"Rock solid sword techniques"? I don't think so...

Ugh...

I can just picture some inexperienced people trying this at home with sharp blades. I can also picture a surgeon being able to buy that lake-front property after having to treat such individuals.

In all honesty, the sword tosser in that video looks way too young to be a teacher of any sword art, be it Iaido, Kendo, Kenjutsu, Fencing, etc. Every serious school that taught swordsmanship would never teach someone to let go of the weapon, much less toss it around in a way that would, at the very least, result in someone being easily disarmed.

I don't know whether to laugh at the kid, or severely pity him, since someone could easily make him the next "Star Wars Kid."
 
The kid in the video is 15-year-old Jacob Kabel, who competes in XMA (Extreme Martial Arts) tournaments. XMA itself is a travesty of the traditional martial arts. And yes, I can also see inexperienced people - especially kids - try these same stunts with some sharpened stainless steel SLO. Not good at all.
 
Swordlady said:
The scary thing is that many people would probably think that this flashy stuff is "real" swordsmanship: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdn_HSASAOQ&search=sword%20cutting

Call it swordplay. Call it entertaining, if this is your cup of tea. But please don't call it "solid sword techniques".
Click to expand...

In that outfit he reminds me of perhaps a young version of Alexander Anderson from Hellsing.
 
It's performance based stuff, and I don't think they'd claim anything else. Hopefully in the full version he points out to never use live blades. Century has a few "Rock Solid" videos, XMA is fine, they do cool stuff, they are great athletes. Is it traditional? No, and as long as they don't say it is where is the harm?
 
I wouldn't be too surprised to see that his next video is called
"Stupid Sword Tricks with Lefty Cabel"
 
Ever seen the weapons they use? They're not real, they are stage props, not going to chop of a limb with one of those. I think the "traditional" guys doing "traditional" stuff and insisting on live blades all the time are at bigger risk.
 
Andrew GreenEver seen the weapons they use? They're not real, they are stage props, not going to chop of a limb with one of those. I think the "traditional" guys doing "traditional" stuff and insisting on live blades all the time are at bigger risk

Hello.

I practice all the time with a stainless steel blade bought from the Hai Dong Gum Do Fed. (dull blade) and an Aluminum blade bought for Hai Dong Gum Do from kendogumdo.com. I also am a "traditional" martial artists.
I only basicly use my live blades when I cut. I have no need to do a form or basic technique, and loose a finger or limb because of a mistake. One can get the real feel and understanding of a live blade with a dull blade, if one keeps the correct mindset. Liveblade.com also has great dull blades, one is carbon steel and one is aluminum.

These throws and stuff are great show, not real martialy sound in the least.

Hai Dong,

Michael Tabone
 
Andrew Green said:
It's performance based stuff, and I don't think they'd claim anything else. Hopefully in the full version he points out to never use live blades. Century has a few "Rock Solid" videos, XMA is fine, they do cool stuff, they are great athletes. Is it traditional? No, and as long as they don't say it is where is the harm?
Click to expand...

I have more of a problem with the wording. Calling this video "Rock Solid Sword Techniques" could make the viewer believe that s/he is watching "real" swordsmanship. Even the description of the video is misleading:

This title includes all the basics and fundamentals that you will need to use the sword. Lessons include forearm and wrist stretches, 8 basic cuts, stabbing, 8 positions, blocks, conditioning, knee slide, safety, sword history and a whole lot more!
Click to expand...

By the way, TotalVidInc is the distributor of these "Rock Solid" videos.
 
You know... I had assumed that it the first video it was a gullible guy who got tricked onto Attack of the Show and suprised with the pig. Then he felt on the spot, paniced and went ahead with it. This time though... it's clear he's just a goofball who doesn't know any better.
 
Wow the first one "Rock Solid Sword Techniques" should just be placed under a rock. :) The next one is a recipe for someone to get killed. The talk show lady weilding his sword at the end was just scay. They were very fortunate that she did not carve up one of them by mistake.

Brian R. VanCise
www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com
 
At the risk of sounding snobbish, I have to say those clips illustrate perfectly why some people should never be allowed near live blades. I'd hesitate to let those two in my kitchen, let alone the salle.
 
Swordlady said:
The scary thing is that many people would probably think that this flashy stuff is "real" swordsmanship: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdn_HSASAOQ&search=sword%20cutting

Call it swordplay. Call it entertaining, if this is your cup of tea. But please don't call it "solid sword techniques".
Click to expand...

I don't see the swordsman in the 'Mind Body and Kickass Moves' video link below performing the circus juggling act with his sword. I suppose flipping the sword around would be flashy way to start dying within two seconds.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I found the second clip really hard to take seriously at all. Grinning and whacking away at the pig and beef carcass was a means to show how NOT to do it.
Stuff like this is going to lead to more darwinan award candidates and those to an eventual banning of these weapons.

Who knows if we're lucky we'll see some stupid schmuck slicing him self on a faces of death type video on the net. Maybe that'll be a deterrent?? .... NAH!

It's one of the reasons why I enjoy watching those old Samurai epics by Kurosawa and actor Tishiro Mufune. There was never a scene of flashy twirling or some crap like that. Swords were held correctly (at whatever en-garde postion chosen), executed correctly and treated respectfully.
 
MA-Caver said:
It's one of the reasons why I enjoy watching those old Samurai epics by Kurosawa and actor Tishiro Mufune. There was never a scene of flashy twirling or some crap like that. Swords were held correctly (at whatever en-garde postion chosen), executed correctly and treated respectfully.
Click to expand...

Yes, but honestly, I prefer the Hong Kong flashy weapons flying through the air approach, much more entertaining. And that's what that clip is teaching, entertainment, something which has been around just as long as any traditional style. Sword juggling, fire twirling, stage fighting, always been there and there will always be a place for it ;)
 
I suppose it's a matter of different strokes fer different folks. Not my cup of tea on any level, but as it stands the world is bigger than the tastes of Chris deMonch. What these kids can do is pretty impressive, as you sure as hell aren't going to see my *** doing mid air cartwheels or the like. Where I would, and do, take issue is when they go about calling it swordsmanship, which it isn't. Being able to flip a sword in the air, do a backflip, catch it, and then proceed with a figure 8 or whatnot may be tough to do, but it isn't swordsmanship. It's acrobatics.
As far as interesting to watch goes, give me Kyuzo's introduction match in Seven Samurai over any of the fights in Kill Bill any day of the week. But hey, that's just me.
 
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