"The exercising of weapons putteth away aches, griefs, and diseases, it increaseth strength and sharpeneth the wits, it giveth a perfect judgment, it expelleth melancholy, choleric, and evil conceits, it keepeth a man in breath, in perfect healthe, and long life." – George Silver (1599)

One interesting sword move is Cloud, when you spin with the sword or spin the sword around you. Bagua sword has alot of these and these two movies provide contrasts between the heavy dao and light jian versions. The old man is awesome.

Interesting how the sword’s ridge is braced on different parts of the body.

These clouds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99KxR2dXa4c are an example of this being done with less violent force and structure and therefore not looking too battle effective.

http://www.youtube.com/v/jM71tGZ_Y6Q
This is a pretty wushu version – the guy’s sword would be more impressive if the blade wasn’t so thin it was rippling wind. The end of this is him doing something instructional.

Overview of a classic Phillipine Martial Arts training method, its benefits, and commonly made mistakes in its practice:

The bit at 0:30, where the practitioners are standing with their feet planted and just tapping sticks, shows a chronic problem.  With pre-set drills like the sombrada, it’s essential that you imagine yourself to be in a real fight, so that your body responds realistically, if you want to get something out of the practice.  “Emotional Content!”

Chinese 2-hand styles
My style personally, having learned the Shaolin Miao Dao form and the Emei Phoenix Tail Form.


http://miaodao.freewebspace.com/

shaolin sword

http://emei-jian.freewebspace.com/

taoist sword