American Sword Techniques

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American Sword Techniques

Postby Sanfung » Thu Jul 26, 2012 5:15 pm

When Phalanxpursos mentioned the Roman Book of Stratagems and talked about the meeting of eastern and western ideologies, my mind was called to A New System of Sword Exercise by Matthew J. O'Rourke. It's available both from the Library of Congress and from Google Books:

http://read.gov/books/sword-exercise.html

http://books.google.com/books?id=N3oDAAAAYAAJ&ots=1OxbK2qGl1&dq=sword%20exercise&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=sword%20exercise&f=false

If the work by Julius Frontinus were the Roman equivalent of Sun Tzu's Art of War, then this text is the 19th century American version of a training manual. Some of the text speaks of the same sort of readiness I feel we often discuss on this forum:

A New System of Sword Exercise
Introductory

Some gentlemen may find it convenient to say that no opportunity occurs when an officer can use his sword; apparently unmindful of the fact that an officer who is unacquainted with the use of his sword will not be disposed to seek such an opportunity, and that, if the opportunity did occur, he would be unable to defend himself.


I also found the author's comments on theatrics versus effectiveness to be interesting:

A New System of Sword Exercise
Observations of Thrusting

While fencing may be justly regarded as a healthy and elegant exercise, for civilians, the use of the foil is calculated to engender the most erroneous impressions on the minds of officers, who may be called upon at any time to defend their lives with their swords. The flexibility of the foil will enable an expert fencer to produce effects that may dazzle the uninitiated while they are well understood, and known to be mere sleight-of-hand tricks by those familiar with the exercise.
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Re: American Sword Techniques

Postby Phalanxpursos » Mon Jul 30, 2012 11:13 am

Yeah I scrolled through the book, seems like traditional American sword play. I used to do Jian Shu, so it's fun to see those exercises
Strategemata Liber Secundus;
"VIII: Restore Morale with Firmness"
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Re: American Sword Techniques

Postby Sanfung » Thu Aug 02, 2012 11:10 pm

Was there any particular reason that you stopped the Jian Shu practice? Did you just move on or was there some sort of problem? I'm merely being curious and not trying to be critical at all.
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