#daoistswordsman

[steelandcotton]

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[swordsmanbonsai]

Musing over twists and turns, if I find the right tree, perhaps a Ponderosa Pine... my brush work is definitely in need of practice...

[steelandcotton]

Training is a Treasure.

[steelandcotton]

Love my Jian, but sometimes you just gotta Miaodao…

[steelandcotton]

Thanks to Apprentice Students Paul Andrews and Gavin King for once again helping out at the Leeds Chinese Sword Academy GRTC Seminar last weekend in Leeds, UK. The 1st Photos shows Gavin King, sporting his GRTC Manchu Shirt instructs new students in the basic Ci (Thrust Drill), and the proper deflection with the Blade Flat. In the 2nd Photo, Paul Andrews in blue executes a Pi Cut to Tom Daley's wrist as he controls the centerline.

[steelandcotton]

Scott M. Rodell Unboxes a New Dadao Sparring Sword from Santosh Weapons After his Weekly Webinar. --- https://www.facebook.com/santosh_weap... 

  LIMITED OFFER - 50% OFF - The Complete Practical Dadao Form The Practical Dadao System was developed for Chinese Soldiers during the Early Republic and designed to meet a bayonet head on. At that time, military rifles only carried 5 rounds and were slow to reload. Every army of the period drilled bayonet fighting extensively. The Chinese answered by drawing on their long tradition of two-handed saber fighting. In this course, you will learn the entire Practical Dadao Form (實用大刀術), created by Jin Enzhong, to train troops. Every Form lesson is followed by an in-depth presentation of the Martial Applications of the movements facing a bayonet. Basic Cuts and Solo Drills are also covered. Jin published his manual in 1933. SIGN UP HERE - USE CODE Dadao50 for 50% off the course:  

https://www.chineseswordacademy.com/practicaldadaocourse

[steelandcotton]

Quick Draw with the Rodell Cutting Jian -

Some 5 plus years ago, I began working on reconstructing Chinese Fast Drawing Techniques. Here’s my early effort.

Thoughts on Sword Tricks...

During my winter break from seminars, I thought I would have some fun and try my hand at a few sword tricks from different traditions. In all honesty, some of the tricks preformed are essentially just that, tricks. What I mean by that is that they do not embody any skill a swordsman might actually use in a duel. And so, they don’t provide the swordsman with any useful training. They are just for entertainment.

When I started practicing throwing an apple in the air, cutting it, I was thinking it was just a trick and it might even be fairly criticized as showing off. (I bought a bag of small wiffle balls to practice with in the wuguan. I didn’t want to waste food). And there is certainly a trick to this trick. You have to throw the ball or apple where you can cut it. You have to practice throwing the same height each time too, so that he pacing is always about the same. You have to practice the timing of the throw and draw. It is easy to watch the ball or apple too long and draw late. So as I practiced, usually in the short time after dinner and before students arrived for the evening classes, I observed other useful aspects of this practice. For example, the delay I mentioned. You cannot separate watching the target and cutting. When you do, the body and mind and essentially separate for a moment. When you start to cut, there is a delay, and you tend to miss.

As when shooting arrows, if you start thinking about how you are doing well after hitting several in a row, your mind is elsewhere and you are probably going to miss the next one. There is also a tendency to over swing after the cut. This is a common error in most students’ cutting. The control of the after cut is the most difficult aspect of good cutting technique. If you let yourself start chasing the ball, you tend to swing like you are trying to hit it out of the park.

In a way, practicing cuts That one normally would not is like any different sort of training that takes one out of comfortable territory. Any sort of new cutting provides a fresh look at one’s skills. A fresh opportunity to critique one’s practice. So in hindsight, I am finding sword tricks I did for amusement to be an unexpected and useful test of my skills. Not in the sense that these are difficult or physically demanding cuts, but in the sense that they gave me a clean look at my practice. In a way, what does it matter if a cut is just a “trick?” Perhaps what is more important is how one makes use of practice time?

Then again, no big deal, baseball players hit balls all the time.

[swordsmanbonsai]

I’m finding sketching design possibilities a way to practice the art during the winter months when we cannot style trees. These sketches are thoughts for a collected (yamadori) Ponderosa Pine. Having spent a week working and evolving these sketches, I learned the collector has wired this tree and changed its shape. It will be interesting to learn if I can work my design or start over? Or perhaps evolve from what I have in mind and the changes made. Either way, looking forward to spring… My final design is on the lower left. 

[swordsmanbonsai]

Just arrived in time for the Year of the Rabbit, a wonderful gift from my students in the UK, a collected Ponderosa Pine or Yamadori in Japanese. Thinking of how to style it, I like this slant. Just have to wait until spring… Now I have to learn the fertilization process so the needles will reduce in length.

[swordsmanbonsai]

I’m considering acquiring a Lodgepole Pine Yamadori for my garden. I’m quite taken with the Bunjin or Literati style of Bonsai Trees. So I thought I would have a look at the Song dynasty paintings said to have been their inspiration.

A quick search produced this image of the painting, “Viewing the Moon under a Pine Tree” by Ma Yuan. This image I attached here has been retouched to bring out the details. No need to search further. I think I will bring that Lodgepole to Virginia to “recreate” this painting…

But before I do, checking with local Bonsai artists to see if anyone has a Lodgepole in their garden here in Virginia. If I am bringing a tree from the wild to a new home, I want to ensure I do all I can to see it live and thrive.

Viewing the Moon under a Pine Tree

early 13th century, after Ma Yuan

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/36037

[swordsmanbonsai]

With the tree secured to the Fu Dog, set it in place on top of a small layer of pumice. Then packed in with bonsai potting mix. And finally ran wires over the root ball and statue to hold everything in place. Overall, I'm quite happy with it. I think it will look pretty cool in a year, and great to 2 to 3...

[swordsmanbonsai]

Step two, trimmed some roots, gently wired tree in place over the Fu Dog (slipping some roots between the legs and belly), then wrapping with string to hold the roots around the statue.

[swordsmanbonsai]

Inspired by Nick Lenz, I’m going to grow this Ficus Pandora, Banyan Tree, over a Fu Dog (the one in the pot ). I plan to plant it so that the roots go down between his leg and belly. I will leave the Fu Dog leaning at the angle seen here. Likewise, I hope I can get the tree in at the angle in this photo. This tree was purchased at a nursery last year. So it could have quite a long stem that it was rooted from. I am hoping I don’t need to remove to much of the root and there are enough fine roots to run over the statue. Once I get it wired in place, I expect I will need the string to hold the roots to the stone.

[swordsmanbonsai]

Potted up a little Mexican Heather this spring with some local moss. I find companion plants add quite a bit along side a displayed tree. Found this heather at a local nursery.

[steelandcotton]

Intercepting: Jie and Ge Cuts- Chinese Swordsmanship Webinar Excerpt

Looking for a systematic method to move from Forms Only Practice to Full On Free Swordplay? It's here >>>====> https://www.chineseswordacademy.com/membershipsandcourses Online & In-Person Training. Use Code: cut50 for Half Off the First Two Months.

[steelandcotton]

Scott M. Rodell presents the history and how-to of Chinese Fast Sword Drawing  (出手法) and the techniques for re-scabbarding Jian. Get Started in Full Contact Swordplay, Online, and In-Person- 

https://www.chineseswordacademy.com/membershipsandcourses

Use Code: cut50 for Half Off the First Two Months