Claymore, Broadsword, Greatsword, Longsword Kata Training

[krufdx]

I can't comment on your swordplay, since I'm not an expert in this area, but I like your style of writing. You seem like an interesting person. And since I'm reading "A song of Ice and Fire" at the moment it would be very cool experience to have the chance to practice some fencing with you.

Respect for beeing able to train in the open street - exposing my training to bypassers has always troubled me.

Good day!

[Railstarfish]

If you are interested in kata-like equivalents in Western Martial Arts, look for "floryshes". I hope that helps!

[UNTAMAN818]

you also should add a hand and a half techniques which make the claymore more like a spear. also the claymore can do devastating thru9st even in the end your 1 handed. i do it very easily with my 5lbs clay and it is very easy to reposte

[Kunstdesfechtens]

You might want to look at the DVD by the group Ochs which give a good grounding in the Liechtenauer tradition. While some of the interpretations are outdated, it's a great starting point. A good companion is Christian Tobler's "Fighting With the German Longsword" which again gives an overview of the system. Like the video, the book is a little dated, but is still a great help in getting a feel for longsword fighting. Good Luck!

[saltym4n]

finally a decent video that shows some practicing moves thanks :)

[R4zi3]

throw Daft Punk - Voyager overtop of this vid's sound... its incredible



[Kelt4ever]

no matter what the attack - empty hand, weapon etc., the main component that will determine who will succeed, is control over your distance. Yes, strength and speed and technique etc are ALL important, but the control of the space/distance between opponents is paramount in any encounter.

[Kelt4ever]

If you do not control it, then the opponent is, and their attack will probably succeed. This is especially true when defending against leg attacks. If the opponent is using a very wide stance and targeting the lower body, controlling the distance will not only defend well, but should allow you to succeed in the follow up.

[Kelt4ever]

While it is true that shorter people can 'seem' to have an advantage using lower or leg strikes, I think that you will agree that the advantage was really because the attack surprised someone who had not trained how to defend against such attacks, or if trained just hadn't any practice or use in the defense I think it is no secret that the first and foremost defense is control of distance no matter what attack form is used.

[LawrenceSouljah]

Was that intro Killer Instinct by any chance

[KarateJutsuNinja]

@LawrenceSouljah Ya. Riptor theme, I think.

[arcanemuses]

Very impressive. I recommend more leg attacks and low blocks. You have good focus and control for head, shoulder, and body strikes. But since you appear to have a tall frame, you may not be used to striking the shin, ankle, knee, and inner thigh area. Also, you may not be used to defending against such attacks either. Lord knows how many times a shorter opponent beat me with leg shots.

[KarateJutsuNinja]

@arcanemuses Thanks for the tips I will keep them in mind. I have no instruction in this so I must figure stuff out myself or with help from commenters like yourself. I learned from an ancient manual I found that leg shots are a bad idea because, since the sword is "attached" to the shoulder, simple geometry dictates that a shoulder level strike will have greater range. Therefore, drawing your lead leg back to avoid your opponents leg strike while simultaneously striking towards the head is key.

[arcanemuses]

@KarateJutsuNinja That makes very good sense in theory and I'm sure such a method had prooven result on the old battlefeilds. It is good that you want to stick to tradition. But on the off chance you ever spar a guy like me, watch out for the low, wide-legged stances with a high blocking guard against your high strikes. Even with a wide stance, we can rush in for the kill. But I think you will be okay doing what your doing. Keep at it and good luck!

[joiless]

Definitely shows how hard it is to *stop* a two-handed sword once you've started a swing. Even considering the difference in balance, you can see that once a large weapon begins the arc of a swing, it takes all the muscles in one's torso to slow it down, change its direction or stop it outright.

[northwinder]

@joiless

well said.Also imagine that in a real battle you wouldn't be naked.Include the weight of the armor.Breastplate or Chainmail,doesnt matter...

[joiless]

@northwinder More knights died of falling over and being left helpless on the ground than from enemy skill. That and heatstroke. That's why you really don't want to fight a war at midday, because your army will just fall down dead. Just imagining the stamina required for using a two handed sword in armor makes my body hurt.

[temmy9]

@joiless

The average suit of plate weighed 65 pounds, with the weight being well distributed along the body. You can do cartwheels and aerobics in plate. And the average 'two handed sword' weight about 3 pounds, the same weight as a katana. A properly balanced longsword moves and flows very nicely You certainly do need to be fit to fight in armour, but armour isn't anywhere near as encumbering as people assume.

[joiless]

@temmy9 Well, I've improved my knowledge of European armor rather significantly in the month since I made that comment.

[Xadreos]

Pretty cool dude. Thanks for posting.

[karatefox]

Great demonstration.

-Ben