Chanbara > Fencing
Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 2:50 am
With time jumps for people with low attention spans!
- chanbara re-mix
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeWOYmFKszw
(480p, adults, long video, multiple weapons, dual-wield, spears at ~1:30) - Fuchun Secondary School - Chanbara Activity 2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfuZaxvr3Mo#t=1m52s
(jumps to sparring, war games @ ~2:40) - SOTA School Of The Arts - Chanbara Activity 2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF7eT8N5Gz8#t=2m38s
(multiple combatants, war games ~3:08) - 2nd Singapore Chanbara Open Championship
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOITRV8G3Eo#t=0m24s
(dual-wield too) - Not at all safe: the Nerf Marauder Longsword
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010 ... gsword.ars
(comment here is the original reason why I looked up chanbara)aiki42 wrote:aiki42 | permalink
The Nerf swords and swords that gamers (LARPers) use may look cool to a kid, but they are not that safe compared to the alternative. Anyone that wants to have some fun bashing each other with swords and walk away unscathed should check out the sport of Chanbara. The equipment for Chanbara was made to allow martial artists (adults and kids) to do full contact weapons fighting (usually based on Japanese styles) with no injury. I've got a set of swords (ActionFlex from Samurai Sports) that have been used in a dojo for around 6 or 7 years now and still look great. Kids can swing them at full strength with follow through and with no harm. Only the strongest adults need to hold back and even then just by a little bit. The only protective gear needed is a helmet to protect eyes, ears, and throat, but a cup is also a wise choice.
I should warn you, that this equipment is more expensive than Nerf... a set with helmet will probably set you back $40 to $60 ea for the swords and between $40 to $70 ea for head gear.