Porafi and Klingtonian Dojo!

[NewKlington]

Yeah thats right we are opening up a new training school for the 10000 Islands region! It is free to 10000 Island members and will make your soldiers true warriors.
The Classes Include:
Hand to Hand Combat:
Tae Kwon Do:
Taekwondo is the Korean national sport martial art, and is also one of the world's most commonly practiced sports. In the Korean language, Tae means "kick or destroy with the foot", Gwon means "punch or smash with the hand or fist", and Do means "way or art". Hence, Taekwondo is taken to mean "the way of the foot and the fist."

Taekwondo is popular throughout the world, and the World Taekwondo Federation's form of Taekwondo is currently an Olympic sport. While some forms of Taekwondo have received criticism for not teaching enough street-effective techniques, this has more to do with commercialization, rather than with any inherent flaw in the art itself: one of the reasons Taekwondo is so popular is because of its effectiveness as a form of self-defence.
Taekwondo is famed for its employment of leg and jumping techniques, which many believe distinguishes it from martial arts such as Karate or Kung Fu. The rationale behind this is that the leg is the longest and strongest weapon a martial artist has, and kicks thus have the greatest potential to strike without retaliation. Despite this, hand techniques, and at the higher levels, some grappling and anti-weapon techniques are taught and emphasized (which techniques are taught vary from instructor to instructor). Taekwondo was designed to be effectively employed regardless of a person's sex, height, weight or age, making it popular with people of both sexes and of all ages. The five tenets of Taekwondo (courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, indomitable spirit) show that, like any martial art, Taekwondo is a mental discipline as well as a physical one. An example of the union of mental and physical discipline is the breaking of boards, which requires both physical mastery of the technique and the concentration to focus one's strength.

Karate-Do:Karate or karate-do is a budo art, a Japanese martial art introduced to the Japanese main islands from Okinawa in 1922. Karate emphasises striking techniques (i.e. punching and kicking) over grappling. Karate training can be divided into three major parts, kihon, kumite and kata. Kihon is the basics. Kumite means sparring and develops from well defined forms to the free form named randori. Kata (ÐÍ) means forms and is a fight against imaginary enemies, it is a fixed sequence of moves.

Kenpo:Kenpo or Kempo ( lit. fighting method) is a category of mixed martial arts that have a basis in Karate, that incorporates Shaolin Kung Fu and/or Kickboxing to make the art more technically complete.

It is believed that Kempo follows much of the same path Kung Fu takes, but in order to shorten the amount of time to train a person, methods from Karate were used as the basis to quickly allow a person to learn the basics, and techniques. As it often takes 10 to 20 years of continuous effort to master one form of kung fu, Kempo practitioners often can be black belted in around 3 to 5 years, depending on the instructor.

Normal Karate usually has linear attacks and blocks, or straight moves with power meeting power with the accuracy with power being more important then learning separate techniques. Kempo emphasizes more circular moves, such as the hook, or the uppercut as main attack methods. Kempo has more grappling moves, and throws than Karate. Both Karate and Kempo use katas, but Kempo katas tend to have more techniques to them, with an emphasis on multiple hits.

Kempo draws some stances and training techniques from Kung Fu, but changed them to shorten training time. Where some Kung Fu beginning artists can be expect to hold stances for an hour or so, Kempo beginners tends to require less time in holding the stances, usually between one to fifteen minutes. Whereas some Kung Fu practitioners use methods like pushing rocks, Kempo uses modern calisthenic techniques like push ups to build up strength.

It is believed that for people short on time that only want a sample of Kung Fu, and Karate, Kempo is a good art to learn.

Judo: Judo (Japanese) is a martial art, a sport and a philosophy which originated in Japan. Judo was developed from Jujutsu, and was founded by Kano Jigoro in 1882. The sport became the model of the modern Japanese martial arts, gendai budo, developed from old koryu schools.The focus in judo is on throwing techniques (nage-waza),with groundwork (katame-waza),also a major component. Nage-waza is divided in two groups of techniques, standing techniques (tachi-waza),and sacrifice techniques (sutemi-waza), Standing techniques are divided in hand techniques (te-waza), hip techniques (koshi-waza),and foot/leg techniques (ashi-waza).Sacrifice techniques are divided into those in which the thrower falls directly backwards (ma-sutemi-waza),and those in which he falls onto his side (yoko-sutemi-waza).

The groundwork techniques are divided into: attacks against the joints (kansetsu-waza), known in English-speaking countries as "leg-" and "armbars", stranglehold (shime-waza),and holding techniques (osaekomi-waza).

A kind of sparring is practiced in judo, known as randori, meaning "free practice". In randori, players (known as judoka) may attack each other with any judo throw or grappling technique. Striking techniques (called atemi-waza) such as kicking and punching, along with knife and sword techniques are retained in the katas taught to higher ranking judoka (for instance, in the kime-no-kata), but are forbidden in contest (and usually prohibited in randori), for reasons of safety. Also for reasons of safety, chokeholds, jointlocking - and the sacrifice (sutemi) techniques, which can be very spectacular, are often subject to age and/or rank restrictions; in the United States, one must be 13 or older to use chokeholds and 17 to use armbars.

In randori and shiai (tournament) practice, when an opponent successfully executes a chokehold or jointlock, one "taps out" by gently tapping the mat or one's opponent. When this occurs, the match is over, and the tapping player has lost, but the chokehold or jointlock ceases. Because this allows a merciful exit to the match, injuries related to these holds are quite rare.

Tai Chi:
T'ai Chi Ch'üan, Taijiquan, Tai Chi Chuan, or commonly Tai Chi or Taiji(literally supreme ultimate fist),
is a Nei chia ("internal") Chinese martial art which is known for the claims of health (especially stress management) and longevity benefits made by its practitioners and in some recent medical studies. T'ai Chi Ch'uan is also known as a "soft style" martial art.

T'ai Chi is best known as the slow motion routines groups of people practice every morning in hundreds of parks across China and, increasingly, other parts of the world. In T'ai Chi classes one is taught awareness of one's own balance and what affects it, awareness of the same in of others, and appreciation of the practical value in one's ability to moderate extremes of behavior and attitude at both mental and physical levels.
T'ai Chi Ch'üan is called an art of moving meditation that is nowadays sometimes considered a form of alternative medicine by Westerners. While its practitioners have historically considered it primarily a style of martial art, T'ai Chi theory and practise is indeed largely formulated in agreement with many of the principles of traditional Chinese medicine. Besides the general health benefits attributed to beginning and intermediate level T'ai Chi training, many therapeutic interventions along the lines of TCM are taught to advanced T'ai Chi students in traditional schools. T'ai Chi Ch'üan as physical training is characterized by its requirement for the use of leverage through the joints based on coordination in relaxation rather than muscular tension. This coordination is seen to improve balance, flexibility, stamina and to open the circulation.

The study of T'ai Chi Ch'üan involves three primary subjects, in the following order:

Health - an unhealthy or otherwise uncomfortable person will find it difficult to meditate to a state of calmness or to use T'ai Chi as a martial art. T'ai Chi's health training therefore concentrates on relieving the physical effects of stress on the body and mind.
Meditation - the focus meditation and subsequent calmness cultivated by the meditative aspect of T'ai Chi is seen as necessary to maintain optimum health (in the sense of effectively maintaining stress relief or homeostasis) and in order to use it as a "soft style" martial art.
Martial art - the ability to competently use T'ai Chi as a martial art is said to be proof that the health and meditation aspects are working according to the dictates of the theory of T'ai Chi Ch'üan.

[NewKlington]

Hand To Hand(Continued):
Kung Fu:
Kung fu or gongfu is a well-known Chinese term used in the West to designate Chinese martial arts. Its original meaning is somewhat different, referring to one's ability in any skill, not necessarily martial. Many consider wushu a better term for Chinese martial arts, as it translates directly into "martial art."

The Chinese term was first known to have been reported by a Westerner, French Jesuit missionary Jean Joseph Marie Amiot, in the 18th Century and later widely popularized in the West by famous film martial artist Bruce Lee. There are various philosophies around the term kung fu, suggesting a deeper meaning. The following is an example of such a philosophy:

For a process to truly be kung fu, the following three elements must be present:

Motivation
Self-discipline
Time
Motivation is the basic driving force, and without it, kung fu can never be reached. It means both interest and the will to do something; a person who is forced to do something is not truly motivated. A motivated person, on the other hand, has interest in learning: they have a goal.

It is important to make a difference between various kinds of motivation: A person can be motivated to do something, because if they do not they will be punished. Money can also lead to motivation, because you know that doing something will give you more money. However, the motivation kung fu strives for comes from an interest and an inner desire to learn and develop, in which the goal is not an external gain, like avoiding punishment or earning money, but an internal one, with the only reward being knowledge, skill, strength and wisdom. This motivation can be inspired, but not controlled, by other people.

Self-discipline is closely related to motivation, but refers to the effort and patience required to actually get something done, and to get past obstacles that might appear on the way towards one's goal. While motivation is the mental state of wanting to do something, discipline is required to put motivation into action: A person might want to do something very much, but lacks the required amount of discipline to get started. Without this, motivation will lead to nothing.

It is true that a competent instructor can assist a person by providing discipline, helping that person to get past obstacles. This is good, but will not last forever, and in the end, it is always up to the person herself to put her thoughts into action.

Time is essential for finding one's motivation and self-discipline, and to actually accomplish something by making use of them, but motivation and self-discipline are also important to make a person willing to put time into accomplishing her goal: to prioritize.

In later stages, once motivation and discipline have become an integral part of a person's life, it is important not to stop spending time on practice. This is said to be a very important aspect of kung fu: Many ancient Chinese philosophers and martial artists consider time the most valuable commodity in a person's lives, as time cannot be replaced. It is said that one should use time wisely, and that, to get the most out of life, must practice kung fu in every activity. By finding interest in and putting effort and time into every action, one will make the best use of time, and live a happy and productive life.





Sword Techniques:

Kendo: Kendô is the martial art of Japanese swordsmanship, developed in the 16th century to unify a large number of different techniques. Since 1975 the concept of Kendo has been stated as "to discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the Katana". Kendo is therefore self-discipline while Kenjutsu is the actual techniques of fighting.

Taught using "swords" made of split bamboo (shinai) and extensive protective armour (Bogu), practitioners are called kendoka. Kendoka also use bokken (wooden swords) or katana and wakizashi (long and short steel swords) to practice set forms known as kata. In modern kendo competition, there are two types of attacks - strikes and thrusts. Strikes are allowed against only certain areas on the body - the top of the head, the right and left sides of the body, and the forearms. Thrusts are only allowed to the throat. However, since a wrongly done thrust could injure the neck, thrust is often left out at the starting level and introduced later.

In matches, points are only awarded when the attacks are done firmly and properly to the allowed targets with good control and a yell (in Japanese) corresponding to the part of the opponent that is being targeted. For example, if the opponent's head is the target, an accompanying cry of "Men" should be bellowed. For an attack to the wrist, "Kote" should be shouted. For an attack to the trunk "Do", and for a thrust at the opponent's throat "Tsuki" should be shouted. The first to score two points wins the match.


The International Kendo Federation (IKF) has members in 44 countries. The international championships are held every three years since 1970, when the IKF was founded.

Iaido: Iaido (or Iaijutsu) is the art of drawing the katana, cutting down the opponent, flipping blood from the blade, and then re-sheathing the katana in one fluid movement. The emphasis is on drawing the sword and attacking as quickly as possible. Starting positions can be from combative postures or from everyday sitting or standing positions. Practitioners could expect a surprise attack at any time, and the ability to react quickly from an everyday starting position was considered essential.

An original date of 1200AD has been claimed, but some time during the late 15th or early 16th century is more likely. Most modern schools consider a samurai called Hayashizaki Jinsuke Minamoto no Shigenobu (1546 - 1621?) as the originator of iaido. Not much is known about his life, and some scholars doubt his existence as a historical figure. The two largest schools of iaido that are practised today, Muso Shinden Ryu and Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu, both claim a lineage starting with Hayashizaki.

While not a hard and fast rule, frequently the word iaido is used to refer to the modern self improvement oriented form taught by the All Japan Kendo Federation (AJKF) and other iaido associations while iaijutsu is used for the older, combative techniques of the koryu. The word iaido itself was coined by Nakayama Hakudo in early 20th century. Before that various other names like battô, battôjutsu, or saya no uchi were used instead.

The most important part of Iai, sometimes called the 'life of iai', is Nukitsuke. This is a very quick draw accomplished by drawing the sword out of the saya (scabbard) while drawing the saya itself back. The blade can be brought out of the scabbard and used in a slashing motion very quickly using nukitsuke.

Kenjutsu: Kenjutsu is a classical Japanese martial art, a koryu budo. There are many different schools, with the objective to teach efficient use of the Japanese sword in combat.

The practice largely done in the form of kata, and also by actual cutting and thrusting of the blade against water-soaked rolled mats and bamboo poles. The practice tool is either bokken (wooden sword) or shinken (real swords such as katana, tachi, etc.).

Some ancient sword schools still exist, such as Tenshin Shouden Katori Shinto Ryu, Kashima Shinto Ryu, Kashima Shin Ryu, Hyoho Niten Ichiryu. As in other koryu arts, belt colour is not used to show the practitioner's ability. Instead of grades, licences such as menkyo kaiden are given.

Modern budo arts derived from traditional sword work are kendo and iaido.

[BealtleManium]

No thanks my people are warriors of the mind
but the idea has merit

[NewKlington]

The Philosphical Ideals of The Warrior(The Way):

Bushido: Bushido (Way of the Warrior; Japanese) was the warrior code of the samurai. Bushido was a strict code that demanded loyalty, devotion, and honor to the death. Under Bushido, if a samurai failed to uphold his honor he could regain it by committing seppuku (ritual suicide).

Bushido is an internally-consistent ethical code. In its purest form, it demands of its practitioners that they look effectively backward at the present from the moment of their own death, as if they were already, in effect, dead. This is particularly true of the earlier forms of Bushido or budo. Of later forms, traditionalists would scoff, "they reason with staying alive kept clearly in mind."

There are seven virtues associated with Bushido:
*

• Gi - Rectitude
• Yu - Courage
• Jin - Benevolence
• Rei - Respect
• Makoto - Honesty
• Meiyo - Honor
• Chugi - Loyalty

Chivalry:
Chivalry refers to the mediaeval institution of knighthood, and especially the ideals and that were associated with it, or have become associated with it through literature. It was often also associated with ideals of knightly virtues, honour and of courtly love.

Chivalry was in essence a warrior code propagated by the Church. The Church intended to make the mounted soldiers of the Middle Ages into Christian knights who would protect society instead of ravage it.

The word comes ultimately from the Latin caballus, or "horse". The French chevalier and the English cavalier derive their names from the same word. The intention, in all these cases, is to distinguish the aristocratic knight on horseback from the peasant infantryman walking with his pike and the artilleryman dragging his vulgar machinery.

In war, the chivalrous knight was brave in battle, loyal to his king and God, and willing to sacrifice himself. Towards his fellow Christians and countrymen, the knight was to be merciful, humble, and courteous. Towards ladies above all, the knight was to be gracious and gentle. The idealized relationship between knight and lady was that of courtly love.

Thanks for Coming to the Dojo, and while these services above me may not suite you warrior, keep in mind these skills are only the basic skills and more will be up soon.

[NewKlington]

Book Studies:

Sun Tzu's Art of War:
The Art of War was a Chinese military text written during the 6th century BC by Sun Tzu. Composed of 13 chapters, it has long been praised as the definitive work on military strategies and tactics prior to the collapse of Imperial China. In many East Asian countries including China, Korea and Vietnam, it was part of the syllabus for potential candidates of military service examinations. Various translations are available and are used by some European military institutions, for instance, in Germany before World War I.

Verses from the book occur in modern daily Chinese idioms and phrases, such as the last verse of Chapter 3:

"So it is said that if you know others and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know others but know yourself, you win one and lose one; if you do not know others and do not know yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle. "

This has been condensed into the modern proverb:
If you know yourself and know others you will win a hundred times in a hundred battles.
In recent times the book has gained widespread popularity among managers wishing to compete in the cutthroat world of business. It has also crept its way into sport, with Australian cricket coach John Buchanan handing out excerpts from the book to his players before a match against England in 2001. At the same time this use has been criticized by many scholars of Chinese history for using the Art of War as a source of fortune cookie-like proverbs and not seeing the general coherence of the text.

The Art of War was recently made into a Chinese television series of the same name.


A Book Of The Five Rings:
The Book of Five Rings was written by Miyamoto Musashi. It is considered a classic treatise on military strategy, much like Sun Tzu's The Art of War.

The five rings are Ground, Water, Fire, Wind and the Void. Each ring represents a different aspect of strategy, and by mastering all five rings, it is supposed that you make yourself invincible in combat. Although to members of the Hyoho Niten Ichiryu it is merely a manual of technique and philosophy.

People Studies:
Patton:
George Smith Patton, Jr. (November 11, 1885 - December 21, 1945), was a leading American general in World War II.
A great study On a great general.

Hannibal:
Hannibal Barca (247 BC-182 BC) was a military commander of ancient Carthage, best known for his achievements in the Second Punic War in marching an army from Spain over the Pyrenees and the Alps into northern Italy and defeating the Romans at the Battles of the Trebia (218 BC), Lake Trasimene (217 BC) and Cannae (216 BC). After Cannae, the Romans refused to fight him in pitched battles, and gradually captured all the strongholds he had gained in Southern Italy. An invasion of Africa by the Romans under Scipio Africanus in 204 BC forced Hannibal to return to Africa, where Scipio defeated him at Zama (202 BC).

Following the end of the war, Hannibal led Carthage for several years, helping it to recover from the devastation of the war, until the Romans forced him into exile in 195 BC. He went to live at the courts of foreign kings - first Antiochus III of the Seleucid Kingdom. In 189 BC the Romans, having defeated Antiochus in a war, demanded that he turn Hannibal over to them and the general fled again, this time to the court of King Prusias I of Bithynia. When the Romans demanded that Prusias turn Hannibal over in 182 BC, he committed suicide rather than submit.

Hannibal is often ranked as one of the best military commanders in history, alongside Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Friedrich II and Napoleon.

Alexander the Great:
Alexander the Great (late July, 356 BC–June 10, 323 BC) was King of Macedon; With the warring and divided city states of Greece already united under his father, Alexander conquered Persia, Egypt and a number of other kingdoms, all the way to the center of India. The conquests, their rapid spread of Greek culture, and the mixing of Greek culture with more eastern cultures ushered in the age of Hellenistic Greece across several continents.

[NewKlington]

BealtleManium said:

No thanks my people are warriors of the mind
but the idea has merit

Read a little furthur down and you will see more "warriors of the mind" material.

[BealtleManium]

no, not like that... they like to play mind games and keep the enemy geussing

[Parthini]

Read the Art of War

GPP

[Klington]

Ok, Parthini, Anything you would like to include?

[BealtleManium]

You got your original profile back! ;D

[Klington]

Remember this stuff is free!

Karate:





Kung Fu:




Judo:




Tae Kwon Do:



Tai Chi:



And for those who think tai chi is a wussy art:






Kendo:




Iaido:





Kenjutsu:

[Klington]

My favorite one is the Kung Fu one, where the guys hands are moving so fast that you cant see them, and yes it is possible, Im not going to comment on some of the things that they did in the shaolin monastry long ago, like... well... Lets, just say they tied waits to the mens private area and made them run a mile for a long time, eventually there "area" grew so tough that if someone kicked it, it wouldnt hurt the shaolin monk, but would actually hurt the person who kicked it, they did alot of extreme training there.
(Im not sure if that picture is real, I just know it is possible, my friend in karate moved that fast once and when someone took a picture, you could see his hands at different stages of his technique, it was pretty cool.)

[BealtleManium]

Klington said:

Lets, just say they tied waits to the mens private area and made them run a mile for a long time, eventually there "area" grew so tough that if someone kicked it, it wouldnt hurt the shaolin monk, but would actually hurt the person who kicked it, they did alot of extreme training there.

Wow... that'd hurt very much... theres a modern version... 3 men use the said area to pull a bus

[Boolari]

"Sir," a small child asks, "Will you teach some of us to use a sniper rifle as well?"

As Sir takes a closer look, he realizes it is a woman asking - not a child.

[Klington]

Wilderness Training/Woodsmanship:

Tracking: The ability to observe things and to use them to pinpoint something in the wilderness. This could be used to find someone, follow something, or discover if someone is in thea area, also used to discover traps.

Trap Making:
The knowledge on how to make simple traps to damage an enemy/protect yourself and to alert you when someone is coming.

Camouflage:
Camouflage is the method which allows an otherwise visible object to remain indiscernable from the surrounding environment. Examples include a tiger's stripes and the fatigues of a modern soldier. Camouflage is a form of deception.

Successful camouflage became an essential part of modern military tactics since the increase in accuracy and rate of fire of weapons at the end of the nineteenth century. The first recorded large-scale use of camouflage was during World War I.

Shelter Making:
The ability to make shelters out of your surrounds and offer protection to yourself and a suitable base of operations, the shelter making techniques are taught so that the shelters blend in with there surrounding and will not be noticed as easly.

Urban Areas:

Lockpicking:
Lock picking is the art of unlocking a lock without its intended key. Locksmiths are trained in lock picking. The tools for lock picking are usually different for each type of lock and can sometimes be improvised from common items, such as hair pins or safety pins. Some people enjoy picking locks because it has hack value and doing so is fun to them.

Usually it is possible to bypass a lock without picking it. Most common locks can be quickly and easily opened using a drill, bolt cutters, or a hydraulic jack, or the hasp, door, or fixture they are attached to can be cut or broken. A lock that offers high resistance to picking does not necessarily make unauthorized access more difficult, but it will make surreptitious unauthorized access more difficult. Locks are often used in combination with alarms to provide layered security.



More to come.

[Alfonia]

Well I must say I am impressed if you wrote all that info yourself, It must have taken much time.

(EDITED: removed some stuff because it shouldn't be mentioned twice in this thread)

Perhaps articles on equipment as well? If it is ok with you, I'd love to make an equipment thread, I think my knowledge on certain types of ancient weapons (mainly swords I guess) is at least above average. It's about time I got back to the RP forum.

[Klington]

Actually I didnt want to write all that myself, so I used Wikipedia.com. *SHHHHHHHHHH* Dont tell any one my secret! ;D. I will ask Parthini(Hes My Partner) if its ok with him, because I would prefer if you posted the swords and everything in this thread, But they cant be free, cheap but not free.

EDIT:
I do know all about those martial arts and everything though because I have been in them for about 8 years.

[Klington]

People Studies(Continued):

Oda Nobunaga:
A very important daimyo during the 1600's in Japan

Katsu Kaishu:
A very important character in modern japanese history

Gustav II Adolf:
"The father of modern warfare" important 30-years war leader

Erwin Rommel:
Brilliant strategist, who unfortunately was born in Germany

Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan:
Mongolian Khans that governed the largest empire ever

Yusuf Ibn Ayyub Salah al Din:
Kurdish war leader from Tikrit, Iraq. More known as Saladin, recaptured Jerusalem from the crusaders. Saddam Hussein have claimed to be related to this man.

[Alfonia]

I am now running the equipment section of the thread, and here's the first part:

Equipment section.

Chinese weapons (appropriate for Wushu/kung fu and T'ai chi)

Dao (sabre)



Dao can both mean knife or sword, but it is always single-edged. Many different types of dao exists, but this one above is a niuweidao, or ox-tail sabre. Daos can have both monosteel and laminated blades, and the metal used for the fittings varies, typically they're made of iron, steel, bronze or brass. The grip is generally wood that can be, as in this example, covered by thread or fabric of some sort. There is generally a piece of cloth attached to the pommel, that's usually made of red silk. This piece of cloth may have had many purposes, but one common theory is that it was meant to distract the enemy. Dao is generally translated as sabre, but broadsword is another common translation. Blades of older daos are usually folded, while new cheaper alternatives are not. The dao was a common weapon in china and it was used from the beginning of the iron age to the 1940's. Daos suited for cutting are usually pretty stiff and thick, often with strong distal taper, daos used for practice are generally made of wood or have very thin, shiny spring-tempered steel blades. Daos are cutting weapons.

(Some info on picture: this particular dao is a newly produced dao, by the somewhat famous chinese swordmaking company Hanwei, that's based in Dalian, China)


Dadao (two-handed sabre)



The dadao is easily recognized, as it well, looks really mean. Not too common in chinese history, the two-handed sword did not gain the same popularity in china as in europe for example. Generally the warrior preferred spears and polearms. However, the dadao has the advantage that it's rather cheap to make, and that it is supposed to be easier to learn to fight with than the Jian or Chiang. Dadaos were often used by peasant armies, just because of this. Fancy dadaos are perhaps a bit more rare because of this. Dadaos are not thrusting weapons, they're made to cut and slash through armor and limbs. They were used extensively in world war two by the chinese, perhaps a bit more often by the communists. Typically, raiders would dig up some railway tracks and reforging them into swords, creating a double problem for the japanese invaders.

(some info on picture: again, this is the work of the Hanwei factory in Dalian, China)


Zhanmadao ("horse chopping sword")

No pic. sorry.

The Zhanmadao should perhaps be known as the sword with the cruel name, but the name says exactly what they were used for. Similar weapons exist in both Europe and Japan. As it is an anti-cavalry weapon, it is rather large (can be well over 1.2 metres long) and therefore quite heavy. They were, like the dadao, not that common throughout chinese history. Such a large sword takes much skill, and a bit of physical strength to handle. They were, because of their length, hard to make, so the smith had to be very skilled at his craft.


The Jian (a.k.a "T'ai Chi-sword" or Gim)



Jian simply means sword, and it usually refers to the straight swords of china. The straight sword was also known as a "scholar's sword" since it was a very popular civilian weapon used for self-defence. The Jian is very hard to learn to handle correctly, and requires great agility. Military versions of this type of sword also exists, they're generally heavier and tougher when compared to their civilian cousins. Blades are, almost always, folded, and often have two kinds of steel in the blade. Some Jian are richly decorated, like the one in the example above. as with daos, training versions tend to be made of wood or thin spring steel. Jian are thrusting weapons, though some versions are also suited for cutting. the Jian above is a newly produced Ming-era style sword.

(some info on the picture: again, Hanwei work)


The Pudao (halberd)



The pudao is an infantry weapon that is used in wushu nowadays. (Really, Polearms are not my real area of knowledge, so I'll update this when i get some more info)

(picture info: I am lazy, so this is Hanwei work as well)

The Chiang (spear)

(couldn't find a good image)

The spear needs little explanation, the chinese had spears, as did most cultures that got to the stoneage. Chiang typically has steel heads, and sometimes they have red tassels attached to the shaft.



Burmese weaponry:

Dha (in this case: sword)



Dha is the general word for "edged weapon" in burma, and dha can both mean knife, dagger, or sword (much like the chinese word dao) Dhas also vary a lot in materials used, not only in size. Some dha have rather plain wood scabbards and hilts, while some, like the one above, are richly decorated with silver and ivory work. The swords of burma show influences from chinese, indian, thai and to some extent, japanese weapons. Older blades are folded, and some of them are blued (done to increase the contrast between the steel and silver). Dhas are always single edged (again, like dao). Swords tend to have rather short tangs.

(picture info: very high end burmese Dha)

Dha (in this case: dagger or knife)



Dha daggers, like Dha swords, come in many different sizes and types. Some, like the one above, have ivory hilts and silver fittings, while some are rather plain-looking day-to-day knives. Silver-ivory ones were probably used as display pieces, though they are very functional (you wouldn't want to use that knife above for your everyday work, right?).

(picture info: Antique Burmese Dha. I "stole" the picture from oriental-arms.com, as can be seen in the picture. I hope it doesn't upset them that much.)

[New Age Guilds]

i read sun t'zus art of war. by the way, does anyone here do martial arts. i did a 3 week vcourse over the holidays.
( actually, my cousins are red belt in hapkido, so durring the summer when i see them i have to defend myself every time i do some thhing wrong or i disagree, oh and we spar on their trampoline, making some very cool matrix pictures)

[Klington]

General Training:

Boot Camp:
The process has been described by Canadian military historian Gwynne Dyer as a form of conditioning in which inductees are encouraged to partially submerge their individuality for the good of their unit. Dyer argues that this conditioning is essential for military function because combat requires people to endure stress and perform actions which are simply not present in normal life.

The nature and extent of this conditioning varies from one military service to another. Some systems of training seek to totally break-down the individual and remould that person to the desired behaviour. Other systems attempt to change the individual to suit the organization, whilst retaining key elements of the recruit's personality. The differences between the two approaches are often subtle.

Standard uniforms are issued and recruits may have their heads shaved in order to make their appearance as uniform as possible. Also, the haircut is a mildly traumatic experience to increase unit cohesion. Recruits are generally given a service number.

It is common that recruits are instructed in "drill": to stand, march, and respond to orders in an unquestioning manner. Historically, drill derived from 18th-century military tactics in which soldiers in a fire line performed precise and coordinated movements to load and fire weapons. Although these tactics are now obsolete, drill performs a psychological function which is to inculcate the response to commands but also to train the recruit to act unhesitatingly in the face of real combat situations. This includes not only commands to engage in combat in which the soldier is putting his life in danger, but also commands to disengage when military necessity demands. Most military commentators argue that this condititioning is essential for military function because without it, a military unit would likely disintegrate under the stress of combat, becoming merely an armed mob.

Trainees are usually subjected to rigorous physical training, both to prepare for the demands of combat, and to weed out the less able or motivated. This also builds morale for the remaining recruits who have met the physical requirements.


Army and Marine recruits are trained in basic marksmanship with regularly assigned weapons, field maintenance of weapons, hand-to-hand combat, first aid, protective equipment usage, and basic survival techiques. Navy training focuses on basic seamanship, and skills such as firefighting, basic engineering, and signals. Air Force training might cover subjects such as aircraft recognition.

According to legend, trainees are secretly fed saltpetre to suppress their sexual urges. One explanation of the origin of this legend states that the soldiers were employing a folk etymology and substituting the word "Soft" for "Salt" in "Saltpeter." A reduction in sexual urges does actually occur, but it is caused by fatigue related to training.

At the end of basic training, the recruit is usually either posted to an operational unit to gain experience, or to another training establishment for further specialist training. Some services also present a badge or other award to denote completion of recruit training. The United States Army typically issues the Army Service Ribbon while the United States Air Force presents the Air Force Training Ribbon.

Sniper Training:
The traditional definition of a sniper is an infantry soldier especially skilled in field craft and marksmanship who stalks and kills selected enemy with a single aimed rifle shot.

The word originates from the snipe, a game bird difficult for hunters to sneak up on.

In the last few decades the term 'sniper' has been used rather loosely, especially by the media in association with police precision riflemen, those responsible for assassination, any shooting from all but the shortest range in war and any criminal equipped with a rifle in a civil context. This has rather expanded the general understanding of the meaning of the term. It has also given the term 'sniper' distinctly pejorative connotations. This explains the increasing use of alternative terms, especially for police snipers such as counter-sniper, precision marksman, tactical marksman and precision shooter.

Training is of paramount importance for snipers. A well-trained sniper can compensate for poor equipment. Military sniper training tries to teach a high degree of proficiency in camouflage and concealment, stalking and observation as well as precision marksmanship under wide operational conditions.

Snipers are generally volunteers accepted for sniper training on the basis of their aptitude as perceived by their commanders. Sniper trainees typically shoot a couple thousand rounds over a number of weeks. The training teaches core skills of camouflage, concealment, moving tactically over terrain, observation and rifle-shooting under varying conditions. Military snipers may be trained as FACs (Forward Air Controllers) to direct military air strikes, in artillery target indication and as mortar fire controllers.

Snipers are trained to squeeze the trigger straight back with the ball of their finger, to avoid jerking the gun sideways. The most accurate position is prone, with a bipod supporting the barrel, and the stock's cheek-piece against the cheek. Sometimes a sling is wrapped around the weak arm to reduce stock movement. Some doctrines may train a sniper to shoot between breaths or even between heartbeats to minimize barrel motion.

The range to the target is measured or estimated as precisely as conditions permit. Laser rangefinders may be used. At longer ranges, the bullet drop is estimated from a chart which may be memorised or taped to the rifle. The sights are adjusted accordingly. Shooting uphill or downhill can require more adjustment, either by "holding off" by eye, or "dialing in" to the scope. The slant of visible convections near the ground can be used to estimate crosswinds, and correct the point of aim. The point of aim is in front of moving targets. Anticipating the behavior of the target helps place the shot.

[BealtleManium]

is there any nordic axe training?

[Klington]

BealtleManium said:

is there any nordic axe training?

No, but if you send me some information on it then I may have the ability to post it.

[Klington]

Bump
Come'on guys this stuff is free!

[BealtleManium]

I have a co-op tactic-

Svinfylking- put the bravest and strongest man first, the two second bravest and strongest behind him and then the three next behind them and so on. That way they form a spear which will run straight into the enemy and swing themselves through with their one-handed swords.Strength- good for terror tactics and quick in quick out operations. Weakness-can not stand up against a larger well-organized defence.

And an anti sheld technique-In a fight, it does no good to attack the opponent's shield. Behind his shield, a fighter is well protected. Instead, one must attack the opponent's body. As a result, a primary objective is to draw the opponent's shield out of the way, opening up a target for an attack. One can imagine tricks in which a blow is targeted at one quarter, causing the opponent to move his shield to defend. That response gives the attacker the opening he needs. He can pull his blow or otherwise deceive his opponent and retarget the blow at the available opening.

And other things-

Viking Sword-Swords in the Viking age were typically double edged and were used single handed, since the other hand was busy holding the shield. Blades ranged from 60 to 90cm (24-36 in) long, although 70-80cm was typical. Late in the Viking era, blades got as long as 100cm (40in). The blade was typically 4-6cm wide (1.5-2.3in). The hilt and pommel provided the needed weight to balance the blade, with the total weight of the sword ranging from 2-4 lbs (1-2 kg). Blades had a slight taper, which helped bring the center of balance closer to the grip.Cuts probably included: a high cut, attempting to split the skull in two; a diagonal cut, attempting to separate neck from shoulders; a middle horizontal cut, which can target anywhere from shoulder to thigh; and a low rising cut, which attacks anywhere from the leg up to the armpit
Sax-A sax is a type of short sword used primarily during the early part of the Viking era. It's a one handed single edged weapon with a blade length ranging from 30 to 60cm (12 to 24 in). These blades were typically pattern welded, like sword blades of the period. Saxes had a characteristic blade-shape with parallel edges, coming to a point at the tip.Saxes were usually carried in a scabbard suspended horizontally from the belt
Axe-Finally the Axe, In the early part of the Viking era, the cutting edge was typically 7 to 15cm (3-6in) long. Typically, the head had a wedge-shaped cross-section. The cross section of the head near the edge was sometimes diamond shape, which provided for greater strength for a given weight of iron.However, some axes had very thin, elegant cross-sections. Later in the Viking era, axe heads became much larger, with crescent shaped edges 22 to 45cm (9-18in) long. These axes were called breið-øx (broad axe).The shaft was made of wood, and was typically about 1m (40in) long, although axes with smaller heads might well have shorter shafts. One advantage of an axe over other edged weapons is that all the force of the blow is concentrated into a small section of the blade, so the axe has enough power to punch through a helmet or mail.

The curved shape of the head allows the axe to be used for several tricks. It can be hooked over an opponent's shield to pull it out of position, providing an opening for attack. It can also be used to hook an opponent's ankle or neck, throwing him off balance and onto the ground.

[BealtleManium]

The Berserker-Before a battle, berserkers spent hours working themselves into a frenzy by painting their faces, banging helmets, consuming large quantities of alcohol. This crazed state,almost always made them immune to pain and helped them shrug off the non-lethal blows by enemy weapons.Berserkers were loyal to their Viking war god Odin and believed he would protect them, give them superhuman strength and if they died an heroic death, a place in Valhalla in the afterlife. Consequently, berserkers were also called "Odin men". They fought in groups of twelve and often charged heedlessly into the ranks of the enemy or formed a circle to provide the best defense when outnumbered by an opponent. Their unpredictable behaviour and bear-like appearance were meant to strike fear in the enemy and demoralize him so much, he would not fight. When the berserkers did fight, it was to the death.

[BealtleManium]

PEOPLE!!!

Harald Finehair ( Harald Hårf*ger )-
Dead about 940 AD. Norwegian king, the first king who reigned over all parts of Norway. At the battle in Hafrsfjord in the southwestern part of Norway in the 890´s, he defeated the last in a number of kings who had joined against him.

Vladimir
Category: Royalty
Description: About 955-1015. Grand duke of Kiev and the great-grandson of Rurik (Rörik), the Rus. After a time filled with battles, Vladimir was baptized in 989. He was also known to be very fair to criminals and very generous against the poor. He was revered as a saint after his death

THE FIRST ENCOUNTER-
In AD 793, the attack on Lindisfarne by Vikings ushered in the beginning of the Viking Age in the British Isles. The English scholar, Alcuin, wrote:
“Never before has such a terror appeared in Britain as we have now suffered from pagan race, nor was it thought possible that such an inroad from the sea could be made”

Within a generation, the monks of Lindisfarne had fled

[Alfonia]

Weapons of Feudal and Imperial Japan.

The earliest types of swords found in Japan were imported from China and Korea, the great nations of the east and also the models after which the early japanese formed their society. These early blades are known as "ken" - "sword", and are very similar to chinese jian, they are double-edged, and straight, these blades continued to be manufactured during japanese history, but later they were used as Buddhist cult objects rather than weapons.

The history of the Japanese sword as we know it begins with the "chokuto" - this sword was single edged, straight and was rather similar to later Japanese swords, they mark the transition between ken-style blades and Tachi-style blades.

Manufacturing process:

Every Sword begins with one fundamental ingredient: Iron.

The iron that is used for making Japanese swords is called "tamahagane", this iron is extracted from sand, and is of rather low quality with modern standards, and is full of impurities. These impurities can result in the blade being weak and of uneven temper, and that is something bad. Of course, this was a common problem in all parts of the world right up until fairly modern times, so generally the steel was folded several times, to even out the carbon content the steel gains through heating in a coal-based fire, and to get rid of some of the impurities. A very common myth is that folding the steel gives it superior qualities etc. and that all japanese swords were folded 1000 times or more. This is false, nowadays our steels are so pure that folding isn't needed (though it looks nice), and the 1000-fold myth is easy to prove wrong. Most blades were perhaps folded 10-12 times or so resulting in 512 (for a 10-folded) to 2048 (for a 12-folded one) layers of steel. That is around 1000 layers of steel is perfectly possible to find in a japanese style blade, but 1000 fold is not possible to find. There really is no point in folding the blade more than 10-12 times, as that is more than enough to even out the carbon content. After the folding the blade is shaped and forged, and at the end of this process, the blade will look like a straight japanese sword.
A rather special attribute of the japanese sword is its differential hardening. Differential hardening is by no means a unique japanese thing, for example, Nepalese Khukuris (also spelled Kukri, Kukhri etc) are differentially heat-treated, although this is achieved in a different way. The differential heat treating on japanese swords is achieved through coating the back and sides of the blade with clay, while the edge part of the blade is left without clay. The blade is then heated to a temeperature that is slightly above the temperature preferred when making a euro-style sword (in which a spring-temper is prefered), the blade is then quickly submerged in water. Here the clay comes into work, the parts that are not covered by the clay (like the edge) come in contact with the water, cools rapidly and goes through a process known as hardening. The back and sides of the sword, that is protected by the clay, cools at a much slower rate, and therefore does not go through the hardening process. When metal is heated, it expands, and when steel is hardened it "freezes" in this expanded state. This means that the edge will be longer than the back of the sword, and therefore it curves backwards, producing the curve that is so easily recognized in a japanese style blade. So what does one achieve by differential heat-treating?

To understand this, one must know some of the more simpler rules about steel (here's some metallurgy for you, enjoy!). The first big rule is, the harder the steel gets, the more brittle does it get, but also, the harder the steel, the sharper the edge. So, in a mono-tempered blade, you could either make a soft blade that coult take a beating but wouldn't hold an edge, or a sharp sword that is likely to break under stress. By having a soft spine and sides and a hard edge, a blade could be produced that would take an edge and still could take a beating. European weapons are springtempered, this means that they will flex (sometimes to an unbelievable degree, like 180 degrees) but if the flex becomes to great, they will snap, also, while they can take an edge and hold it well, they can not be sharpened to the degree of a japanese sword. A Japanese sword, however, will not flex and spring back to true like their european cousins, to be simple: if you bend them, they stay bent. therefore, japanese swords are often very thick at the spine.

European swords:
Will flex and spring back to straight
Can take a rather sharp edge
Will snap if stressed
typical hardness: 50-52 HRC
Are good for: depends on form and type
Are not so good, but better than japanese swords for: plate armoured targets

Japanese swords:
Will bend, but will not spring back
Can take a very sharp edge
Does not snap that easily
typical hardness: edge: 56-60 HRC body: 20-40 HRC
Are excellent for: Cutting soft targets
Are not-so-good against: plate armoured targets

As can be seen above, weapons like swords are not meant to take down a knight in full armour, but the sword that is worst vs. plate armour is the japanese sword, as its brittle edge will really get destroyed by metal-to-metal contact. So if a weapon can't take metal-to-metal contact, what's the point with it? you ask, perhaps with hollywood movie scenes in mind where peole during long scenes keeps hitting their opponent's sword over and over again. The first thing one should know is that blade-to-blade contact was avoided as long as it was possible, and edge-to-edge contact was avoided alltogether. if two hardened edges hit eachother both will take damage, it's simple as that, and soon your sword would look more like a saw than a sword. Blocks in european fighting was performed with the shield or the blade flat. In japanese swordsmanship sword-on-sword contact is avoided, and it focuses on one killing cut rather than a series of blocks and thrusts.

Many myths are hanging around about the japanese sword's and the samurai's superiority, and they are aided by hollywood pictures. none of them are true. Knights were, like samurai full-time warriors, and brutal proffesionals. This means that both knew how to kill and did it if it was nessecary. The difference lies in how the swords were used, and under which circumstances.



Some information for the beginner/new collector:

Dangers of "wallhangers".

"Wallhanger" is a term used in sword-collecting groups to describe the numerous low-quality swords that are being produced nowadays for decoration purposes. Many of these are dangerous to cut with, and in some cases even swinging them is enough for them to break. So what are the signs of a wallhanger?

1) the use of stainless steel
Stainless steel is a great material. It is great for making kitchen knives, bathtubs etc. with, but the thing that it is most useless for is (not eating but...) - you guessed it - making swords. Stainless steel contains Iron + Carbon (the steel part) and Nickel + Chromium (the stainless part). the problem is that while Chromium and Nickel makes the metal rust resistant, it also makes it brittle. And brittleness is not good for a sword. Generally stainless decoration swords aren't even tempered at all, and can easily be bent by hand, and are therefore useless. The ones that are tempered are even more dangerous, when they are stressed they can snap in half, shatter like glass, or break at the hilt. these are dangerous for your surroundings if used, they're like a gun with a barrel that's too thin. Some wallhangers have alloy blades that cannot be sharpened,. However Iaito, swords used for practicing Iaido also have alloy blades in many cases. Iaito are NOT wallhangers, they are training tools, and should be durable.

2) Weak hilt constructions
Typically, wallhanger hilts are made using plastic and poor metal castings (often some strange zinc-alloy is used, it's very brittle and won't take a beating at all). these materials can shatter leading to a very unpleasant experience for the wannabe-swordsman. the main danger, however, lies in bad tang constructions. generally, there are two types of wallhanger tangs. There's the horribly short tang (found in thai tourist darbs for example) and there's the rat-tail tang (found in a majority of wallhanger katanas) . The rat tail tang is your worst enemy. The typical rat tail tang is made by welding a threaded rod to the base of the blade or a very short tang. This rod is then secured by a nut at the bottom of the handle. the problem is that if swung, the nut may come loose, or the tang will just break at the weld. This will result in a 70-cm long sharpened steel missile flying in the air. This is not a good thing. This is why you should NEVER EVER swing a wallhanger, and if you have a desperate need to do it, do it WHEN NOBODY IS AROUND. Many people have gotten hurt by wallhangers every year, so please be cautious. A sword is a weapon and even if it's a horribly bad sword, a sharpened metal stick can hurt and kill. use common sense.

2.5) if it's made in pakistan, avoid it.

3) Price and quality go hand in hand.
I do not want to destroy your collecting dreams, but do not expect to find anything that's remotely usable under 100$. if you want a good sword prepare to pay 400$ or more, and if you want a really good sword be ready to pay at least 1000$.

Please remember that while modern armies do not use swords anymore, and the weapon is considered obsolete, it's still a weapon. A sword can take a head off, and cut a man in half. A sword may be obsolete, but it's not a toy. Don't try to impress your girlfriend with some "samurai-ish" moves unless you know what you're doing. And don't let kids and irresponsible persons touch your blades, treat a sword as you would treat a loaded gun and you'll be fine.

More info on specific Japanese weapons coming soon...

[Klington]

Yes, but the samurai had more training and more disipline.

[Alfonia]

That comment would probably offend every western martial artist. I can promise you that.
Myself, I am very interested what you base your theory on, as I have never seen any acceptable proof for this.

Also, as an enthousiast to another, may I suggest that you sign up at:

www.swordforum.com/

It's the best sword-related forum on the internet (419000 posts...), and you can also find lots of info on metallurgy, history, samurai etc there. Also, this was the place where I first heard of NS, so let's just say other things are discussed as well.