finally!!!!!!!

yoshimitsu · Post by **yoshimitsu** » Mon Jun 25, 2001 12:01 pm

I finaly authorized greatsword this last weekend. I was usherd by Duke Micheal Bedford. My right hip still hurts. i had a blast though

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TEKEDA YOSHIMITSU
live long enuf to win the fight

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » Mon Jun 25, 2001 12:39 pm

Congratulations, and welcome to the most fun of all the weapons forms. Remember, to counter a strike at your hips, cut to their arms.

- Kyle

toweyb · Post by **toweyb** » Mon Jun 25, 2001 1:10 pm

Was that at Tourney of the Grail? If so, I saw you! I admired your armor, too.

(If not, never mind...)

Alcyoneus · Post by **Alcyoneus** » Mon Jun 25, 2001 4:24 pm

Or his head.

PS: this might work better on a non-duke.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Kyle:
Remember, to counter a strike at your hips, cut to their arms.

- Kyle<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Vladimir · Post by **Vladimir** » Mon Jun 25, 2001 6:49 pm

Yoshimitsu, were you ever in Black Diamond? We had a guy here a few years back who went by that name.

yoshimitsu · Post by **yoshimitsu** » Tue Jun 26, 2001 10:53 am

yes it was a the Tourney of the Grail. and thanks. my armour was a lot of hard work. now I need to get the money to buy a kabuto.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by toweyb:
Was that at Tourney of the Grail? If so, I saw you! I admired your armor, too.

(If not, never mind...)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

and no I have never been in black diamond

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TEKEDA YOSHIMITSU
live long enuf to win the fight

Adriano · Post by **Adriano** » Tue Jun 26, 2001 11:35 am

Congrats! There don't seem to be too many of us greatswordsmen in Meridies. (And now I've got to make a new sword, since apparently I left mine at the Lusty Month of May event.) I've heard some very different things about Bedford during my years in the SCA, but just out of prejudice in favor of age, I'm glad he's still fighting.

Yoshida · Post by **Yoshida** » Tue Jun 26, 2001 3:01 pm

Yoshimitsu, are you fighting with a greatsword or katana/tachi?

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..l.,

toweyb · Post by **toweyb** » Wed Jun 27, 2001 7:04 am

I thought it was very cool when you struck a Kendo stance and Duke Michael (complete with elbow-length mantling on his helm) responded in kind. I'm almost done with my heavy kit, and I hope to meet you on the field soon.

yoshimitsu · Post by **yoshimitsu** » Wed Jun 27, 2001 10:44 am

well I broke my sword durring the event. It was about tachi length. Now I am making a new one. I think I might add about three inches to it.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Yoshida:
Yoshimitsu, are you fighting with a greatsword or katana/tachi?

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

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TEKEDA YOSHIMITSU
live long enuf to win the fight

yoshimitsu · Post by **yoshimitsu** » Wed Jun 27, 2001 10:50 am

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by toweyb:
I thought it was very cool when you struck a Kendo stance and Duke Michael (complete with elbow-length mantling on his helm) responded in kind. I'm almost done with my heavy kit, and I hope to meet you on the field soon.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks, that is just my style. I try to be as authentic in my fighting style as possible. Once you get your armour up I would love to cross swords with you. I am from Ravens Cove (Jacksonville, NC) so I could come to your fighter practices or you could come to ours.

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TEKEDA YOSHIMITSU
live long enuf to win the fight

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jun 28, 2001 1:38 am

almost sounds like you will have a No-Dachi when your done. wonder how well a No-Dachi would work in SCA comabt

yoshimitsu · Post by **yoshimitsu** » Thu Jun 28, 2001 5:59 am

well a no dachi is 6 foot 3. I dont do well with that big of a stick. So I cut it until it feels right for me.

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TEKEDA YOSHIMITSU
live long enuf to win the fight

Lochlainn · Post by **Lochlainn** » Thu Jun 28, 2001 10:48 am

I've seen a no-dachi in SCA. It's as effective as any other greatsword.

Only one difference, really, and you have to match your style to it: The guard. The quillons of a greatsword allow you to guard yourself better (IMHO) than a tsuba. The tsuba gives you a little more mobility. I've never fought with the no-dachi myself, but those are my observations.

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Lochlainn
I'm a Liberal and I'm OK!
*Insert gratuitous inflammatory remark here*

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » Thu Jun 28, 2001 12:23 pm

Hmmm, tsuba or quillions...both my greatsword (5'8") and my bastard sword (4'10") have tsuba guards, even though they don't work with my persona. For my style, I try never to passively block something, but instead try to counter-strike through an opponent's attack. When it works, and it does, my counter-attack deflects or pushes their attack away from me, blade-to-blade (oh, all right, stick-to-stick), and my forward momentum is unimpeded. If I had quillions, I believe they'd catch the opposing blade fairly often, which could be disconcerting for them, but really annoying for me, especially since they'd most likely be in line for a thrust and I wouldn't.

Now, if your style has static blocks in it, I can see the advantage of quillions. You're increasing the surface area of your shield

. Also, if your rules let you do trips and such, they're probably essential.

- Kyle

yoshimitsu · Post by **yoshimitsu** » Thu Jun 28, 2001 3:08 pm

I use tsuba myself. I have never tried quillons but I really intend to. Shots seem to slide off the tsuba fairly well. plus they work well with the way I block. I even have a padded tsuba on my naganata(great for pulling down shields).

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TEKEDA YOSHIMITSU
live long enuf to win the fight

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jun 28, 2001 11:49 pm

I usually fight with No Dachi quite alot. I prefer it to any other greatsword. The mobility with it more than makes up for the lack of quillons.

montecristo · Post by **montecristo** » Fri Jun 29, 2001 11:16 pm

hey Yoshimitsu, Dont leave the rest of us in the dark! Post pics of your harness please! including the future Kabuto would be nice too!

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'Brevity is the soul of wit'

Shamey · Post by **Shamey** » Fri Jun 29, 2001 11:29 pm

What was it like fighting Duke Sir Michael?

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Kelley the Shameless
Loved by all....satisfied by few..feared by all she meets on the field.....

yoshimitsu · Post by **yoshimitsu** » Mon Jul 02, 2001 10:17 am

I hope to be getting some p[ics of my armour soon.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Shameless:
What was it like fighting Duke Sir Michael?
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Fighting Duke Micheal was like fighting a tank. hard to hit and he gives even harder hits. but all in all it was a blast. one other thing he is very versitile. he does not use one particular style. wich makes it harder to see what is comming.

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TEKEDA YOSHIMITSU
live long enuf to win the fight

Lochlainn · Post by **Lochlainn** » Thu Jul 05, 2001 11:15 am

Probably 80% of the blocks on tsuba/quillions are the same.

With quillons you can ride their blade a little better, tangle an attack, and catch shots parallel to the blade. I'm sure the benefits of tsuba are similarly noticeable. I can imagine it makes escaping entanglements easier.

Personal choice is probably as good a deciding factor as any.

Another good way to protect your lead leg: keep your guard low. The way I was taught, if your hands drift above your waste, you're dead.

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Lochlainn
I'm a Liberal and I'm OK!
*Insert gratuitous inflammatory remark here*

Alcyoneus · Post by **Alcyoneus** » Thu Jul 05, 2001 11:51 am

You can use your tsuba against your opponents quillions, and he can't use his quillions against your tsuba. On the other hand, he has more to block with.

Adriano · Post by **Adriano** » Thu Jul 05, 2001 12:35 pm

My two cents about crossguards (quillons) -- I agree their usefulness depends on your style. I use counterstrikes and active blocking, and the quillons are basically decorative. BUT -- if I were allowed to kick, trip, bash with the pommel, etc., I can see the quillons being quite useful. As it is, it's more important for me to be able to maintain my mobility and control of range than to be able to block or entangle my opponent's blade with the quillons.

I'm planning to make my new greatsword my constant companion at Pennsic, whether in tournament, field battle or woods. Seemed like the perfect place for an experiment; you can get more fighting in a week at Pennsic than in a dozen regular events. (Just hope my 40-year-old body holds up...)

yoshimitsu · Post by **yoshimitsu** » Sun Jul 08, 2001 7:36 pm

here is my armour. [img]http://www.angelfire.com/home/yoshimitsu/Mvc_549s.jpg[/img]

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TEKEDA YOSHIMITSU
live long enuf to win the fight

Vermin · Post by **Vermin** » Thu Jul 12, 2001 7:42 am

I STILL have my first greatsword.
I made it about 8 years ago...
I was in the east, before they went to unpadded pole arms.
I wanted a Flamberge/Zwiehander.
With a ricasso.
The only piece of rattan I had was about 4 & 1/2' long.
So I made it, used it at practice, and got soundly bounced by the marshals, because the ricasso made the grip over 18".
So I asked what I could do about it, to make it legal to use.
(I asked ALOT of marshals, they all told me the same thing!)
I was told to "pad the blade".
So I did, and made the blade into a flamberge type, with all of the "waves".
I used bookbinding tape, foam, strapping tape......
I weighs just under the legal limit.
And I mean just.

I can use two hands on it.
And it passes inspection every year, with no problem.

Now think about this-
The grip length never changed, all I did was add MUCHO mass and weight to the weapon.

Now it's more "safe" than if I would have just used the bare rattan.
(Which STILL amuses me to no end when I think about the reasoning behind it.)
The padding doesn't really compress in a shot.
You know, very little padding actually does, once you've got everything all taped up real nice.
There's nowhere for the air to go.....
Oh, sure, for inspection, you can squeeze it, it squishes quite nicely.
But in the split second of impact with someones head or body?
Nah.

Anyone who says " 6' padded poles are safer than those 7' ones" gets handed my "flamberge" and asked "So you'd rather get hit with THIS?"

Like I said, I don't use it much.
It gets used in the woods battle at Pennsic sometimes, it's REALLY good for close in work, or as a secondary weapon (blade down, it seldom gets knocked out of line too...) in florentine.

I keep it to show people how our weapon "requirements" make us "safe"

Ask me my views about the silly Trimaris lanyard requirement sometime......

(grin)
VvS