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Post by Kryy Jacobi on Sept 26, 2006 17:17:41 GMT -5
And OK, OK, I confess... the clutter in the house is MY "project" clutter.... LOL... yep... my whole house is a "project clutter"! It projects it right out into the yard!  I am going to remember that bit about "projects into the yard" and quote it myself .... clever! ;D "Shimmering Sword" came yesterday and I've read a couple of chapters. He seems to assume the reader knows nothing, so he compares the different styles and schools of sword usage as well as the philosophical and cultural backgrounds. From the short portion I have read, I've found it to be informative. (And yes, there ARE a lot of typos.) Amazon has the "look inside" feature where one can look at the Table of Contents and read an excerpt, if anyone is interested. Looking forward to "playing" in this new forum! Many thanks to everyone for sharing their ideas and expertise! Sorry I missed the "launch" -- after the Board meeting Thursday, we headed to the Outer Rim (umm, the beach) for a long w/e. Kryy |
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Post by Kryy Jacobi on Oct 28, 2006 13:46:59 GMT -5
Well, after doing a lot of searching in my area for martial arts and fencing, I have found a local fencing club that meets on nights and weekends at a local church family life/fitness center. (So many of these classes/clubs are geared to kids and teens and meet during the day, which is obviously a problem for most of us.) So I have bitten the bullet, so to speak. Had my first lesson this AM and discovered I have 3 left feet when going backwards. Forward and lunge, no problemo. Backwards needs lots of work.  There were lots of levels and lots of age ranges of participants, which was encouraging. I talked to 2 very nice men in their 50's/60's who got interested when their kids got involved. (They thought I was there as a parent when I first walked in.) So I'm trying this for a whole bunch of reasons -- FUN, fitness, mental stimulation, a bit of competition, and learning a basic skill set/laying a foundation/understanding the other forms of swordplay. I've never done anything like this before -- wish me luck! :-) P.S. I'm having fun.... |
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Post by Kryy Jacobi on Oct 28, 2006 15:28:26 GMT -5
Oh, and something I forgot to mention that's kind of important to me but probably a non-issue for most others.... I need to see someone coming at me with a "sword" without flinching. When we were little kids playing softball, I was always the batter that turned her head in fear of being hit by the ball.  Can't bat very well that way! So this is good for me.... |
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Post by admin on Oct 28, 2006 22:52:06 GMT -5
Have fun!!
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Post by Leda EmBorr on Oct 29, 2006 2:25:15 GMT -5
That sounds like fun... I took a fencing class offered for adults at my local high school. It was fun.
At least it gets you adjusted to holding a sword and having someone come at you, as you said.
In karate we did an excercise whwer the instructor came at us with a shinai (wooden practice sword) in a set series of strikes and we had to memorise and react to them. It was nerve-wracking at forst, but very rewarding when I finally got it right.
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JediKai
Message Board Member
TJA Savior
Posts: 5,560
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Post by JediKai on Oct 29, 2006 12:08:54 GMT -5
Good luck, Kryy!
I started a kendo class a few years ago but all the beginners were 6 years old. It didn't feel right. There is a Tai Chi class in town with people by age. You've given me the bug to look around for an adult class in fencing, or mayge kendo again.
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Post by Kryy Jacobi on Oct 29, 2006 23:50:47 GMT -5
Thanks so much for the encouragement! Next on the horizon, I would love to try the Kendo and other things mentioned, but ... one thing at a time. And yes, I agree, I'd rather not be in a class with a bunch of 6 year olds. (Especially if they're better than I am.  ) Kai, I tracked down classes using <www.usfencing.org>. You can search by region and some of the groups have their own website links, but I found that most were really slow about responding to inquiries. Actually I had to go on Map Quest and make some visits to facilities. Pest, am I. I'm sure there must be some national martial arts member website similar to the fencing one, but I haven't done a search on that. My county is very large and has an excellent Parks and Recreation department, including a lot of martial arts programs, but most are for the kids. However, they subcontract these classes so I have some names of local studios/facilities for the future. Unfortunately, they discontinued the fencing due to lack of interest. Sad... Been working on backing up today and my 3 left feet have been reduced to 2.  |
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Post by Kryy Jacobi on Oct 29, 2006 23:52:50 GMT -5
It was nerve-wracking at forst, but very rewarding when I finally got it right. That sums it up pretty well!! |
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Post by Cara Drume on Oct 30, 2006 10:18:05 GMT -5
Yeah, it's pretty unnerving to be in a class where almost everyone is younger and they're all better than you. Maybe that's how Anakin felt on his first day of training... |
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Post by Kryy Jacobi on Nov 8, 2006 18:26:32 GMT -5
And look what happened to him......  |
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Post by Steverus Zac on Nov 17, 2006 22:03:11 GMT -5
Interesting thread. I just posted some comments in the members section on suggestions for TJA and one thing was emphasis on lightsabers. Not to rewrite that but I think its necessary for us to get better at handling sabers so we can use them as a signature item for our group. On the personal experience side, I fenced on my college team for over two years. Primarily foil but my strongest weapon was epee (Can anyone say "stop thrust"?). I didn't do as well with saber. About a year ago I finally got back into "the way of the sword" with a style called Haedong Kumdo. Once a week I get to study under a 5th degree (and sometimes the grand master instructs) and it is much more physically demanding than fencing ever was. It moves slow too because the emphasis is on building the parts of your body used in swordplay as you slowly learn the techniques. I am actually quite impressed with how much strength my feet (believe it or not), hands and my abdomen have attained. So far we are only on form three but for some flavor we have learned a variation on "Mushashi's eight cuts" and the four methods of blood cleaning and returning the sword to the scabbard. Right now I am gathering all the info I can on lightsaber techiques and styles and reviewing the similarites between the seven forms and the real-life material on Iado, Kendo and Kumdo. I am fascinated to see if we couldn't create more depth to the seven forms beyond what we have sketched out by various authors and sources from the EU. Anyone want to colaborate? I am reading Shimmering Sword actually right now and just now getting into the SW specific sections. Most of the material in the first half of the book I was familiar with and it didn't do much for me but is great stuff for folks just getting into the sword. Other books I own that you might want to consider for your enlightenment on the sword are below. You can find these all on Amazon: The Life-Giving Sword: The Secret Teachings From the House of the Shogun, by Yagyu Munenori, William Scott Wilson (Translator). I like this one because as you can read in its title his philosophy emphasizes how the sword not used gives life and the best path is to never draw it. Very reminiscent of the Jedi way. I have one of his quotes in my signature.  Musashi's Book of Five Rings: The Definitive Interpretation of Miyamoto Musashi's Classic Book of Strategy, by Stephen F. Kaufman, Musashi Miyamoto. Musashi is all about the fight. Not as philosophical as Munenori. The Book of Water, which is one section in this book, seems close to Lightsaber Form 7 of which Mace Windu was a master with his own variation (Vaapad). Very good read on how to be an aggressive duelist. Also, to get a pictorial on the many forms and techniques of Iado, these two books are the best I have found: Art Of Japanese Swordsmanship: Manual Of Eishin-Ryu Iaido, and Practice Drills For Japanese Swordsmanship. Both by Nicklaus Suino. |
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Post by Starkindler (The Naked Jedi) on Nov 17, 2006 22:35:26 GMT -5
though I have no real time to get involved I would love to see this expand.
I have little or no formal weapons training though my Martial Arts background is diverse enough to give me an instincual feel for them.
I am definitely a no nonsense guy with them though...no flourishes that waste time and energy (ie; Indiana Jones vs. the big swordsman). I fight to win which means basically that I stay alive and you either stop trying to hurt me or are no longer able to (either works for me).
THere is a good deal of theory to be applied or even made up here since the "blade with no weight" is a tricky concept.
though it just occurred to me that perhaps the study of such things as the Manriki (I forget the whole name) or "ribbon" dancing might be of service since those items work on inertia and seem to lack conventional feedback in use.
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Solinbeb Newau
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There are many ways to learn the ways of the Force, but only those who have joined it may know best.
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Post by Solinbeb Newau on Nov 18, 2006 0:00:17 GMT -5
though I have no real time to get involved I would love to see this expand. I have little or no formal weapons training though my Martial Arts background is diverse enough to give me an instincual feel for them. I am definitely a no nonsense guy with them though...no flourishes that waste time and energy (ie; Indiana Jones vs. the big swordsman). I fight to win which means basically that I stay alive and you either stop trying to hurt me or are no longer able to (either works for me). THere is a good deal of theory to be applied or even made up here since the "blade with no weight" is a tricky concept. though it just occurred to me that perhaps the study of such things as the Manriki (I forget the whole name) or "ribbon" dancing might be of service since those items work on inertia and seem to lack conventional feedback in use. I've never really been much of a person to flourish moves in combat. But, then again, I'm a Makashi kind of guy...blade to blade and straight to the point. |
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Post by admin on Nov 18, 2006 8:21:46 GMT -5
Learning I still am............
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Post by Kryy Jacobi on Nov 18, 2006 17:11:55 GMT -5
Well, here's an update: I've switched classes due to a scheduling conflict and am now in a larger class with a lot of different ages (mainly younger). Due to my height, I'm paired up with one of the dads who's taking it with his 3 sons. An interesting thing happened Tuesday: We were practicing forward, back, lunge, etc., trying to keep the correct "out of range" distance and then at the end the instructor asked each one of us, "What did you notice about your opponent?" Interesting -- he was really trying to get us to "tune in" to the strategy and not just the physical part. Reminded me of Legacy of the Jedi when Dooku's rival (can't remember his name) said that Dooku always swung around to come in from the rear... Oh, and my opponent said I was too tentative on my lunges, and I was grateful to hear that so I'd know what needed work. I sort of knew it, but I needed to hear it, and I thanked him for pointing it out. I am having a blast! It's a LOT of fun and I am amazed at how much more exercise it is than I expected (and I expected a lot). We have to do all sorts of exercises, balancing things (stand on one foot, etc.) and stretches, and it's exhilarating. Plus, maybe I'll actually get to where I can touch my toes. On the Lightsaber Training side, I know Qui-Kel and Master Tanthos are planning a video of some sort, and I'm really looking forward to that. Also, I hope that the NY Jedi proceed with their plans to produce a DVD. And just think, all of this started b/c I wanted a Jedi robe.... ;D |
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Can't bat very well that way!
)
