Can someone help a newbie??

mamav

mamav

Joined
Apr 23, 2003
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I have a 13 y/o daughter who is interested in swords. She likes her Tibetan sword alot and would like to learn to use swords in general. Can someone explain the differences between the Samarai style swordsmanship and fencing style swordsmanship?? Are there ways to find classes in the local area? Which are generally cheaper and more fun along with disciplinary needs?

Thanks so much.
 
You could go to www.swordforum.com and read all the FAQs, tutorials etc for a start. When you talk about fencing I assume you mean olympic or european type in which there are three swords ,epee, foil, and saber. The japanese fencing is kendo where they use a samurai or katana type practice sword. I started out at 12 as a fencer(olympic) and it gave me many years of fun , it's a great sport. I don't know your area but you could start out by doing a computer search for 'olympic fencing'. I had the advantage of going to a high school and college that had fencing.
 
Well, there are Shinkendo dojos in Pheonix, Mesa, and Gilbert. And I know that Shinkendo's founder, Kaiso Toshishiro Obata visits Arizona frequently to instruct at the dojos in that state. So, if she is interested in studying a Japanese style that puts a heavy emphasis on function you might want to pop down to the local dojo there in Mesa and see what the instructors have to offer you.

http://www.azshinkendo.com/

Here are links to other Shinkendo dojos in Arizona:

http://www.azbudokan.com/

http://www.karateaz.com/shinkendo/shinkendo.html

As far as the Japanese styles go, one usually studies what is available...few places are lucky enough to have choices in swordsmanship. I know I have been dying to learn some of the western styles but the nearest competent instruction is a 3 hour drive from where I am.

Tell her good luck for me. And remember, the addiction to using swords can be tough on the wallet. Once you start it is hard to stop and they are like peanuts. You can't have just one. :cool: Seriously, some of the best moments of my life have been either at the dojo or working with guys who make swords. It's a rather cool brotherhood in general. Fun is an interesting concept when we are dealing with 3 foot razor blades. In my experience, first comes discipline and understanding and experience. Then the fun begins. Be careful about enrolling your daughter in any school of swordsmanship that emphasizes fun and games.

Swords are deadly weapons. You wouldn't want your daughter studying pistol marksmanship from an instructor with a casual attitude about safety and discipline. It should be the same with swords. The fun comes with competency, IMO.

Brian
 
Thank you so much. i will check all the links and see what I can learn. I hope to find someone safety minded too, and She is very conscientious about that too. Should be a good thing for her.
 
As a matter of taste, I prefer european blades, and thus the "style" of fencing that comes with them. Competent instruction in those styles is very hard to find, at least in my experience. Even where fencing is offered in colleges I've seen, it was offered as part of the theatre arts curricula. I would rather see it in the athletic, or even philosophy programs. The only local school I know of here claims to train for competition, but my younger brother began studying with them, and told me that the started off by pairing people across from each other with foils, and told them to try to stab the other. :eek: :rolleyes: :confused:

Kendo and related sword arts seem to be much more structured, and discipline is an undeniable priority in their instruction. Quite a few dojos that offer instruction in one martial art or another will have a day or two set aside each week for kendo or weapons classes. Look around, and find a place or two with solid basics. Have fun. I haven't priced the stuff in a while but a bokken, sh'nai and practice armor won't set you back too much. It's when you start buying the "real thing" that prices get scary. ;)
 
Safety ? I've spoken to many parents who would not permit there kids to participate in high school fencing because swords were 'dangerous'. Yet those same parents had no hesitation in permiting their kids to go into football. This despite the fact that football had the highest death and injury rate of all high school sports and injuries in fencing were very rare and deaths nonexistant !!! Same of course with high school shooting with those 'dangerous guns'.
 
mete said:
Safety ? I've spoken to many parents who would not permit there kids to participate in high school fencing because swords were 'dangerous'. Yet those same parents had no hesitation in permiting their kids to go into football. This despite the fact that football had the highest death and injury rate of all high school sports and injuries in fencing were very rare and deaths nonexistant !!! Same of course with high school shooting with those 'dangerous guns'.
Click to expand...

Amen, Mete! We have a weird concept here where I live (sounds the same where you live) about what is safe and whats not. My dad played football in high school....was a genuine football hero and all that. He told me when I was in high school that he forbid me to play it. And that if I did it anyway he'd never so much as come to a single game. He knew it was inherently unsafe for guys that age to bash each other. But it's all about winning and the school, right?

In the sword arts I have studied I have never seen blood drawn. Well, OK, maybe a bashed knuckle or so while training in paired partner stuff. But I have never seen a serious injury and have never seen a student or instructor get cut in 13 years of training sword arts.

But I *have* read about sword study groups where a sword has been lost and went skittering about the floor. Not in the style I teach or study but I read a series of threads some time ago (on another forum) where a group of guys were discussing building batters cages and such to keep onlookers safe from thrown swords.

If it were my daughter, I'd spend a bit of time checking out the place and the instructors. There are, unfortunately, some charlatans claiming to teach all kinds of things martial in nature. But over all she is probably safer studying fencing, kendo, kenjutsu, iaido, Shinkendo, or WMA than driving a car or playing soccer.

Brian
 
friend in college was in the fencing club
& had his opponent's blade snap on a lunge
and pierce his arm an inch or so.
Lucky it was nothing worse
I know his blade was covered in sharp nicks
(I handled it once)
& likely his opponent's was as well.
Nicks are stress risers that promote breakage.
Nicks should be smoothed off regularly for safety.

I'd suggest kendo for building discipline with skills.

If she wants something for the Tibetan sword,
Chinese martial arts--including some good taiji (tai chi)
straight sword & broadsword (saber).
 
Dean, while you certainly can get failure initiated at a nick (stress concentration) in my experience broken blades or at least injuries caused by them are often the fault of the fencer. What should be strictly taught and enforced is that the fencer is to immediately relax his arm the instant he makes a hit. I have also observed that fencers often are too close further compounding the problem.
 
is good. There are many asian schools with varying sword work and varying degrees of contact, kata, and sparring.

I'd suggest Western Martial Arts (i.e. Euro styles) but those are harder to find, and harder to find good instructors.
 
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