In a knife fight everyone is getting cut. No one walks away unscathed. This is what was taught to the OSS by Fairbairn who supposedly survived more than 200 knife encounters as police officer in Shanghai. Any fight is a chaotic and messy event, there is nothing pretty about it, survival is the only key.
The most true to life video I’ve seen on using a sword in a long time. I’m sick of these flashy parkour sword play videos I’ve been seeing. To be fair those videos get tons of views but for me they offer no substance. Keep up the good work! Natori Ryu N•314
I was always taught to get off line while parrying. If you try to deflect a cut while your body is static you take all the force of the strike and can still be cut where as moving off line with the parry lets you take the momentum from them to essentially whip your sword into them. Hopefully that made sense. Luckily my sensei wasn’t so pedantic over exact angels. At most taught a rough guideline to learn the technique and mechanics of it then let it be natural afterwards
A very good, candid video. And from the little bits we saw, it seems like you're making notable strides with your kenjutsu, and someone should be giving you credit for that. So well done, sir. 👍👍
Can relate to what you are saying Antony, feel the same about fighting without weopons too. Have just started Combat Sambo over at Bury Defence Academy. Would recommend a Sambo Gym to anyone for being more realistic to a fight situation. All the fear, breathlessness and fatigue can kick in and a lot of what I may have learnt previously just went out the window.
Another one i am late to.... There are two ways to get off the line of atrack. 1) body positioing/footwork.... insert typical angle blah blah blah OR 2) through subjugation of the opponent"s weapon ie. controlling your opponent's weapon through manipulation of your weapon. "Crashing through" assuming it is used with proper timing would be subjugation. Parrying forcefully or angling your counter attack so that it is both a block and a thrust/slash are both subjugation. Pretty much, you said something close to this. I just wanted to comeplete the thought. Truth be told doing both is safer, but that may not be possible depending on the situation. Sometimes people forget to flip perspectives, as long as you are off the line that attack cant hurt you. How you get there doesnt matter as much.
I think its really important to have practised some tameshi giri in your sword training to appreciate just how dangerous a live sword is , not only how sharp it is but because of the curve it bites deep ! the slightest touch is a major wound . I have done a bit of polishing on true samurai swords and they are like nothing else , A short wakizashi i was working on slipped very slightly and caught my thumb , the force was probably the same as tapping your finger on the table but it was enough to expose the muscle and tendon so any cut that lands with any amount of force is just game over .
I agree with you completely. In Itto-Ryu they say if your cut is better on the center line then their blade will be driven off line. I have seen and done this myself with a Ken in Aikido, Kendo and Iaido MANY MANY times. Own the line not off the line.
You hit the nail on the head. When I trained in Escrima, I used to spar with only gloves and a helmet. Every hit hurt as hell, and you learn that a strike is faster than your footwork, angling off is not enough as a defense. It was a great experience to understand what real fighting with weapons is like. I wished more Kenjutsu schools did that, if you only do katas then you will miss a lot of the understanding. Kendo is too different from Kenjutsu, we need a HEMA-like version of Kenjutsu, I hope that's your goal with S.M.A.R.T.
I have a topic I'd like to see discussed in videos (maybe a good theme for thematic months videos stuff?), sorry it's not related to this video but it's the latest one so hopefully you'll read this. ^^' In European medieval History, we know about several arrow heads (like needle bodkin, etc. They're very well catalogued), but I have no idea about what shape (or shapes?) had Japanese arrows, especially during Sengoku jidai. Were there also different types of arrowheads for different purposes? Are they the same as in Europe or not (I assume not)? Thank you for all your videos!
This is honestly where star wars ironically got it right I think. With lightsaber stage combat, they use 6 angles, head, left and right arms/legs and stabs. Then it's the "Marks of Contact" which an example being the wrists. Basically Vader and Dooku are the ones you really want to focus on as a swordsman 😂. Vader is based on kenjutsu and German longsword and Dooku is dueling /fencing.. Skallagrim, who does really good videos on swords in general and HEMA did a video years ago showing how devastating it can be to cut the hand with a ballistic gell hand . Even a light cut. I will disagree it has to be more than twice, but this is just based on my experience. Even padded larp weapons will harm the wrists. But this being said, afterwards, stab in the neck or strong slash .
This (the axis being cleared) is also the same in Doyle Irish stick and in JKD as well as wing chun. You only have to block or change the axis just enough not to get hit anymore and it is inefficient.
Your comments in the video is actually why I like Kendo. Sure Kendo is limited in regards to techniques and targets, but at least in Kendo we do full contact fighting and things are fast paced, direct and physically tested. Sometimes keeping things simple is better than it being complicated. I think that especially true when it comes to life and death slip decisions. But I know you want to find the truth of how the Samurai actually thought :)
That's the thing, most high level Japanese shihan in koryu kenjutsu have rank IN kendo, and that's exactly WHY a lot of kenshi don't spar within their ryuha anymore. Same with koryu jujutsu, they often have judo black belts. In other words, live full contact kenjutsu and jujutsu at this point in time can mostly just be found in kendo or judo, so you're better off learning kendo and judo if you actually want to develop fighting skills.
I'm not a koryu guy myself personally, I train Muay Thai, BJJ, and MMA. But I'm a history and martial arts nerd, so I like researching and tracing the roots to martial arts.
@@alittlepuertoricanboy1993 Yeah I agree. I actually do both Kendo and Judo. I have done numerous martial arts over the years, but having a big interest in Samurai/Japanese culture and wanting to do a martial arts that would be better for self defense, I decided to go with Kendo and Judo. I respect Kenjutsu and Jujutsu of course, and if I had the time and money I would do them both too.
@@jde1311 Same. There's actually a Shinkage ryu dojo in the same state I live in.. but it's three hours away. I'm NOT driving three hours for just one day of training weekly.
To answer your question about sword combat manuals (mostly german and italian, and these are from late XV and XVI century): No there is little to know changing the angle of attack, it's more about feints, blade clunches, levers and cuts while facing your opponent and using his attack againt him. When we are talking about blocking opponent's blade, it's not about getting off the line, but to ''get into'' his attacck to break it. I agree with you, trying to get off the line is pointless. All it takes is a basic feint and you lose you hand or head.
As a prior hema guy and life long martial artist commenting on your biggest gripe. No you can power through an attack. Like you said you can just think about it its simple. Ive done it and people have literally hit me without doing any of the off line stuff. It Dosnt matter if weapons or punching. For swords as far as hema goes you can use your longsword as defense and offensive at the same time. Its far more complicated than that its just a simple comment. Fighting can be very chaotic
(Please see past the cheek here 😅) I don't like that people forget how privileged and fortunate they are to be able to afford continued training. The only way an untrained person can take an expert's opinion, or be seen as knowledgeable, is by giving a nebulous entity money. And since everyone wants to know "the ultimate arts" no once can make a choice that's important to THEM. (Gudkarma says beg but I don't know anyone who has received any Dan by begging and it's not right to tell someone to do anything you haven't had to 💕💕💕) I love your content.
Privileged thinking like this is what allowed karate to hide that working peasants couldn't discover the mysteries of martial arts when they worked 12 hours a day in fields. That's the end of my rant!
Ah, they are just removed from reality, you see this in all martial arts, the angle of the fist, foot, arm etc... If it works, it works. And yep, you get it in HEMA, I've seen people actually stop "point sparring" to argue about sword grip... I kid you not. Many thanks👍
Not against your opinion. Surely those step by step and perfect 10s maneuvers are a bit too by the book. And yes, even in Europe, there was a time were sword arts got geometrical, all renaissance and such. But I think in the dogma "train hard, fight easy" - if we get it perfect in training, it will be easier in the actual fight. Because, in fight, skill will go down - a lot - and if we get our 90% perfect muscle memory down by 50%, there's still 45% skill involved. If we train to 50%, we'll be lucky to fight with 25% - rough statistics, I believe that the unskilled will drop more that the skilled ones, but you get it. Of course, if you train in a "perfect world", then that 90% skill is not useful on a bloody fight. So... train to perfection on a not-perfect setting - yes, get out of the way, parry if needed and hit that sucker!
The great misunderstanding in those comments that you get is, that you, correct me if Im wrong, try to find out how samurais or historical japanese swordsmen were fighting for real. That´s not the agenda of those japanese sword related martial arts of today. And that´s what most of these people forget if they correcting you. Japanese Martial Arts with swords have no pressure testing with real steal swords in their traditional ciriculum, that´s why they lack the experience of combat. Granted Kendo has this to a degree, but in Kendo there are designated target and rules. HEMA is more freedom to test techniques due to their protective measurements but it´s not a japanese martial art. So, if anybody haven´t any experience in combat with a sword they are theoretics. Any Kendoka or HEMA Practitioner or LudoSport Practitioner should agree mostly with what you say.
By this logic the knowledge of the founders of Ryuha like the Kashima Shinto Ryu (Tsukahara Bokuden) or Itto Ryu (Ito Ittosai), who happened to be real war veterans with actual combat experience, has no value in todays world because the Ryuha no longer engage in live sword action. Then there is also no need in playing pretend and trying to recreate their supposedly lost techniques (which are not really lost by the way).
@@mirko-g1x "That´s not the agenda of those japanese sword related martial arts of today." - This is what I´ve said. The emphasis is on "today". Foundermasters in their expertise in their time are not the topic. Even if a Ryuha try to preserve a technic over a decade, there will be modifications or misinterpretations. I have a Iaido background of MJER from the Seigen Esaka Line. Esaka Sensei died last year and he was in WW2 and fought and killed men with the sword, but never was he to modify the teaching of MJER because in Iaido it´s not about to kill your opponent, it´s more about the inner study of the art. That´s the profound difference about Martial Art and Combat Sports.
@@talesoftheblades3289 The Gokui (secrets) of a Ryuha remain unchanged, because they are the backbone of the art. But they are not transmitted to everyone, not even to every student. So while it may be true that techniques change over the course of centuries, the true essence of the Ryu remains the same. Now this is something that gaijin with a few lessons or even years of practice find difficult to fathom, but it is the way things are done in Japan (and not only in Koryu).
@@talesoftheblades3289 Furthermore what does it mean when a Japanese killed gaijin in WW2 (because Japan was at war with the US at that time), who most certainly didn't wield swords themselves? It means absolutely zero. Seriously what does this have to do with Kenjutsu, at all?
@@mirko-g1x As I understand the video is about people comming up to anthony with critism and comments that don't have the base of experience in real combat. But that's the whole point, nobody does until you wield a sharp blade with traditional armour or clothing and have actual combat expierence. But this is a very dangerous thing to do. So nobody can really say anything until you pressure test it.
Do you have any real training in the Japanese sword? Just looking at books does not give you skills. A book is just a static glimpse into that school. If you have no training, then this video is all justification of your "skill" compared to those who have actually been trained. So what are the schools of Japanese sword you have trained in and how long have you trained under a teacher? Clearly there are sword nerds out there Anthony, but real combat is never by the text book.
KOSHIKI's ITTO-RYODAN must use ENKAI. Therefore, your technique is wrong to begin with. But I think your thinking is not bad. If you practice right under a good teacher, everything will be better.
![ILLSLICK - KILLSHOT REMIX [FULL VERSION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RIK8RrqIAzE/mqdefault.jpg)
All good points, I am on your side. 😊
That’s coz you love me Nick
Antony has been killing it with these new videos. So excited about the S.M.A.R.T channel it was exactly what I wanted!
In a knife fight everyone is getting cut. No one walks away unscathed. This is what was taught to the OSS by Fairbairn who supposedly survived more than 200 knife encounters as police officer in Shanghai. Any fight is a chaotic and messy event, there is nothing pretty about it, survival is the only key.
The most true to life video I’ve seen on using a sword in a long time. I’m sick of these flashy parkour sword play videos I’ve been seeing. To be fair those videos get tons of views but for me they offer no substance. Keep up the good work! Natori Ryu N•314
I was always taught to get off line while parrying. If you try to deflect a cut while your body is static you take all the force of the strike and can still be cut where as moving off line with the parry lets you take the momentum from them to essentially whip your sword into them. Hopefully that made sense. Luckily my sensei wasn’t so pedantic over exact angels. At most taught a rough guideline to learn the technique and mechanics of it then let it be natural afterwards
A very good, candid video. And from the little bits we saw, it seems like you're making notable strides with your kenjutsu, and someone should be giving you credit for that. So well done, sir. 👍👍
Thank you very much
Can relate to what you are saying Antony, feel the same about fighting without weopons too. Have just started Combat Sambo over at Bury Defence Academy. Would recommend a Sambo Gym to anyone for being more realistic to a fight situation. All the fear, breathlessness and fatigue can kick in and a lot of what I may have learnt previously just went out the window.
Sambo is an awesome grappling style! Best of luck on your journey!
@alittlepuertoricanboy1993 thank you!
Another one i am late to....
There are two ways to get off the line of atrack. 1) body positioing/footwork.... insert typical angle blah blah blah OR 2) through subjugation of the opponent"s weapon ie. controlling your opponent's weapon through manipulation of your weapon. "Crashing through" assuming it is used with proper timing would be subjugation. Parrying forcefully or angling your counter attack so that it is both a block and a thrust/slash are both subjugation.
Pretty much, you said something close to this. I just wanted to comeplete the thought. Truth be told doing both is safer, but that may not be possible depending on the situation. Sometimes people forget to flip perspectives, as long as you are off the line that attack cant hurt you. How you get there doesnt matter as much.
I think its really important to have practised some tameshi giri in your sword training to appreciate just how dangerous a live sword is , not only how sharp it is but because of the curve it bites deep ! the slightest touch is a major wound . I have done a bit of polishing on true samurai swords and they are like nothing else , A short wakizashi i was working on slipped very slightly and caught my thumb , the force was probably the same as tapping your finger on the table but it was enough to expose the muscle and tendon so any cut that lands with any amount of force is just game over .
I agree with you completely. In Itto-Ryu they say if your cut is better on the center line then their blade will be driven off line. I have seen and done this myself with a Ken in Aikido, Kendo and Iaido MANY MANY times. Own the line not off the line.
I've seen this in German Longsword too. I did that for 6 years and it is exactly the same.
#61
You hit the nail on the head.
When I trained in Escrima, I used to spar with only gloves and a helmet. Every hit hurt as hell, and you learn that a strike is faster than your footwork, angling off is not enough as a defense. It was a great experience to understand what real fighting with weapons is like.
I wished more Kenjutsu schools did that, if you only do katas then you will miss a lot of the understanding.
Kendo is too different from Kenjutsu, we need a HEMA-like version of Kenjutsu, I hope that's your goal with S.M.A.R.T.
I have a topic I'd like to see discussed in videos (maybe a good theme for thematic months videos stuff?), sorry it's not related to this video but it's the latest one so hopefully you'll read this. ^^'
In European medieval History, we know about several arrow heads (like needle bodkin, etc. They're very well catalogued), but I have no idea about what shape (or shapes?) had Japanese arrows, especially during Sengoku jidai. Were there also different types of arrowheads for different purposes? Are they the same as in Europe or not (I assume not)?
Thank you for all your videos!
We do have them and I do have each translated but my books are all packed away while I build a house.
@@AntonyCummins Well, I do am interested in this topic! ^^
This is honestly where star wars ironically got it right I think. With lightsaber stage combat, they use 6 angles, head, left and right arms/legs and stabs. Then it's the "Marks of Contact" which an example being the wrists. Basically Vader and Dooku are the ones you really want to focus on as a swordsman 😂. Vader is based on kenjutsu and German longsword and Dooku is dueling /fencing..
Skallagrim, who does really good videos on swords in general and HEMA did a video years ago showing how devastating it can be to cut the hand with a ballistic gell hand . Even a light cut.
I will disagree it has to be more than twice, but this is just based on my experience. Even padded larp weapons will harm the wrists. But this being said, afterwards, stab in the neck or strong slash .
This (the axis being cleared) is also the same in Doyle Irish stick and in JKD as well as wing chun. You only have to block or change the axis just enough not to get hit anymore and it is inefficient.
Your comments in the video is actually why I like Kendo.
Sure Kendo is limited in regards to techniques and targets, but at least in Kendo we do full contact fighting and things are fast paced, direct and physically tested.
Sometimes keeping things simple is better than it being complicated. I think that especially true when it comes to life and death slip decisions.
But I know you want to find the truth of how the Samurai actually thought :)
That's the thing, most high level Japanese shihan in koryu kenjutsu have rank IN kendo, and that's exactly WHY a lot of kenshi don't spar within their ryuha anymore. Same with koryu jujutsu, they often have judo black belts. In other words, live full contact kenjutsu and jujutsu at this point in time can mostly just be found in kendo or judo, so you're better off learning kendo and judo if you actually want to develop fighting skills.
I'm not a koryu guy myself personally, I train Muay Thai, BJJ, and MMA. But I'm a history and martial arts nerd, so I like researching and tracing the roots to martial arts.
@@alittlepuertoricanboy1993
Yeah I agree. I actually do both Kendo and Judo. I have done numerous martial arts over the years, but having a big interest in Samurai/Japanese culture and wanting to do a martial arts that would be better for self defense, I decided to go with Kendo and Judo. I respect Kenjutsu and Jujutsu of course, and if I had the time and money I would do them both too.
@@jde1311 Same. There's actually a Shinkage ryu dojo in the same state I live in.. but it's three hours away. I'm NOT driving three hours for just one day of training weekly.
To answer your question about sword combat manuals (mostly german and italian, and these are from late XV and XVI century): No there is little to know changing the angle of attack, it's more about feints, blade clunches, levers and cuts while facing your opponent and using his attack againt him. When we are talking about blocking opponent's blade, it's not about getting off the line, but to ''get into'' his attacck to break it. I agree with you, trying to get off the line is pointless. All it takes is a basic feint and you lose you hand or head.
Thank you. Good post.
As a prior hema guy and life long martial artist commenting on your biggest gripe. No you can power through an attack. Like you said you can just think about it its simple. Ive done it and people have literally hit me without doing any of the off line stuff. It Dosnt matter if weapons or punching. For swords as far as hema goes you can use your longsword as defense and offensive at the same time. Its far more complicated than that its just a simple comment. Fighting can be very chaotic
good post
(Please see past the cheek here 😅)
I don't like that people forget how privileged and fortunate they are to be able to afford continued training.
The only way an untrained person can take an expert's opinion, or be seen as knowledgeable, is by giving a nebulous entity money. And since everyone wants to know "the ultimate arts" no once can make a choice that's important to THEM.
(Gudkarma says beg but I don't know anyone who has received any Dan by begging and it's not right to tell someone to do anything you haven't had to 💕💕💕)
I love your content.
Privileged thinking like this is what allowed karate to hide that working peasants couldn't discover the mysteries of martial arts when they worked 12 hours a day in fields.
That's the end of my rant!
Trust me I tend to like Yagyu More. I don't blame you
Great "get off my lawn" thumbnail.
Another good video thanks
Thank you very much.
Sorry, maybe not related to the gambit But Mr. Cummins, I wanted to know your opinion about kazen no ryu ogawara ha and kukishin ryu ninjutsu
They move very well. I like thier flow. Kukishin is a real school also.
pushing of the sword is found in the Liechtenauer Zettel, as one of the master techniques zornhau.
That’s right, sir you got it correct.Shin ken gata!👍❤️
Very compelling
Ah, they are just removed from reality, you see this in all martial arts, the angle of the fist, foot, arm etc...
If it works, it works.
And yep, you get it in HEMA, I've seen people actually stop "point sparring" to argue about sword grip... I kid you not.
Many thanks👍
Awesome. If you want a guy to throw swords at you I'm up for it. Live in Wales, but I'll travel. Loving the videos.
Deffo. Email me.
The sharp bit helps.
Commando knife after action reports.
Not against your opinion. Surely those step by step and perfect 10s maneuvers are a bit too by the book.
And yes, even in Europe, there was a time were sword arts got geometrical, all renaissance and such.
But I think in the dogma "train hard, fight easy" - if we get it perfect in training, it will be easier in the actual fight. Because, in fight, skill will go down - a lot - and if we get our 90% perfect muscle memory down by 50%, there's still 45% skill involved. If we train to 50%, we'll be lucky to fight with 25% - rough statistics, I believe that the unskilled will drop more that the skilled ones, but you get it.
Of course, if you train in a "perfect world", then that 90% skill is not useful on a bloody fight.
So... train to perfection on a not-perfect setting - yes, get out of the way, parry if needed and hit that sucker!
"Hitting the speed bag makes no sense because I am not going to fight a speed bag in the boxing ring"
-Cummins logic
He doesn't box nor really practice kenjutsu, so... 🤷🏻♂️
I hope your girlfriend is okay👍🙏
if she dies i will get a new one. I will order online or something. LOL. Thank you.
The great misunderstanding in those comments that you get is, that you, correct me if Im wrong, try to find out how samurais or historical japanese swordsmen were fighting for real. That´s not the agenda of those japanese sword related martial arts of today. And that´s what most of these people forget if they correcting you.
Japanese Martial Arts with swords have no pressure testing with real steal swords in their traditional ciriculum, that´s why they lack the experience of combat. Granted Kendo has this to a degree, but in Kendo there are designated target and rules. HEMA is more freedom to test techniques due to their protective measurements but it´s not a japanese martial art.
So, if anybody haven´t any experience in combat with a sword they are theoretics. Any Kendoka or HEMA Practitioner or LudoSport Practitioner should agree mostly with what you say.
By this logic the knowledge of the founders of Ryuha like the Kashima Shinto Ryu (Tsukahara Bokuden) or Itto Ryu (Ito Ittosai), who happened to be real war veterans with actual combat experience, has no value in todays world because the Ryuha no longer engage in live sword action. Then there is also no need in playing pretend and trying to recreate their supposedly lost techniques (which are not really lost by the way).
@@mirko-g1x "That´s not the agenda of those japanese sword related martial arts of today." - This is what I´ve said. The emphasis is on "today". Foundermasters in their expertise in their time are not the topic. Even if a Ryuha try to preserve a technic over a decade, there will be modifications or misinterpretations. I have a Iaido background of MJER from the Seigen Esaka Line. Esaka Sensei died last year and he was in WW2 and fought and killed men with the sword, but never was he to modify the teaching of MJER because in Iaido it´s not about to kill your opponent, it´s more about the inner study of the art. That´s the profound difference about Martial Art and Combat Sports.
@@talesoftheblades3289 The Gokui (secrets) of a Ryuha remain unchanged, because they are the backbone of the art. But they are not transmitted to everyone, not even to every student. So while it may be true that techniques change over the course of centuries, the true essence of the Ryu remains the same. Now this is something that gaijin with a few lessons or even years of practice find difficult to fathom, but it is the way things are done in Japan (and not only in Koryu).
@@talesoftheblades3289 Furthermore what does it mean when a Japanese killed gaijin in WW2 (because Japan was at war with the US at that time), who most certainly didn't wield swords themselves? It means absolutely zero. Seriously what does this have to do with Kenjutsu, at all?
@@mirko-g1x As I understand the video is about people comming up to anthony with critism and comments that don't have the base of experience in real combat. But that's the whole point, nobody does until you wield a sharp blade with traditional armour or clothing and have actual combat expierence. But this is a very dangerous thing to do. So nobody can really say anything until you pressure test it.
Do you have any real training in the Japanese sword? Just looking at books does not give you skills. A book is just a static glimpse into that school. If you have no training, then this video is all justification of your "skill" compared to those who have actually been trained. So what are the schools of Japanese sword you have trained in and how long have you trained under a teacher? Clearly there are sword nerds out there Anthony, but real combat is never by the text book.
KOSHIKI's ITTO-RYODAN must use ENKAI. Therefore, your technique is wrong to begin with.
But I think your thinking is not bad.
If you practice right under a good teacher, everything will be better.