The video is impressive, but I cant imagine just how incomparable today's practitioners are with the real strategists and swordsman from ancient japan who's life truly did depend on their abilities with the sword
And that is a great observation! This is exactly what drives us. Realizing that we could never match up to the reality of blade combat in its earnest due to the simple fact that we are not engaged in lethal conflict. Thus, we raise the bar by fighting full contact with no sportive limitations , hoping to achieve at least some proximity of the mental and physical prowess needed to face an armed and determined opponent.
@ACTdirector I am looking for a specific technique (assuming at exists) involving twisting the blade and doing a sort reverse strike. Something similar to european short edge strikes, but done by twisting the sword so it happens with the katana's long edge...
Well there is an ura kote... An upward short strike. But it is rare and it is very difficult to incorporate the false edge strike work from the hand and a half European sword into the work with the katana. Having said that, some principles are obviously overlapping. They are both big two handed blades, some resemblance is inevitable :). Keep on looking, let me know how it goes!
@optimizerofpain This is a full weight simulator with protective layers. A sparring/ training tool developed by our school (Armed Combat& Tactics) which allows for full contact bouts but keeps the reality of combat intact. Meaning, you get hit with it you feel it. Trust me. But the bones will remain intact. The weight, shape, balance and feel is that of the Katana. Well actually it goes across the board for any weapon we use. Knife and machete, Yari and Katana, Jo staff and Kubotan. Cheers!
@THEHOTSORA Well, almost :). We have a group in Conwy and a group in Chester. A bit long drive from London , I am afraid , but hey it is the closest we have got for you:). I assume that our groups in Russia or France won't do for you eh?:). However, A.C.T. chief instructor/s are coming this November to UK and there is going to be some sort of mini seminar there as well before we go to do an event in Wales. You are most welcome to meet us at any location. Cheers, mate!
Several Dojo and other training locations in Israel and Russia. Full contact bouts against different students and instructors from different disciplines. The goal - to learn from one another. The idea - one must test oneself to get better. The core principle - use whatever works in combat. The rules - kenjutsu. Meaning full power in the cut or thrust and EVERY target counts, kicks and throws allowed , meaning - no sportive limitations. Everything goes.
We are working on it :). There is a study group in Boston and next year we'll be there with a seminar. Thanks for your kind words and some day ,eh? :)
I need to finish training with my suburito and spar against some other good freestyle opponents before I try to take on actual kenjutsu instructors/students and their schools. It would be really cool to visit schools like this and spar against the students and instructors and make a mockery of them with my own unique style. Very nice. You handed most of their asses to them. Major kudos, and thanks for the lesson! :]
@UrbanMusashi Thanks for the praise :). It is paramount to practice with other schools, one gains precious experience by doing that. Full contact bouts are a must. Only fighting an opponent who wants to win, can you see what works on combat.
One thing though. I am GRATEFUL to all those fighters. I am better today BECAUSE of them. There never was any mockery in it. We all walk the same path. We ALL learn from each other. Thanks again and I wish you success in your training! :))
Well of course we do. Just look at this here video :). It starts with a Kendoka fighting me and then at the end of the video you can see me fighting him and 3 of his students...I have sparred with many Kendoka and it has been always am important part of our cross training. I have had the privilege to sparr with a 6-th dan as well and that was a highlight for me , believe you me.Very inspiring. Their reflexes,speed and tactical thinking is superb.
@ACTdirector Lol pause at 2:41 straight ...and you see the guy in the white sliced the guy in the black against the slides of his hip XD lol but the guy in the black also got a chop at the other guys head.. haha!
Yep. I'll take that exchange :). I split his head and he cits my hip. Sure, I'll be sore in the rainy morning:), but as we say in A.C.T., I'll be limping with a smile! He be dead, and I be happy:). Plus, if you notice, his sword is sliding off mine as I close the distance, which means he only "touches" me with the blade. Hence a shallow cut with no power. And on a relatively "safe" zone, not that there are safe zones here :). He on the other hand is dead. End of story! :)
Your opinion is appreciated , however our experience in full contact fighting shows that in 95% of the bouts an opponent hit with a proper Kote is very much out of the fight or slows down considerably which gives me an opportunity to fight another opponent. 1. Look for our video of Jo fighting and you'll see people disabled with strikes to the limbs. 2. We always use the inertia (inertia ) of the strike to turn and you CAN see that the opponent's strike clearly misses me.
Good stuff! It is rare these days that katana styles are impressive... but yours is. Great work! Keep posting videos! :D (And those weapons look awesome! Where would one look for those??) THANKS!
Thanks man. I appreciate it. I don;t think it is the styles, it's more about finding opponents who are willing to step out of the "pure"form and try and test the skills in free environment i.e. training combat. No masks, no gloves, no sport limitations and then...The style is gone and only the fighter remains. That is what we are striving for. To look not for the martial form, but for the essence. To survive against a determined and commited opponent. And we make the weapons.
Ah, again with marvolous weapons! Where can my club get some of those weapons you are using!? I always love to watch your clever fighting. You have an offer/ request for a match against me if you are ever in washington DC area :)
Well, I am all for it man. Offer/Request accepted! :). Not sure if I am going to be in DC but Boston - most probably. We'll work out the details when it is closer to the date yeah?
And the weapons- like stated - we supply to the students and affiliates first but working like crazy to get to the mass production capabilities. I'll let you know. Thanks for the kind words!
Nu ne tak vse strashno:)...Mnogiye sparringuyut, kendo- sparringuyut (da, pravila ogranichenniye) no, reflexy - pravolniye absolutno. I kenjutsu est, Toyama Ryu...No ya ponimayu chto ty imeesh v vidu. Mozhesh sebe predstavit moyu radost, chto tak mnogo soglasilos porabotat...I imenno tak k etomu i otneslis! Crosstraining koroche. Bolshaya chest dlya nas...
Everything here, as in class, is done in a no-nonsense way, with full speed and intent.
Besides, it's a lot of fun to spar with Katanas, as they are very versatile and fast, and have a solid impact on your opponent (and sometimes on you -)).
Remember, it was Sting who said the immortal " There is no monopoly on common sense..."? Same here right? And full intent and speed is the ONLY way to check what works in combat as it is (for some unclear reason:)) done exactly this way - full speed , power and intent. Thanks man, much appreciated.
Thanks man. But to be honest had we put more commitment to my strikes heads would have been broken. Seriously. Yeah the weapons have a protective layer but we swing hard and fingers get broken, I mean we might with only goggles for protection...No masks, so ...
Thanks man, we do try:). My respect and admiration goes to the opponents who have crossed the blades with me, it is through them that I learn. Thanks again.
Same answer man, when we have the production line up and running. We are currently working like crazy on the knife line (big blade and a small "folder" version). Next step - bolo/machete. Then we go for a katana and any othe long blade - yari, naginata , longsword...
Well since a lot of the fighters in the clip have mid to high dans in several martial arts - why dont you tell that to THEM:)). Too funny. And of course since you seem to REALLy not like what we do why on Earth do you keep coming back? Just stop watching:)). Peace out.
ACTdirector to all who read the remark made by me a few minutes ago I appologise for any missunderstanding. I have great respect for ACT and their director , their system is amazingly simple and straigt forward and very effective things said at the heat of the moment can sometimes send the wrong vibes by
@janchodkiewicz Hello Jan. I am actually a big fan, loved your sword fighting clips. I do a bit longsword myself , hope someday we get to cross them:). To your statement ...I was trying to show how we fight in ACT what techniques work. So I needed to show how we fight against others and how we fight in the school. Some of my students are aikidoka and kendoka so you can see it in their movement, THAT is why it is so important to cross train. To know how they think to able to fight them.
And regarding the the percentage.. You will see that actually more than 70% of the strikes are coming in AGAINST an incoming attack either as a stop hit (preemptive strike or a strike into incoming attack itself or after a proper block. So I do not agree that they are just standing there at all. From the first bout in the clip you can see that it is the kendoka that rushed me and almost got hit in the head and then after a kote again he rushed - got hit.Counter attack. Clean and simple.
Timing IS everything - that is our style. I have seen your clips - you do the same. Right? open yourself and use the opponent's attack. And you use the one handed strikes a lot yourself. So, we are much alike I think...
And the swords are our own line of making - we make all blades , longswords too. In any case thanks for your interest - a prominenet WMA fighter intersted in Japanese Katana fighting - I am honored...
Oh and Jan? There were sword fighters with plenty experience there. Sparring of course. Kendo (different from us ) but they sparr a lot. And a lot of others. Trust me.
Wonderful video! I remember how it was ... faster, stronger, technically and ... it hurts! )))))))))) Alex, thank you again for the opportunity to learn from you! Big hello to all and many thanks to all who made the video.
Nice. Good to see kendo/kenjutsu people trying their stuff in sparring.
haffoc 1 day ago
@haffoc
The only way to know what works ,really.
ACTdirector 1 day ago
very impressive Aikido, very wild movement good video.
mistergrim1990 1 month ago
what type of swords and were can you get them?
AlexTomFB 2 months ago
@AlexTomFB
They are produced by our school, A.C.T. Armed Combat &Tactics. These and other types of blade simulators: knives, machete , yari , naginata and more.
ACTdirector 2 months ago
I practice all the time - at least 10 hours a day.
Session01Hijack 3 months ago
The video is impressive, but I cant imagine just how incomparable today's practitioners are with the real strategists and swordsman from ancient japan who's life truly did depend on their abilities with the sword
CrimsonGetsu 4 months ago
@CrimsonGetsu Thank you for the praise.
And that is a great observation! This is exactly what drives us. Realizing that we could never match up to the reality of blade combat in its earnest due to the simple fact that we are not engaged in lethal conflict. Thus, we raise the bar by fighting full contact with no sportive limitations , hoping to achieve at least some proximity of the mental and physical prowess needed to face an armed and determined opponent.
ACTdirector 4 months ago
@ACTdirector I wish I had the opportunity to practice the beautiful art of swordsmanship :[
CrimsonGetsu 4 months ago
@ACTdirector I am looking for a specific technique (assuming at exists) involving twisting the blade and doing a sort reverse strike. Something similar to european short edge strikes, but done by twisting the sword so it happens with the katana's long edge...
TheBloodyBlackJackal 3 months ago
@TheBloodyBlackJackal
Well there is an ura kote... An upward short strike. But it is rare and it is very difficult to incorporate the false edge strike work from the hand and a half European sword into the work with the katana. Having said that, some principles are obviously overlapping. They are both big two handed blades, some resemblance is inevitable :). Keep on looking, let me know how it goes!
ACTdirector 2 months ago
I would really like to know what these type of training swords are called?
what are they made of?
they must be better than getting hit by a bokken
optimizerofpain 6 months ago
@optimizerofpain This is a full weight simulator with protective layers. A sparring/ training tool developed by our school (Armed Combat& Tactics) which allows for full contact bouts but keeps the reality of combat intact. Meaning, you get hit with it you feel it. Trust me. But the bones will remain intact. The weight, shape, balance and feel is that of the Katana. Well actually it goes across the board for any weapon we use. Knife and machete, Yari and Katana, Jo staff and Kubotan. Cheers!
ACTdirector 6 months ago
Please tell me there is one of these in london because im a 1st dan in Kenjutsu
THEHOTSORA 7 months ago
@THEHOTSORA Well, almost :). We have a group in Conwy and a group in Chester. A bit long drive from London , I am afraid , but hey it is the closest we have got for you:). I assume that our groups in Russia or France won't do for you eh?:). However, A.C.T. chief instructor/s are coming this November to UK and there is going to be some sort of mini seminar there as well before we go to do an event in Wales. You are most welcome to meet us at any location. Cheers, mate!
ACTdirector 7 months ago
@ACTdirector do you happen to know a name for any technique like this?
TheBloodyBlackJackal 3 months ago
Where is this at, sir?
jung567 9 months ago
@jung567
Several Dojo and other training locations in Israel and Russia. Full contact bouts against different students and instructors from different disciplines. The goal - to learn from one another. The idea - one must test oneself to get better. The core principle - use whatever works in combat. The rules - kenjutsu. Meaning full power in the cut or thrust and EVERY target counts, kicks and throws allowed , meaning - no sportive limitations. Everything goes.
ACTdirector 9 months ago
@ACTdirector I love this! XD Too bad not in USA... -__-
jung567 9 months ago
@jung567
We are working on it :). There is a study group in Boston and next year we'll be there with a seminar. Thanks for your kind words and some day ,eh? :)
ACTdirector 9 months ago
@ACTdirector Sure. :P But too bad I'm in California. -__- Oh well... I might head over to Boston some day... Have you heard of Ishiyama Ryu?
jung567 9 months ago
I need to finish training with my suburito and spar against some other good freestyle opponents before I try to take on actual kenjutsu instructors/students and their schools. It would be really cool to visit schools like this and spar against the students and instructors and make a mockery of them with my own unique style. Very nice. You handed most of their asses to them. Major kudos, and thanks for the lesson! :]
UrbanMusashi 9 months ago
@UrbanMusashi Thanks for the praise :). It is paramount to practice with other schools, one gains precious experience by doing that. Full contact bouts are a must. Only fighting an opponent who wants to win, can you see what works on combat.
One thing though. I am GRATEFUL to all those fighters. I am better today BECAUSE of them. There never was any mockery in it. We all walk the same path. We ALL learn from each other. Thanks again and I wish you success in your training! :))
ACTdirector 9 months ago
Do you ever get to play Kendo players?
jesuskopp 10 months ago
@jesuskopp
Well of course we do. Just look at this here video :). It starts with a Kendoka fighting me and then at the end of the video you can see me fighting him and 3 of his students...I have sparred with many Kendoka and it has been always am important part of our cross training. I have had the privilege to sparr with a 6-th dan as well and that was a highlight for me , believe you me.Very inspiring. Their reflexes,speed and tactical thinking is superb.
ACTdirector 10 months ago
@ACTdirector Lol pause at 2:41 straight ...and you see the guy in the white sliced the guy in the black against the slides of his hip XD lol but the guy in the black also got a chop at the other guys head.. haha!
hurricanesofhell 10 months ago
@hurricanesofhell
Yep. I'll take that exchange :). I split his head and he cits my hip. Sure, I'll be sore in the rainy morning:), but as we say in A.C.T., I'll be limping with a smile! He be dead, and I be happy:). Plus, if you notice, his sword is sliding off mine as I close the distance, which means he only "touches" me with the blade. Hence a shallow cut with no power. And on a relatively "safe" zone, not that there are safe zones here :). He on the other hand is dead. End of story! :)
ACTdirector 10 months ago
@Melekthaus
Thanks for kind words. Always looking for more opponents and more practitioners to develop the fighting skills. That IS the only way to improve.
ACTdirector 1 year ago
@Melekthaus
Your opinion is appreciated , however our experience in full contact fighting shows that in 95% of the bouts an opponent hit with a proper Kote is very much out of the fight or slows down considerably which gives me an opportunity to fight another opponent. 1. Look for our video of Jo fighting and you'll see people disabled with strikes to the limbs. 2. We always use the inertia (inertia ) of the strike to turn and you CAN see that the opponent's strike clearly misses me.
ACTdirector 1 year ago
Good stuff! It is rare these days that katana styles are impressive... but yours is. Great work! Keep posting videos! :D (And those weapons look awesome! Where would one look for those??) THANKS!
phones7eat7ppl 1 year ago
@phones7eat7ppl
Thanks man. I appreciate it. I don;t think it is the styles, it's more about finding opponents who are willing to step out of the "pure"form and try and test the skills in free environment i.e. training combat. No masks, no gloves, no sport limitations and then...The style is gone and only the fighter remains. That is what we are striving for. To look not for the martial form, but for the essence. To survive against a determined and commited opponent. And we make the weapons.
ACTdirector 1 year ago
@ACTdirector Hm. A "style-less" style. I like that concept a lot. We do not use masks, gloves, or regulations either. Anyway, again - great work!
phones7eat7ppl 1 year ago
@phones7eat7ppl
Good term! I a going to use it if it is all the same to you:). Exactly.
Thanks for the praise and...some day ,yes? :)
ACTdirector 1 year ago
@ACTdirector Sure!
phones7eat7ppl 1 year ago
Ah, again with marvolous weapons! Where can my club get some of those weapons you are using!? I always love to watch your clever fighting. You have an offer/ request for a match against me if you are ever in washington DC area :)
evilgummieshark 1 year ago
@evilgummieshark
Well, I am all for it man. Offer/Request accepted! :). Not sure if I am going to be in DC but Boston - most probably. We'll work out the details when it is closer to the date yeah?
And the weapons- like stated - we supply to the students and affiliates first but working like crazy to get to the mass production capabilities. I'll let you know. Thanks for the kind words!
ACTdirector 1 year ago
@ACTdirector Yes!!!!
evilgummieshark 1 year ago
Понятно, почему традиционные "смертельные" стили предпочитают обходиться без спаррингов.. После этого надо или всё менять, или делать харакири :)
Nech1012 1 year ago
@Nech1012
Nu ne tak vse strashno:)...Mnogiye sparringuyut, kendo- sparringuyut (da, pravila ogranichenniye) no, reflexy - pravolniye absolutno. I kenjutsu est, Toyama Ryu...No ya ponimayu chto ty imeesh v vidu. Mozhesh sebe predstavit moyu radost, chto tak mnogo soglasilos porabotat...I imenno tak k etomu i otneslis! Crosstraining koroche. Bolshaya chest dlya nas...
ACTdirector 1 year ago
Everything here, as in class, is done in a no-nonsense way, with full speed and intent.
Besides, it's a lot of fun to spar with Katanas, as they are very versatile and fast, and have a solid impact on your opponent (and sometimes on you -)).
Love it!
dimsam78 1 year ago
@dimsam78
Remember, it was Sting who said the immortal " There is no monopoly on common sense..."? Same here right? And full intent and speed is the ONLY way to check what works in combat as it is (for some unclear reason:)) done exactly this way - full speed , power and intent. Thanks man, much appreciated.
ACTdirector 1 year ago
Very good. But put mor commitment in your techniques.
Kondo87 1 year ago
@Kondo87
Thanks man. But to be honest had we put more commitment to my strikes heads would have been broken. Seriously. Yeah the weapons have a protective layer but we swing hard and fingers get broken, I mean we might with only goggles for protection...No masks, so ...
ACTdirector 1 year ago
@ACTdirector I see. Didnt expect them to be so hard.
Kondo87 1 year ago
man your really good
irahshots 1 year ago
@irahshots
Thanks man, we do try:). My respect and admiration goes to the opponents who have crossed the blades with me, it is through them that I learn. Thanks again.
ACTdirector 1 year ago
@ACTdirector what kind of style did you use on the katana fight? I'm glad you posted some vids on your fight.
irahshots 1 year ago
great kungfu 8D
critikush 1 year ago
@critikush
Thanks ! :) And it is stroooong:)))
ACTdirector 1 year ago
when we wiil be able to parachuse those weapons? i really want one
oraionsan 1 year ago
@oraionsan
Same answer man, when we have the production line up and running. We are currently working like crazy on the knife line (big blade and a small "folder" version). Next step - bolo/machete. Then we go for a katana and any othe long blade - yari, naginata , longsword...
ACTdirector 1 year ago
What weapons are you using? Padded? =)
jackchn 1 year ago
@jackchn
What do you think? :))) You have seen the strikes to the head and the face, of course there is a protective layer against potential injury
ACTdirector 1 year ago
can you do fight against granny?
it would seem to be almost like your other fights.
you vs ppl who have no experience at all
allgXXd 1 year ago
@allgXXd
Well since a lot of the fighters in the clip have mid to high dans in several martial arts - why dont you tell that to THEM:)). Too funny. And of course since you seem to REALLy not like what we do why on Earth do you keep coming back? Just stop watching:)). Peace out.
ACTdirector 1 year ago
ACTdirector to all who read the remark made by me a few minutes ago I appologise for any missunderstanding. I have great respect for ACT and their director , their system is amazingly simple and straigt forward and very effective things said at the heat of the moment can sometimes send the wrong vibes by
taichital 1 year ago
Great form!
ninjalla 1 year ago
@ninjalla
Thanks so much! From a fellow swordsman, much appreciated!
ACTdirector 1 year ago
Wow!
lakanpopot 1 year ago
@lakanpopot
Thanks man, means a lot to me. And from Escrima Guro no less. Respect and power to you.
ACTdirector 1 year ago
@ACTdirector I am a big FAN. mUCH RESPECT AND MORE POWER to you too Sir.
lakanpopot 1 year ago
Comment removed
janchodkiewicz 1 year ago
@janchodkiewicz Hello Jan. I am actually a big fan, loved your sword fighting clips. I do a bit longsword myself , hope someday we get to cross them:). To your statement ...I was trying to show how we fight in ACT what techniques work. So I needed to show how we fight against others and how we fight in the school. Some of my students are aikidoka and kendoka so you can see it in their movement, THAT is why it is so important to cross train. To know how they think to able to fight them.
ACTdirector 1 year ago
And regarding the the percentage.. You will see that actually more than 70% of the strikes are coming in AGAINST an incoming attack either as a stop hit (preemptive strike or a strike into incoming attack itself or after a proper block. So I do not agree that they are just standing there at all. From the first bout in the clip you can see that it is the kendoka that rushed me and almost got hit in the head and then after a kote again he rushed - got hit.Counter attack. Clean and simple.
ACTdirector 1 year ago
@janchodkiewicz
Timing IS everything - that is our style. I have seen your clips - you do the same. Right? open yourself and use the opponent's attack. And you use the one handed strikes a lot yourself. So, we are much alike I think...
And the swords are our own line of making - we make all blades , longswords too. In any case thanks for your interest - a prominenet WMA fighter intersted in Japanese Katana fighting - I am honored...
ACTdirector 1 year ago
@janchodkiewicz
Oh and Jan? There were sword fighters with plenty experience there. Sparring of course. Kendo (different from us ) but they sparr a lot. And a lot of others. Trust me.
ACTdirector 1 year ago
Wonderful video! I remember how it was ... faster, stronger, technically and ... it hurts! )))))))))) Alex, thank you again for the opportunity to learn from you! Big hello to all and many thanks to all who made the video.
mjryazanov 1 year ago
@mjryazanov
Spasibo Mishka! Thank you, I was learning from you guys as well. And just look what wonderful thing grew out of it all...Respect!
ACTdirector 1 year ago
dud this is friking amazing
sordjanky 1 year ago
@sordjanky
Thanks buddy , we were really trying:)
ACTdirector 1 year ago
Precision, timing and versatility of technique all preformed against an uncooperative opponent beutifuly executed, so much to aspire to.
this is what keeps me working hard as a student and instructor.
thank you.
noahsarkil 1 year ago
Awesome video, all my respects for you coach I hope some day meet you. Cheers
LordInferna 1 year ago
@LordInferna
Thanks for your praise, I too hope we meet some day . Power to you, and some day eh?:)
ACTdirector 1 year ago
great fighting as always!
royns 1 year ago
@royns
Thanks man, appreciated as always!
ACTdirector 1 year ago