So, Mushtaq Ali and Scott Sonnon are doing a short knife seminar tagged onto The Path workshop in Portland today, and it worked out that we did grandkids stuff early enough so I think I can swing on on by.
I don't know about Sonnon's bladework, though he certain has beaucoup credits across the board in various disciplines; Mushtaq has a bunch of silat, plus other things, including some recent exposure to African knifery, so it should prove to be very interesting ...
That damascus on the golok a few posts back was beautiful. Where can I find a blade with that pamor?
ReplyDeleteHere's a dumb question. In the movies, female fighters (secret agents, assassins, etc) frequently wear teeny-weeny little dresses and what are technically known as hooker heels. And they never break a nail either. Obviously, that's Hollywood, and in the more realistic fiction (such as yours) people who are expecting to have to fight, run, or otherwise exert themselves are generally wearing what we might call "sensible shoes". (In the original Buffy movie, she's wearing white combat boots under that fluffy prom gown. Thank god.) But in Real Life (tm) some of us like to wear high heels sometimes. I've been wondering if female students of martial arts (a)tend to be the sort of people who naturally prefer to wear shoes thay can run away from (or fight off) predators in, (b)develop an aversion to wearing shoes they can't run away from/fight off predators in, (c) practice fending off predators while wearing the Impractical But Darling Shoes? For that matter, do male martial artists practice in slippery-soled penny loafers and wearing business suits, the better to learn how to keep your tie out of your opponent's grip? Do really sneaky fighters sharpen the decorative buttons on their suit jacket cuffs? Is the high kick beaver shot the female assassin's true secret weapon?
ReplyDeleteGolok --
ReplyDeleteBest dealer in Indonesian blades I know of is Alan Maisey. He's an Australian, and travels to Java frequently, plus he's a bladesmith himself. He puts out a catalogue a couple times a year, but usually has some stock on hand, and will look for particular items if you ask. The link to his page is in my link-list at the top.
Ximena --
ReplyDeleteWell, remember that Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, and she did it backwards and in high heels ...
That said, cruel shoes are simply not designed to do anything except showcase the calf, and just standing on them is something of a major feat of balance. Anybody who is serious about usiing martial arts is either going to wear sensible shoes or spend a fair amount of time damaging their feet learning how to move in heels. Form follows function, and if a woman shows more cleveage, most men won't notice her shoes, or care ...
A stiletto heel is a pretty nasty weapon if you know how to use it, but it requires great skill to learn how. I'd suggest that if you get into a situation where you have t run or fight, you kick the things off. You are safer barefoot.
Movie-fu is fun to watch -- I like a nice high beaver shot kick as much as the next man -- but it isn't reality. When you learn a martial art, if you can't modify it tol work in street clothes, then it isn't going to work for self defense.
The only time I ever had to use my stuff on the street (in the subway, actually, in NYC), I was wearing penny loafers, and when I kicked, the right one came off and few ten yards down the platform. There I was, all Bruce Lee in the underground looking like Little Goody One Shoe.
I don't wear penny loafers any more. I wear sensible shoes. Lot of dress leather comes with rubber soles these days.
Truth is, those long Modesty Blaise/Buffy fight scenes where a little chick beats the stuffings out of a bunch of burly dudes are fantasy. Size matters, and unless you are so skilled that you can offset it, your best bet is to take out one guy and then run like hell through the gap. A good big man beats a good little man (or woman) most of the time.
For serious self-defense, a small person needs an equalizer -- a weapon. Guns or knives are the most effective, though there are others. If you are in your prom dress with your itty-bitty purse, you can still carry a knife large enough to be useful.
I keep my right hand fingernails long to play the guitar, and I broke one last night in the knife class. Dangerous business this fighting stuff ...
See, I knew it was a silly question. My approach on the street is to wear sensible shoes, and nowadays women's styles are such that you can, if you choose, look fashionable without crippling yourself.
ReplyDeleteThe funny thing about Ginger and Fred is that it is actually a little easier to walk backwards in heels than forwards. (Rob and I dance tango, and I like to wear Cute Shoes for that--but I carry them in a bag and wear my sensible shoes to and from the parking lot.)
Professional dancers rehearse wearing clothing approximating the costume they'll be wearing, in order to become accustomed to the encumbrances of the material. I bet Ginger rehearsed wearing not only heels as high as the ones she'd be wearing on stage, but a dress with the same length and swing.
I recently reread The Man Who Never Missed. Khadaji practiced spetsdod shooting in bulky clothing. And I think you had another character who was trained to fight nude, too. But that's fiction, right?
Martial arts are, in essence, dances, though your partner is generally resisting. Aikido goes more with the flow, but it certainly isn't the tango. (Which, by the way, I like to watch. When I was a very small child, my favorite piece of music, found in my grandma's collection of 78 records, was "The Blue Tango." I'm going to work up a version of that on the guitar someday when I get a little better as a player.)
ReplyDeleteAs for skill practice, if you are truly a master of it, you can probably make it in a variety of dress. I tend to practice in street clothes because that means I'll have an idea of how my clothing will behave under stress. If I can't do a move in jeans, it won't do me any good if that's what I'm wearing when the need arises.
Different spaces and terrains are good, too.