8am tuesday, 6 minute informative speech
Kyle Henebry on Sword Fighting
I’m here to talk to you about sword fighting. This presentation is partly informative, partly how-to. Your first impression when you think about sword fighting is probably that it’s a violent act whose sole intention is to cause harm. But how many of you would consider sword fighting a form of recreation? How about meditation? Would you believe there are actually health benefits to sword fighting?
Sword fighting involves a certain state of mind that you can’t really reach in everyday life. It all depends on how you behave. What you get out of the experience depends heavily on how you view the act. Over the next few minutes I’m going to explain how sword fighting, if approached from the proper angle, can help you become more responsive, more relaxed, and achieve a sharper mind and body.
First I want you to meet some close friends of mine-
Bokken are made of wood (this one in particular is white oak) it’s crafted to represent the Japanese Katana, its sharp, steel counterpart. (Unfortunately I couldn’t bring one of those to show you.) This was used for training and was a weapon of choice for samurai who didn’t want to damage their priceless Katana. They say that in Japan warriors were more often killed in duels by Bokken than ever were by Katana.
In my 6 years of experience with using Bokken I’ve lost fingernails, had fingers broken, had my nose broken, and I’ve seen people get welts that swell up faster than in cartoons when the cat hits the mouse over the head with a frying pan. This was before we got smart and started wearing helmets and gloves. Consequently your hands are the most likely place to be hit in a sword fight. They are generally the closest things to the opponent.
More recently I switched over to using shinai. This is the bokkens much lighter and more flexible counterpart. It is made of 4 strips of bamboo tied together. These tend to hurt a lot less. They will not break your bones or kill you. You can spar for a much longer period with shinai because with the bokken you generally get too injured to continue for very long.
There are three important things to remember when engaging an opponent. Relax, avoid emotions, and never move without absolute certainty. (Meaning, avoid unnecessary movement.)
I’m not saying it’s easy to win a swordfight, but if you follow these steps, your chances will be greatly improved.
Most important rule of combat-Relax-
One of my favorite historical figures is Miyamoto Musashi, who lived in Japan during the 1600s. He was a swordsman who was self taught, and between ages 13-and 29 he took part in over 60 duels and never lost a single one. He spent the last decades of his life refining and teaching the science of sword fighting. Most of what I know comes from reading and practicing what he wrote. This is what Musashi says about the state of mind in sword fighting. -“In the science of martial arts the state of mind should remain the same as normal. In ordinary circumstances as well as when practicing martial arts, let there be no change at all-with the mind open and direct, neither tense nor lax, centering the mind so that there is no imbalance, calmly relax your mind. Thoroughly savor this moment of ease so that the mind does not stop its relaxation for even an instant.”
Sounds a bit like meditation, doesn’t it?
So what he’s basically saying is at all times without fail, whether you be lounging on a beach, taking an exam, or fiercely battling an opponent, you should not feel or act any differently. The important thing is to always remain in a balanced state of calm.
Next, Emotions in sword fighting-
Notice I keep using the word opponent, not enemy. If you view the person as the enemy you are liable to have some kind of negative emotional attachment to them. This will not do at all. You must be emotionless; you need to function in a complete void. Only here you will find the rhythm you require to gain victory. Your head must be clear of all superfluous thought and focus completely on cutting down the opponent. No emotions. No hatred or anger or aggression. Remember, stay calm.
Fear is also something you have to consider. The idea that you might experience pain will probably make you afraid. Fear isn’t something we can always avoid. The important thing is to use the fear correctly. There is a natural phenomenon that takes place in all animals on this planet. It’s called Fight or flight. When your body is suddenly flooded with adrenaline you have two ways of using it- Attack, or run like the wind.
When you are facing an opponent and they come at you, your natural instinct is to recoil in fear. If you choose to do that, you will most likely be cut down outright. What you must do instead is when the moment of impact comes, use that rush of adrenaline to strike and cut down the opponent. So you see, in a sword fight, or any fight for that matter, it’s not really the opponent you are fighting, it’s yourself. You are fighting that natural instinct to shrink away in fear.
On to the importance of Movement -rhythm-
I can’t stress this enough- make no wasted movements and you will dictate the tempo of the fight.
Real sword fights do not play out like you see in movies. You don’t leap around smacking your swords together for 10 minutes. In fact you want a swordfight over as quickly as possible. Ideally you want to end a swordfight in a single move.
I’ll stand like this, or maybe take a more traditional stance, but the object is to look very stoic and serene, like there is no problem at all. Like I don’t have a care in the world. But really I’m watching you very closely. When you consider an opponent you have to consider all aspects. Where are their hands? Where are their eyes? Where are their feet? Where’s the sword? You have to pay extreme close attention to all of these things all at once, never considering one more than the other.
If any of you are big into playing chess you know that you shouldn’t pick up or even touch any of the pieces unless you intend to move them. The same is true in sword fighting. Each move you make must be deliberate and purposeful.
Now, I’ll stand very still and wait. It might make you think that I’m a coward. It might make you foolhardy or frustrated, or even confused. The one certainty is that when the attack finally comes it will be one fluid motion specifically intended to cut you down.
It’s like a dance…no, it’s more like a rap battle. You want to establish and maintain a rhythm while taking it away from the opponent. You want to create disharmony.
Remember, you want to do this calmly and with as little wasted movement as possible. It will not work by swinging your sword around like a madman. Every time you swing the sword and it doesn’t connect with the opponent, you make yourself vulnerable.
In summary, sword fighting is an act viewed by most to be a violent and outdated practice. However if approached from the right angle, sword fighting can help you become more responsive, more relaxed, and achieve a sharper mind and body, ultimately leading to a healthier life in general. This can be achieved by relaxing, avoiding emotions, and not making any unnecessary movements.
Also I’m thinking of starting a sword fighting club here at school. So not to persuade you or anything, but if any of you are down, let me know.