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Old 06-22-2007, 08:18 AM   #1027
David Orange
Dojo: Aozora Dojo
Location: Birmingham, AL
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,511
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Re: Baseline skillset

Quote:
Robert John wrote: View Post
Whether or not xxx person takes away the other guys sword, or the other guy gets rammed with the sword is a measure of how deeply one or another has refined/developed his foundation.
I agree for the most part there, but the "technique" of avoiding the sword is precise. One of my favorite scenes in all the history of martial arts movies is where Bruce Lee goes into the Japanese martial arts dojo and cleans the floor with all of them. Then their master (who looks amazingly like Minoru Mochizuki) comes after Bruce with a sword.

What's hillarious is Bruce's "evasions" of the sword attacks. I think this is in "Fist of Fury." As I recall, they show the Japanese guy slashing away with the sword, but you don't really see what Bruce is doing. Then they switch to the swordsman's point of view and you see Bruce sort of twitching his head and shoulders a little bit, side-to-side, and it's so preposterous I laugh out loud every time I see it--every several years!!!

And this is not to say that "no" Chinese art or artist can deal with a Japanese sword. And DEFINITELY not to say that all aikidoists can. I've been to very few aikido dojos where I could make anything like a semi-realistic sword attack without scaring the crap out of the other people there. When I'm holding "WAY" back to make certain I don't hit them, they are quickly convinced that I'm doing my best TO hit them--that's how far off they're conditioned to having a "sword strike" made.

But while real aikido is made for the Japanese sword, tai chi is not and I think very few of even the top masters could deal with one.

However, of course, this is like discussing whether Einstein or Newton could calculate a square root faster. On the other hand, we could say that calculus is better equipped for that than is geometry, for instance.

Best wishes.

David

"That which has no substance can enter where there is no room."
Lao Tzu

"Eternity forever!"

www.esotericorange.com
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