Trying out armored freestyle fencing with a student

[Chan Lancelot]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuTHe_jc_kk
Freestyle fencing with intermediate student Taku in modern material armor, taken as their actual protective value. Grey spot means the attack was defended by the armor.

Our armors were not totally sword proof as historical armor was, so good solid hits would likely to still have some effects, while the finer hits would be fended off by the pieces.

[Chan Lancelot]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLWqqVqanOE
Armored freestyle fencing on slippery floor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YD2QDi0se2o
Student test cut practice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6cGKvnK4lY
Student test cut practice, the third bottle was "armored up" by a dog-toilet plastic plate.

[Chan Lancelot]

To prepare for our armored combat judgment of what kind of the blows our armors can soak up for real, we actually did some experiment to help gauge the effect. I didn't post those videos since they may not be as "interesting". Now here you are: Big Grin

http://youtu.be/HkFcYvn3ojE
Cutting bamboo lamellar armored water bottle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90eda2SF ... e=youtu.be
Testing a plastic knee armor by chopping it up with a kitchen cleaver.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo-ZX_oHFJI
Cutting a polycarbonate file holder with a hand behind it. (My outer bike armor's material)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQIq_diXuzQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4HnMJadCXA
Cutting the gloves I use in sparring to see how much sharp sword damage it could take. Turns out that a 1/3 powered Chinese "inch power" sword cut is equivalent to a full power kitchen knife cut.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqaMTCnDdEk
Testing the bamboo lamellars and polycarbonate. (my student's bamboo armor material)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTtxfNrlvx4
Testing HDPE. (some armors are made of these)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiJrbOns5b8
Testing polycarbonate.

So we've found that in generally speaking, the armors we wore, including the helmet and metal face cage, would actually soak up small Chinese style attacks. We have partial steel armors and those would be capable of taking up medium Chinese style attacks. So in our sparring, the attacks that were defended by the armor were denoted by a grey dot.

The armor combat brought in some interesting insights:

1. Since the small attacks were mostly neutralized, we have to focus on a more proper power generation, resulting in a more "formal appearance" in the stance and movement;

2. Shorter weapons no longer suffer so much disadvantage from reach for the armor allows a safer closing in;

3. Be always prepared to strike again since the initial attacks could be ineffective when landed on the protected area. This promote better follow through for the students who participate;

4. Be always prepared to back out of the distance once attacks were done, just as you described. "Flying out", because the attacks could be legally ineffective as well, if not the opponent became a "zombie". Well, we call those who took legit hits and still goes on as "zombies". Armors were definitely good to deal with "zombies" though, for at least one would not be as likely to be injured by an illegal after blow;

5. The accuracy of the strikes have a huge motivation to increase because hitting the unarmored spots are important now;

6. Each round lasted longer with more exchanges, and become more completed, starting from the initial weakening strikes to the killing blows. In the past, for unarmored combat, we stopped mostly at the weakening blows for that would be quite devastating to the unprotected flesh and bones.

[Chan Lancelot]

http://youtu.be/AFkcSlc_678
980gram katana vs 4.2mm thick plastic knee armor

[Chan Lancelot]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2Qgugrg-nc
Practicing armored freestyle fencing with a twin Chinese dao wielding friend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHdx02ukoMw
Practicing freestyle fencing with student, double wielding Chinese Dao, which I have not been using this style for over a decade.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNLvjDF1VNc
Twin dao Tun vs Taku with cold steel grosse messer RSW

[Chan Lancelot]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1jqkurNsPw
Practicing armored freestyle fencing with student.