. You can check out their range of museum replica swords at Albion swords dot com. These, and other images were Royalty-free through Content Samurai, or I've credited their sources wherever possible. Thanks for watching!
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This is a 1.5-hour workshop on swordsmanship mechanics, using lightsabers or straight sticks with no crossguard.* I taught this for the Bangkok Brotherhood of Historical Fencing, a HEMA group based in Thailand. To jump straight to the class, go to 6:54. This is part 1 of 2 workshops, the second is coming soon!
For those wishing to take part remotely in the workshop, I've included the whole session, unedited (except for free sparring at the end). A full transcript is attached below.
*The choice to use lightsabers to teach medieval swordsmanship was due to weapon-carry restrictions for the fighters getting to and from the workshop using public transport in Bangkok, so we used lightsabers and incorporated that into the class content.
I do address lightsaber-specific mechanics, but the majority of what I teach in the class is useful for general swordsmanship.
Thanks for watching!
FULL TRANSCRIPT:
(Thai language) Sawat-dee ka
Samantha: Cool. We're going to warm up our lower backs.
Chanon: Is this from N7?
Samantha: Yeah!
Nick: She has the jacket as well.
Chanon: Go Shepard.
Samantha: Thank you. So, we're going to reach. Reach, and punch just to your lower left... and your right... this exercise is for your lower back. What I'm warming up is these muscles here. So don't worry so much about the punch, just think about loosening up. As you get more flexible you can turn more and more. Relax. Fingers. I want to start warming up my thumbs. Just rotate them. And turn to the next finger. Next finger... and then last finger... then back in the other direction... back in the other direction... thumb... and keep the momentum going, but now we're going to do this. Just slow, controlled motions, all you're doing is loosening up your arms, getting the control in your hands. Getting your mind in your hands. Now bring your arms just up to your elbow. Change direction. Now bring the movement smaller. Still rotating. Now bring it back to just your forearms. Just your wrists. This is a really good one to do first thing in the morning. Back down to your thumbs. Just your thumbs should be moving. Next finger. Next finger. Next finger. Back in the other direction. Next finger. Nice. Now, shake it out.
(general conversation)
Now, this is a balance exercise, it focuses on the balance and not so much on the weight -- . So, pick a spot on the opposite side of the room that is fixed- not a person that's moving. If you stare at it, you should find that your balance is better. Another thing that you can do to keep your spine fixed is to have your hands here, -- grips. Now imagine a line going from below your feet up through your head, drawing your spine up. You can change your knee at any time.
Relax guys.
Okay, down- feet parallel, facing forward. And this is just loosening up your hips, so we're going from side to side. If you don't feel a stretch, widen your stance. You should feel it through your ankles, your hips. Try and keep your upper body upright, don't bend your spine like this, try to keep- like you're riding a horse. So your lower body's moving, but your upper body's straight. Unclench those butt cheeks. Nice. And now, on the end of the movement, when you reach one side- turn, and come back. Other side- turn, and come back. Turn- and back. Turn, and come back. If you're not flexible by the end of this, then I can't help you. Feel the stretch? Good.
Alright, cool. Shake it out, guys. Let's pick up some sabers.
(murmuring and general discussion)
So. I'm going to treat this workshop as a way to learn swordsmanship. It's also light sabers, but it's also teaching the mechanics of swordsmanship. So everything that I'm going to present will be helpful for tomorrow as well. The first thing that I want to say is that when the lights are on, let's treat it like it's actually a sharp sword. So I'm not going to be doing that sort of thing. When it's off, I'm going to treat it like it's sheathed. So that's my protocol, and that's my way of practicing for using sharp weapons, by being mindful of when the blade's on. For you guys (with shinai) I don't mind. Sharp all the time, if you want. Cool. So. What I'll be teaching is nothing to do with forms. There are seven to eight forms of lightsaber, but what I'll be teaching can be used within those forms, it's all mechanics of the body. You can use it with any speed, you can use it with any power. But it's really fundamentals and basics that set you up for a good fight. Okay? Cool.
So, it will probably be covering a lot of things that you do already know already. But hopefully it will put it together in a way that makes your swordsmanship better.
The first thing: the goal of the fight.
(8 mins 12 seconds)
The goal of the fight is control of your opponent, and not being manipulated by them. So. All of us are basically very simple creatures, we're a big tube, hinged on a spine. And if you can manipulate that spine, you can manipulate the rest of the body. Especially the head. The head is on top of the spine, and you move someone's head, even if you just get their attention, you take their attention away, you're moving the whole of their body. And the same is true in swordsmanship, so if I was to approach Nick, and I was to make him think that I was going to attack him here, I've manipulated him because I've forced him to think about this side of his body. So immediately he's turned to protect that side of him. So in that very simple action- I haven't even touched him- I'm manipulated and controlled him. So the goal is, when you're fighting, to be able to maintain control of yourself and still defend against someone. And the way you do this is basically by offending and defending in the same motion, which you know from German swordsmanship. And what I mean by that is always creating an offence to your opponent. So, if Nick were to strike to me- instead of blocking upright like this- which really has no threat to Nick- I'm going to change my angle so that he now has something to think about. See the difference?
Slightly tilted?
Exactly. It's all in the angles. Something I like to do is I like to think of the tip of my sword – whatever sword I'm using, whatever weapon I'm using- I think about there being a magnet, to the middle, the core of the other person, so whenever I'm fighting them, the tip of my sword is always trailing, back towards them. See what I mean? Instead of – bringing it back here. There are sometimes when I do have to take my sword away, but I'll try and manage my distance, so that it's safe. So if I am going to bring my sword out of play, I've got the time to come back in. So I wouldn't do that if we were here, I wouldn't come out here- exactly. Thank you.
So, when you're working with a sword, or whatever – whatever weapon you're using that's going to be sharpened, I think it's different with stick (fighting) forms. But if it's a sharp weapon, just try to always think about a magnet into the core of your opponent. And I'll come back to this a bit later.
The other thing is managing your own structure. So- depending on how fast you're moving, if you're doing a lighter, faster style, then what I say can be taken with a grain of salt, but the way that I like to fight, I like to keep my body more upright, like I mentioned before, while we were warming up, like riding a horse. So the lower part of my body is moving, but the upper part of my body, my spine- is keeping straight. So even when I lean forward, see the angle of my spine, it's actually quite straight. And the difference between having it straight or having it loose-- – so that's having curvature in the spine. So you don't have to be upright-upright, you just have to have a straight spine. The reason for that is you get a lot of power from your spine. Your body- you might have great muscles, but without your skeleton, your muscles are just hanging... you know, from the rest of your body. So your muscles hold your skeleton together, but your skeleton is your structure. So if you've got a good strong form, a skeletal structural strength, you actually don't have to work too hard to defend against someone's power. So again if Nick, you come to me.... The way that I'm facing him right now, all of my structure here is in agreement with itself. If I was to change something about my – let's say, okay, I bend my spine- this is not good for me, because even though I could technically get away from him, I can't resist his power easily. If he was to push against me, I have to do something, to work really hard to defend him. But if I've got a nice, strong stucture, how do you feel about that?
Nick: Like I'm fighting ---
Samantha: So I've brought my whole body into play. And this is something you'll learn as you practice more with swords, is the points where your body is in agreement with itself. So I'll correct you guys throughout the class, but that's something I'll come back to, is using your structure. So there's a theory that I have, which I have to look into, but it's about the use of language in swordsmanship. It's the fact that in the old days, 'strength' didn't mean power, like the way we think of strength these days, strength actually meant like architectural strength. You know, like if a building is strong, it's built well. And I like to think about that in terms of swordsmanship. If your swordsmanship is strong, it means you have good structure, rather than power. Because your power will come afterwards. If you've got good structure then you can add the power to it. Does that make sense?
Cool. So, some real basic stuff. We're going to think about cutting, but if we're close to an opponant, not to bring the sword back past my hips. So, let's all face this way, along the line. In close range, what I don't want to do is have my sword out of play. If I'm further away from someone it's okay to take my sword back, because I've got the time then to bring it back into play. So we're going to alternate- just have some practice cutting, and then we're going to change it so that when we bring the sword down, it's going to come back without leaving the line of my body. So just start normally where we're just doing figure eights. Have fun with this, guys. I'm not judging you on your cutting. We're just moving swords around.
Really reach out when you're reaching forward with your sword.
Swords up guys, for a sec.
So, the thing about a sword is it's going to reach swomeon when it's at the same level as your arm. The moment that it drops down- you see how my range is decreased? Yeah. But, unfortunately I can't strike someone like this because it's bad for my elbow. I mean, I could strike someone like that, but if they are ready for it, I'm going to hurt myself. So, you've got to compromise your maximum reach for control. So it's a little bit of a --
So when you reach forward with your sword, think about where your maximum reach is, and think about how your arm is when you reach that point. Same exercise again, but just think about extending out from the body.
Chanon: The same as my shoulder height?
Samantha: Yes.
Nick: This thing is clearly not meant to be used by one hand.
Samantha: One hand, yeah. That's a hefty lightsaber.
If you want to, Brai, you can alternate. So you can cut, come back up to the centre, then take it with your other hand. Yes.
Cool, that's looking good guys.
Swords up. Nice. Any questions? No? Okay. So this time think about now being in range with somebody where after you cut you don't really want to take it away too much. So we start slower with this exercise. What you're going to be doing is bringing your sword down, and then bringing it up to the horn, basically, the buffalo, uh- not the buffalo, I should know this- bicorno- OX! Yeah, okay. Different system. So down, and then up, and then thrust into somebody, flip it over, cut through, and then back up to the other side. Thrust, flip, cut down, up, thrust, flip, and all the way through, up.
So what this looks like is if Nick was going to be attacking me, so do exactly the same thing, yeah, so now, uh- actually, I'll do it to you, Nick. So I've come, I've cut to him here, he's blocked me, I've come back up, and he knows that I'm thrusting, so he's going to defend. Yep, and then I flip it down the other way. So you're leading someone to defend to the side of their head by thrusting there, and then flip it over.
Chanon: Just like leading him somewhere?
Samantha: Yes, so if it was coming towards me, the thrust would coming here, and then flip to the other side. Make sense? Okay. Cut down, flip it up, thrust, flip, down, up, thrust, flip, down, up, thrust, flip....
(General conversation)
Cool, that's looking lovely, guys.
Chanon: Question. After the thrust, and then you cut, you reach? Or pull your hands back?
Samantha: Yes. On my end, as you thrust towards me, I'm going to do something, to try... Actually thrust towards me, so thrust to the hand- yep, good! But I don't want that, so I'm going to do something here, and that's when you come over and attack.
Chanon: I mean, like, you have to pull back slightly, or...?
Samantha: So, thrust, I should be in range already. And as you defend that-
So I should still be able to. And I can rock away, if I need to. Cool. Good question.
So here's something that you can definitely introduce if you're not doing it already. It's rotate- rotation, reversing your hip direction. It allows you to evade, and it allows you to increase your power when you strike. It's known as 'reverso' in Italian. Basically, it's any position that you would strike from, but just you change where your hips are going, but keep your face back towards your opponant.
I always wondered what it was.
Samantha: Mm! It has a couple of advantages. If you're setting up for a shot, and I wanted- so this is Posta de donna, not so good with lightsaber, because I'm cutting... but I can alter it a little. So if I was going to turn around, and bring this back, I'm actually putting my whole spine into this defense, which is also a very nice cut.
Chanon: So, really commit?
Samantha: Yes. I should be able to destroy you with this motion. Unless you do something smart. Yeah. Well. ---
So the main point is that this is an evasion. If you're going to come and cut to my leg- actually try and reach me, though... Yeah, good. Again. Except-- in reverse. The advantage of the reverse is you're setting your body up for unleashing, =--turn around. If I just do this, I don't really have much potential power to cut, it would be a very weak cut.
So practice that a little bit, the reverse position. Basically you keep your feet in more or less the same place, but you rotate as you turn. It's easier for a person with a lower centre of gravity to do this. Just think about your body hanging down.
Oh my goodness they're so LOUD!
Nick: Let's do some kiyai.
Okay, you want to do some- yeah, sure.
Kiyai!
Huh!
Kiyai!
Huh!
Kiyai!
I want to see some good cuts with this, guys, too.
Kiyai!
Huh!
We're coming for you! Have a lovely dinner.
Cool. So the reverse position-
(Multiple lightsaber sound effects. Laughter.)
Cool. Reverse position. Fantastic to use. If you want to do a minimal amount of work in a fight, it means you can keep- you can mainatain your line, you don't have to move your feet, if you're confident that the other person isn't going to take a step. You can use this in German longsword, absolutely. One hundred percent. Just be sure you are good with your distance, otherwise you're going to hurt yourself with potential leg strikes. Something I'd suggest for you guys drilling is to actually set up two people in range, to be striking to each other, and then change the range, so you have to adjust. That's something you guys can take away from the class. Cool. The other advantage of this- if I could borrow you Nick, over here, and I'm going to keep working with you too... So, 'Oh no, I hae two people!' If you could come over here-- great. Watch my feet.
One. Two. One. Two.
I don't have to do any work. All I've done is move my (ship?)– around, through the reverse position. So if you guys want to pair up with each other- we'll make it two sets of threes. So, if you go with these guys... Two sets of threes guys. I said pair up, didn't I. We're going to set up-
(general conversation)
We're going to do what we-
Fast forward through this section. Pay no attention. Okay, you're working with us, you're working with them- go away!
Okay, you are going to be facing both of us. So pick one person who does that, and then reverse it. Yep. Nice. Yes, good. Nice. Nice. Okay. Stop!
So people who are defending, make sure when you defend that you're not doing a useless parry. You want to keep your angle down so that you've got- yep.
Okay, and switch guys. It doesn't matter which way, it works both ways.
Ah, you guys- this works better if you're on more of an angle, like, four o'clock. So, you're on the middle of the clock. You're at four o'clock, or eight o'clock. Nice. Oo, slippery!
Try to keep your body- so, your body's more like that, and when you reverse, --. See?
Okay, stop. Nice. Good stuff. Nothing to say. So this time, when you parry, be creative. I want you to alternate which side you're defending on. Don't just stand there. Be active, in the drill. One thing that often happens is that people who're doing drills become really passive, because they know what's going to happen. And unfortunately that doesn't really help anyone, because if you start to just relax into the drill, you're teaching the other person to deal with someone that's passive. You want to actually be engaged in the drill. I'm not saying, you know, I'm not saying be a dick or something, I'm saying, be mindfully engaged. So for example, if you are striking at me, I'm still going to do something, I'm still going to put my body into it. I'm not just going to be like, do-do-do-do-doo.... You know? Like, actually still engage. Because what it does is it teaches you to defend. If you're on the defensive side of the drill, you want to practice being a good defendor. Okay? So, same again but active defense.
Yeah! That's a good idea.
So Nick's actually come up with a good idea guys. After the middle person has turned away, Nick's actually cutting out a strike. This is something you coudl do in a choreography, and it looks really good. Let's check out what Nick is doing.
I'm out of range right now, I have to actually work to get to you.
Sorry, I need to watch these guys.
Alright, switch out guys. Someone from this group come into this group. And you as well.
(general discussion)
Halt. Halt guys. So, switch it up what you're doing with your attack as well. So something that Brai is doing is he's alternating how he's attacking when he comes back to the outside. So the person in the middle doesn't have to do the same attack all the time, just alternate. And it makes sure we're paying attention on the end.
Yes! Haha
(general conversation)
I have to watch them.
Looking nice guys. Alright, wrap it up. Good stuff. We're going to take two minutes of water, okay?
(General discussion)
Alright, you guys ready? Yeah? Sweet. Cool.
So, what I'm going to be explaining is about when you're binding someone. A good way to bind versus a bad way to bind. You know what I mean by a bind? Yes? Okay. So when I'm defending against someone's attack, what I don't want to do is to have my blade flat, especially with a light saber. With a weapon that has a large crossguard I could possibly get away with this, perhaps maybe with a basket hilt, but generally this is a very weak defense for me, because I actually have very little ability to stop someone from sliding forward. What I always want to do is to keep some kind of an angle with my sword. I want my hands to be high, my tip to be low, or vice versa. I want my tip to be high and my hands to be low. Never flat, like this. It's very-very bad, for you, and very good for your opponant. Now, I'm not familiar with every single sword style, so I can't comment on other systems, but in my experience this is the best thing to do. So, as long as there is some kind of angle for your bind, you should be able to defend against someone.
So if you guys could pair up, facing each other along this stretch... yep. So all we're going to do is test this, guys.
We're going to be testing whether or not having an angle is going to help you or not. So if I'm coming here, to have my blade flat, you should be able to take advantage of that. And if we switch, to be lower, yeh- that's good. Nice. Now I'll do that to you. Yeah, it's pretty gross ay?
You just mechanically have much more of an advantage when you're – in your body. If you're extended, that should be the end of the motion.
Hello! Welcome. Good to see you. If you can put your stuff over there, uh- Champ. Over that side. Okay, swords up guys.
Nick: Say we're in a bind like this, what am I going to do next? Try and thrust him?
Samantha: Okay, so the question is what happens after you're in the bind, and this is a whole section.
So you're jumping ahead because you're already on to it. That's okay. So, the answer is, you're going to be taking advantage of the other person at a time that's advantageous to you. So you want to wait until it's safe to move forward.
Uh- you can use that, Champ.
So we're talking about the bind right now, and I was explaining how you always want to keep- you always want to keep your light saber not falling apart. Oh dear.
So, you always want to have either your hands low and your tip high, or your tip low and your hands high, never flat like this. This is very bad, because if I were to cut into you, you've got very little ability to defend. You always want to have some kind of structural advantage. Yeah.
Next question, which leads into the next section, is; what do you do from the bind? The bind is the key to the sword fight. And this is in all forms of longer weapons. If you're bound with somebody else, and it could be a spear as well, it could be anything that's longer than a short kind of machete weapon- if you've bound with somebody, you want to be able to control and clear them out the way before you move in. To do that you'll need to have purchase on your opponant, you know what I mean by purchase? Like, a grip. If I could borrow you, Nick.
So right now, we're using two very slippery weapons. This is not very nice for either of us. But if they were stuck together, then we can feel each other, and we can use the tension from the other person's body against them. So something that's been recorded in historical swordsmanship is the 'pulsativa', the pulse, which I interpret for it to mean, when you're bound, putting a pulse through your opponant. And it's something that has to be felt. You're waiting for the right moment to pulse into somebody. Does that make sense?
It's a little strategy you can use, when you're bound. I'm no expert on it...
(Phone ringing)
I'm not an expert on all the uses of the pulse, but this is just something I can share with you today about what to do with lightsabers. So first of all, you need to be structurally strong for this to work. If you're not structurally strong it's not going to be very good for you because you need to be ready to take advantage of the other person. So for example, if I'm like, leaning out like this... okay, this is not terrible, but I'm also not positioned to do much because I'm so bent... -- So I want to come up, have a good stable foundation. Once I've taken something from him, like this line here...
(Nick makes choking noice)
Samantha: Good.
If, for example, he's really strong and I decide, okay, I'll slip around him, I'm going to make use of his strength by being weak... so he's decided to come back on the strong, I go, 'okay, sure- you win Nick.' Always keeping my tip- that's okay, I stepped into it- so my tip is always being pulled to him.
So pair up guys, and just bind with your swords. You guys want to work together? You guys want to work together? Do you have a longer weapon? Because this will work better for you.... Okay. I mean, that's not a bad tool, but for this exercise you'll feel more what I'm talking about.
So, if he does that, imitate him. Yeah, exactly. Because that will defeat that.
Something you can do, Champ, is you can rock back and forth, to give yourself more distance. Remember to use your hips. You're leaning right back, like this. You want to... yeah.
Be careful Champ. You don't want to come that close, use your arms. You're coming in like this, which puts you in range, so just --. Alright, switch up partners guys. Everyone move just one to your left. Or just choose somebody, I don't care. It's not speed dating.
(whistles tune of Jeopardy)
So if he does that, Nick- if Kevin does that, yeah. There you go.
Hi. I'm Sam. Nice to meet you.
Samantha: Hi Eve.
Just bring your stuff over here.
So, you're changing the blade at the moment, and that's totally fine. But for this exercise just practice keeping the contact though. Okay. And try to feel each other's strengths and weaknesses so what you want to be doing is controlling each other... moving around, rather than changing the blade. So it's still in contact.
Chanon: Not disengage?
Samantha: Not for this exercise.
Do you have a blade?
(general conversation)
Ah right. Yeah, it needs to be straight. Sorry! Very nice. Okay, swords up guys. Hi, your name is eve? Eve, cool. So what we've covered off today so far is body posture- and I'm just doing this as a recap for everyone- we talked about body posture, you want to have your spine upright, you don't want to bend your back when you're moving. You also want to be able to move your hips, when you are fighting.
When you are bound with somebody, you want your hands low and your tip high, and vice versa- you want your hands high and your tip low. Yeah? And always keep like a magnet going towards your opponant. So, if he is my enemy, my tip- see how my tip is going towards him at all times? No matter where my sword is- even if my sword comes back, I want to think about it thrusting towards him. Or even if it's a cut, I'm thinking about casting the tip first. So there's a magnet pulling the tip of my sword, yeah?
Cool. Alright, we're going to take 2 minutes for water and just to freshen up, okay? Sweet.
(general conversation)
(lightsaber sound effects)
Nick: We're going to have some light sparring after the class
Samantha: Yeah. We're going to wrap thirty minutes before we have to go.
Nick: Okay. Can I turn off the light?
Samantha: Ah- afterwards. Not now.
Nick: Okay. After?
Samantha: After the class. Thank you.
Nick: No probs.
Samantha: Okay, you guys ready to go? You guys good to go? Okay!
So, my fancy gloves are not just fancy fashion statements, they are actually so that I can show you guys something about the way your arm works. I'll put this down so you can see. So inside our arms we have two bones, one on top of the other, and I love to refer to this as the 'blade' of your arm. So right now, underneath, the blade is – the top edge is here and the bodttom edge is there, and that's the flat. You guys know what I'm talking about, right? So if I'm going to strike someone with my arm, I'm going to strike them with the blade, rather than the flat. You know, that's a very weak kind of --. The moment you put a sword in your hand, or a stick in your hand, or anything in your hand, you're extending the blade of your arm. So even though the stick is round, it doesn't appear to have a blade, I don't have a strong edge or a weak edge, I still do, because the arm has it. So the strong edge of my arm extends up into the tool. So that's why when you're using a circular tool like a lightsaber or a stick, you still have a good way and a bad way to strike with it. Now this is more clearly seen with swords that are flat, if I could borrow someone, Champ? You've got a flat-bladed tool right there. So right now when we're bound, he's got his strong on my strong, and the way you can see is because of where my thumb is, and where my knuckles are. If I was to turn my hand around, like this- actually no, I'm going to swap hands, so you can see that- you can see where my flat edge is and where my strong edge is, right? Because of the bones in my body. And you can feel the difference, right? I'm turning my hand, yeah. And that's bad for me, because look- my arm's gone flat. So I want to keep the bone so I'm in the same line that comes down from the sword. This is really useful for binding, and also for making powerful cuts against your opponant. Because if I was to come in with a weak attack, like a wide attack, yeh- very bad for me. Oh no, I'm dead. Haha
I'm not dead because he's very nice and – we're filming. So even when working with something like a lightsaber you want to thinkabout where the arm-blade is. Okay? Cool. Good stuff.
So if you guys could pair up again, We're going to just be practicing distance this time, guys. I don't want everyone hitting each other, I just want you to get comfortable with working with a person- striking, moving back and forward, Let's not go psycho just because we don't have much room.
Your blade is fine for this.
So who's working with me? Someone come work with me.
So we're just going to go slowly guys. The point of this – uh, two hands, sorry, I was just talking- the point of this is just to get comfortable with range and distance, okay? Don't try and be a dick to each other, okay? And we're just going to be moving forward and back. Okay, good. Okay, let's say... I'm going to change it a little bit. From this bind, if he's got an advantage, I want you to push the advantage and take a step, and I'm going to step back. So step towards me if you've got the advantage, good. Okay, and we're going to reset, I'm going to do something. Okay? Reset. Yep. Do you get the idea?
So we're going to regain control of the centre here. Remember to use your hips, if you want. Remember not to do this kind of thing. Great in boxing, fantastic, but not for swordsmanship. Because you want to keep your spine engaged. When I do this, look at my spine- I have very little strength to be put into the power of my sword. Okay?
And you can change as well, you can do this.
Keep this-. Flat is bad. You always want to keep it at an angle. Because, see- I can get past as easily.
Use your feet, Brai, use your feet!
Don't let me crunch your body. Yes, better.
So when you do that, at the moment you're doing this? Do this. Always keep the angle. Because, I mean, the flat is --, you still have a nice defense up here, but but if you were to copy me, yeah. And now thrust to me, yeah. It's hard for me if I don't have an angle, to defend. And this is a strong position. I've got so much strength, I barely have to move. But if I have it like this- do it again, push me- yeah. I've very little ability.
Okay guys, stop. Nice. Cool.. Something you can do when you're in those binding positions is you can think about turning your hips to gain power. So if I want to put more power into my block, or my bind, turning my hip- do you see what happens to my body? As soon as I turn away, my power is going that way now. Unless I'm back like this, and I'm ready to turn in. See? But if I'm just halfway in between, do you see? My hips are facing out here. All of the power is going forward.
Something, a little trick to remember, is your feet direction. So, with a sword, if my foot is pointed towards him, it's very easy for my mind to go there. If my foot is going that way, it's harder for me to hit him. So if you point your foot towards your opponant, you have a better ability to hit them without having to try hard. Yeah. And the same with your back foot. Your back foot is going to be- hello!
Foon: Hi.
Samantha: The direction of your back foot is going to be-
Nick: Sawat dee Khap.
Samantha: If you guys could possibly put your stuff at the back, please? Thank you very much. Just 'cos the camera's set up over there.
Foon: Oh, right- sorry.
Samantha: That's okay. So, foot direction! Where your foot points is where your body's going to go. So I can go this way and I can go that way. Right now it's very hard for me to go this way. I'd have to actually turn to go there. So if I want to go over there, I'm set up really nicely.
Nick: (laughter)
Samantha: I like this, I'm going to borrow this. Let's do what they're doing, it looks like fun.
We're keeping in range, and just small steps. Change as well, change hands if you want.
Very nice guys, very nice. Now change it so you're bound with the blade of your hands (arms). If you're doing this right guys, you shouldn't have to have your eyes open.
Ha ha! Very nice.
I have to watch everybody.
(general conversation)
Do you have a stick?
Foon: Yeah.
Nick: He has.
Samantha: Okay guys, because we've had a few additions since we did the exercise, we're going to go back and do the exercise where we're cutting, and then bring it up, thrust, flip, down, up, thrust. For those who came in late, the point is to always keep an offense on your opponant. It's lovely to cut back here, as long as you're out of range. Because if you're still in range, and I go back here.... what can you do to me?
Foon: Everything.
Samantha: Where's the attack? Where's my attack? I have no attack to you. So if this goes back here, Hit me. Yes! Good. Okay.
If my sword is forward from my hips at all times, when I'm in range, I've got the ability to bring it into play very fast. So this little drill's going to be practicing keeping your sword forward. Okay? So- I'm going to go in this direction... I'm cutting forward, cutting back to my hips and up, I thrust. And then I flip to the other side, cut down, up, thrust, flip to the other side, cut down, up, thrust, flip to the other side, down, and you get the idea.
And then you can flow, once you get...
Champ: Do I need to do like a movement, a step?
Samantha: You can do what you want. It's really just practicing keeping the blade forward. If you want to step you can, but I don't think you need to. I mean, if you want- sure.
So what this does is it causes a threat to one side of my head. Nick, if I could borrow you again? If you could do that to me slowly, so they can watch? Okay? So, attack. Yeah. I defend, just cut down, keep going with the flow, come back up, yep- and thrust, yep- you're thrusting, I'm going to defend to this direction, which leaves this side of my head open, which is why you flip over the top- yes. And there we go. So just go from the thrust again, Nick, if you could. Yep. Flip. Down. Yep, and from the other side, just from the thrust. Yep.
So the point is that you threaten one side of the face and then flip over and attack the other, okay? Good.
So once again.
Oops.
Just start really slowly guys, until you get comfortable with the precision of it. Sweet.
Do you have enough space there guys? Okay.
Lovely. Cool. Okay, swords up.
(some groaning)
How are your arms? Pretty warm? (laughs)
Cool.
So here's a little bugbear of mine. Do you know what a bugbear is? A bugbear is like a gripe, or something I'm annoyed by. It's in Star Wars, all the time you see people who do big spins, where they expose the back. So I'm going to say spinning is fantastic, but I'm going to add something to this, if you want to spin... so my enemy's over there, if I want to spin, I'm going to protect my back. I'm facing him... oh, you killed my father, okay, run-
(general laughter)
You see? Just always keep the sword in front, between you and your opponant. Because this is your shield! Your sword is your shield.
Yesss!
And think about there just being a magnet between you and the other person. Yes! Perfect. Yes. Lovely. And if you're having trouble with it coming out, just think about protecting your spine, okay? Yeah, that's it. If you do this again- just stop for a sec, guys.
If I could bring you out- yes. So face me, this way. So if he does the spin, and when he turns, I swing, the point is that the sword should stop me from connecting with his spine. Yeah? So again, bam. Yeah. Okay. That was just timing, you did it fine. It was just the timing was wrong, okay? Bam.
Okay, so just always keep something protecting the back of you. And then you can do all the fancy spins you want.
Do you need a tool? Okay? You got one?
Okay, --- work with someone you haven't worked with. Find a new partner.
(general conversation)
You killed my father...
Okay, this time we're going to work in the bind, we're going to practice the pulse. You remember the pulse? If you weren't here for the pulse, it's where the two blades are joined together- Brai, if I could borrow you?
And when one person feels the other guys is weak, he pushes, he pulses, okay? And it's very little work for your body, it's like a whip. What I don't want to do is make his sword go really far away, because once his sword is away from me I can't feel him any more, and he could do anything. Yeah? So it's just a little, tiny pulse. I'll do it with each of you so you can feel what I'm doing. The power's coming from my diaphram.
That's what it feels like. Notice how none of my body's moving except for my diaphram. Very very subtle.
Something else I'm doing, guys, I didn't realise I'm doing- sorry- is I'm also giving my sword a little bit of a push.So I'm (exhale) when I breathe out, my second hand is causing a lever. You can pull as well, if it's the other way.
I'm showing you what it feels like. Like that. So try and see if you can do that to me. Very good! Now do that to him.
(general conversation)
You're very stiff, you're very (makes constricted sound). Just breathe and relax- let your legs relax, for this drill. Yes.
Very nice guys.
(light saber sound)
Okay guys. We're going to start to wrap up, so we have some time to do some playing, unless you want more of this. Up to you.
Nick: .... going to be more, today and tomorrow?
Samantha: Yeah, they are similar, but different. Same same but different. Okay, we have the choice now- I can keep going for another twenty, or I can keep going for another ten. Up to you. Twenty? We've got a vote for twenty... Ten? A vote for ten...
Nick: We can hit each other....
Chanon: Raise your hand...
Samantha: Alright, twenties! One, two, three.
Nick: Ahhh! (speaks in thai)
--: Democracy.
Samantha: Ten!
Nick: It is fine.
Samantha: What about fifteen?
Everyone: Okay.
Samantha:
(loud laughter)
In the spirit of bartering. Fifteen. One-five. Sip- ha. Okay. Sweet. Great! Fantastic.
Alright! So, what we've covered is going back to the basics, the mechanics of the body. I want to be using my hips for my power, casting my power towards the person, I want my feet to be controlling my direction. If I want to hit someone I want my front foot to be in line with where I'm going to hit. And I want both parts of my body to work together. If I'm using a single hander then obviously I'm not going to be using both my hands, but I want my body to be balanced, but if I strike with two hands, both hands hould be working together. Something I didn't cover earlier is when you're holding your sword with two hands, you want the direction of both of your hands to be in agreement. Yes, exactly. So, if you've done any cutting or anything like that, you need it to be on the same line to get an even balance to the cut. I'm exaggerating right now, with the direction of my fingers, so you can see what I'm doing, but when I close my hands, my knuckles, here, and here, are going in the same direction. And this will help you with the bind as well, because if my hands are crooked, I'm not going to have as much strength.
When I say 'strength', I mean structure. I'm not going to have as much structure to my body to defend against a bind. So if my hands are weak, like this, push- yeah. There we go. It's really bad for me. If I adjust my hands, right now- how's that for you? Yeah. So if you guys could pair up again, and practice having your hands in alignment with each other in the bind.
(general conversation)
Yeah, so slip your hands around just to this – yeah.
So what I want you to do this time Champ, from here, is just rotate your hands. Your grip. To feel the difference between when it's strong, and compare it.
So right now if we're like this, this is weak for me, and now I'm going to rotate my fingers, -- try that.
So it's the difference betweenhaving it like this, and that. Like this. Not like that. Yeah. Exactly.
Foon: Sam. How do we usually stand? Back foot lead?
Samantha: Up to you. I usually have my foot back because of having my power-- (indistinct) You can generate power as well from here, it's just about what (indistinct). You don't want to be cutting straight down though--
Guys. A good question- what's your name again?
Foon: Foon.
Samantha: Foon.-Foon just said that which foot goes forward? Now this is personal preference for me is to have my left foot forward. Now the reason for that is because I start out of range. So if Brai is there and I'm out here, now he's in range so I'm moving back. Now I'm definitely in range. So right now what I've got is potential to hit him, with my hip. If I'm standing like this, I don't feel as comfortable with this, because most of my power's coming from my right side, even though my body is working together, I don't have as much potential to do a big strike, do you see what I mean? So it's really personal preference. The other thing is if you're going to cut right through, you'll cut your leg. So if you're going to cut through just take a step, a passing step. So. Personal preference for me, left foot forward so I can put the power of my hip rotation into the cut. The other thing is when you cut- I don't know if you guys are familiar with 'cut before step'? Yeah? A few of you are?
Foon: Not for me.
Samantha: Ah, okay. So in... sorry, words are failing me... western swordsmanship, the principle of 'the hand moving before the foot' is a thing. You want your foot to be (held) in reserve. The two land and everything's together but you don't do this.
Foon: Of course.
Samantha: Yep. Even though that's an exaggeration, it's surprising how many people do do that until they learn that you have to move the top part of your body seperate to your bottom, because the lower part of your body needs to be free to change halfway through. If I come in for a strike, and he jabs- oh, gosh... if I've already committed my leg, I don't have any reserve to get out of the way. So I need to practice moving my top half and then moving my bottom half. A drill you can do is, 'there' and then change your mind at the last minute as you cut. Yeah. Just really exaggerate the difference between the top and the bottom half.
It's really just moving that before your feet. But you need to be able to still bring your foot into play (indistinct)... it's like it's hovering.
Foon: So basically it's just about the timing between the upper body and the lower.
Samantha: Very nice, guys.
You can't, or you can? Oh yeah. I understand.
-- but not with a lightsaber. (laughs)
Nick: Oops! Sorry.
Samantha: Something to do, when you defend low, is to move this side to that side. Yeah. So the tip of your sword. Yep. Again. Change. You've got to come out a little bit. Yes. Yeah, that way- that's better. That's ten times better. Very nice. Very nice. Good stuff! You can work with him now.
How are you guys doing here?
(indistinct discussion)
Alight guys. Alright! Well, that will totally do.
We're now in freetime, for the next forty minutes. But I'll ask that we'll wrap at five to nine. So anything you want to do for now, photos, choreography, ask me questions, whatever- it's up to you. This is your playtime.
