My Savvy Swift Saber Skills

My boyfriend’s roommate Tommy has a way with the sword and saber. He has a collection of different sabers and swords garnishing their apartment wall. During the evening he’s often seen in the courtyard swooning girls with his swift moves (see video). I decided I wanted to learn the ways of the saber. However, when it comes to learning knowledge skill sets you have to start at the basic fundamentals. Thus, we started with nerf swords so I could learn the basic principles of dueling. Although we began with light weight, relatively harmless nerf swords, I still felt intimidated. Hitting people with a sword and being swung at is far from my comfort zone.        

Some pointers I remember:

-Sword dueling is an art that comes in many forms.

-Control ie being at one with the core of my body and balanced is more important than power.

-When blocking, lock your wrists and use straight arms to create more resistance against your opponent’s sword.

how to block a shoulder attack

I learned there are 5 critical areas to hit and protect:

1/2 shoulders

3/4 legs

5 head

I:

We started off doing velocities (a practice exercise) switching off between hits and blocks.

how to attack the shoulders

how to block a head blow

Then it came time to duel. We hit our swords together, bowed, and took our stance. I didn’t take this seriously and was afraid of the sword and Tommy's power and agility.  I still have a long way to go before I can consider myself even an apprentice to the sword.

My attempt to stab Tommy

Tommy taught me the techniques, but then qualified it by saying that he prefers to free hand, and can’t really teach me that because it’s his own style he has internalized over a decade and is different for everyone. (see video) After all, he has been sword fighting for 10 years: self-taught from internet, books, movies, and hands-on experiences with others.

Although I never made it beyond the nerf sword, (Yes, the picture of me with the saber was just a pose. Shocking.) I learned principles that apply to any other sword dueling situation. I just have to gain the strength to thrust a heavier metal or wooden sword, which obviously takes time. Some folk knowledge can’t be absorbed right away and requires much effort, practice, and perseverance.