"Never give a sword to a man who cannot dance.â Or at least Confucius is reportedly said so, though this quote is more likely apocryphal than genuine. If he had did indeed written this, Confucius would have no doubt have been using it as a metaphor for not placing someone in a position they are not qualified to fill. If we take this idea literally, then Confucius probably would have actually meant dancing when asked whether or not to trust someone with a JiĂ n. Though probably not the sort of dancing you are thinking of. Confucius lived during the later Zhou dynasty (ca. 551â479 BC). During his life, and in many dynasties to come, âSword Dancesâ were performed as ritual. The term JiĂ nwÇ (ćè, literally, sword dance) was also used to describe the forms used to train soldiers. Minority peoples also practiced war dances to prepare for combat. These ritual court and religious dances required a high degree of precision, flow, and intent. Which is to say nothing of good body mechanics. As do forms practiced by large numbers of men at arms at close quarters when drilling. It then follows that if one is unable to âdanceâ well with a sword in hand, then it is also unlikely that heâll flow well in swordplay. Consider if one cannot flow deftly, without hesitation, from one movement to the next in sword forms, or hesitates, rather than moving seamlessly from deflection to cut as one intent, then how can one expect to âdanceâ smoothly, like a swimming dragon, following and fluidly countering when oneâs duifangâs sends blows are raining down?
Lack of preparation in the form of forms (âdancesâ), training in the Basic Cuts, partner drills, and a methodical progression from fixed step to moving swordplay practice, often results in the sort of slapping together of blades during swordplay derided by past sword teachers. One example from the manual, ZÇwÇ JiĂ n by HuĂĄng HĂ nxĆ«n, advises, âDonât mutually strike (swords) together at the same timeâŠâ And the Yang Family Taijiquan Skill and Essential Points by Huang Yuanxiu records, âThe sword is never easy to pass down. Straight forward and back is incomprehensible. If you fake it, cutting like a saber, the old immortal Sanfeng will laugh to death.â
From a modern point of view, if you canât âdance,â you should at least be cautious about jumping right into swordplay. Dancers move with the rhythm and flow of the music, and with their partners. They intuit the flow and use movements theyâve practiced to follow that pattern. Sounds a good deal like swordplay. If one hasnât yet learned to âdanceâ beautifully through the sword form with the same sort of focus and intent of the ancient sword dances, donât expect to flow with the duifangâs cuts as they rain down, it could be fairly easy to fall into the errorÂ
The fix is easy- Practice sword forms as if thereâs a duifang there doing his best to cut you. Visual his movements and move with them. Train with a historically accurate sword to avoid misconceptions that arise from light weight, improperly balanced âweapons.â Practice your form mindfully to perfection and youâll see a difference in your swordplay.
