Thread by @thebencheah

Alright, since there's demand for this, let's pick up from yesterday.

One of the most ridiculous things you'll see in pop culture is exchanging blows in a weapons fight.

More precisely, ALLOWING the other guy to set up a situation where exchanging blows is inevitable. /1

https://twitter.com/threadreaderapp/status/1189194302653644805

Empty hand arts are, generally speaking, LESS lethal than weapons.

You could have a fight strategy that involves crashing in, soaking up blows along the way, then pummeling the other guy until you or he blacks out.

Not idea, but viable.

This won't work with weapons. /2

As mentioned previously, weapons are a force multiplier.

Impact weapons have greater mass and travel longer than your fist, generating greater force.

Edged weapons just need a little bit of force to pierce flesh.

Weapons up the stakes and change the dynamics. /3

If I land a clean hit on a limb with a weapon, that limb will lose function.

The only variables are how much loss of function, and whether it is permanent.

If I cut muscle or tendons, they will stop working.

If I strike bone hard enough, it will break.

/4

If I hit a limb, it will degrade the attacker's capabilities, and possibly take out his weapon.

This allows me to safely close in and access vital targets.

It could also take his limb out of commission permanently.

Weapon-based MAs like targeting hands for this reason. /5

Weapons are lethal.

You can NOT absorb a weapon strike and still continue to function effectively. That stuff is for video games and anime.

Weapons arts aim to create situations where exchanging blows will not happen.

Done right, only the attacker absorbs hits. Not you. /6

The technical term is 'fence'. From 'fencing'.

The art of offense AND defense.

The Japanese called it kobo ichi / kobo ittai: attack and defence as one.

This isn't a technical manual, and there are many ways to do it, so I'll just explain the guiding principles. /7

1. Get off the X

The 'X' is where the weapon can reach.

You do not want to be on the X. You cannot absorb the blow.

Thus, the first step is to MOVE, to get yourself (or, at least, the weapon's intended target) off the X. /8

2. Improve your position

When you step off the X, move to a spot where you can access the target without him being able to reach you.

Most commonly this is seen in moving to the outside gate.

There are other, more subtle, methods, but this is the general idea. /9

3. Worsen his position

Deflect the weapon. Jam the limb. Twist him off-balance. Trip him.

The general idea is to prevent the enemy from tracking you, forcing him to reset so he can reach you. If he can at all. This buys you time to do what you need to do. /10

4. Deliver force into the threat.

Obvious, right?

But this is the LEAST important move. If you don't see to your own defense, if you don't set up the opponent's defeat, you are increasing the risk to yourself.

If both of you get in a fatal strike, you lose anyway. /11

This is not my idea. All credit to Marc MacYoung and Rory Miller, who explain the concept of the 'golden move' in their books and websites in greater detail.

But this is the general idea: you can NOT exchange blows in a weapons environment.

You must cut without being cut. /12

A true weapons art master is not going to wade into a horde of enemies, swinging blindly.

Instead, he will set up the enemy's defeat with every move.

Ideally, by the time the threat sees the move, he is already dead. Or defeated.

/13

What about armor? Armor will protect the wearer against blows. How will that change the dynamic?

In games, you bash away at the armor until it falls apart.

Other media shows characters cleaving right through armor altogether.

This is, again, a departure from reality. /14

You can only bash through armor if you have a dedicated anti-armor weapon like a warhammer.

If not, you have three options:

1. Grapple with the threat, then throw him down in a way that breaks a limb, hits his head, or both.
2. Attack the openings in the armor.
3. Both.

/15

High-quality armor renders edged weapon attacks to the protected areas useless. The armor will turn the blade.

Some ancient samurai armored fighting techniques start with BLOCKING a sword with an armored forearm!

You cannot cut through well-made armor. /16

Armored fighting is a highly complex art. Random slashing and stabbing will only ruin a blade and offer openings to the enemy.

This complexity makes it very difficult to find experts who can choreograph fight scenes.

And nearly impossible to program games. /17

What can be done?

In books, DO YOUR RESEARCH.

For movies and TV, find an expert who understands stage combat AND actual martial arts.

For games...

I don't know. Dedicated blunt weapons would be a start, and perhaps QTE grappling. /18

It's very hard to represent grappling.

When grappling, you're working with FEEL. Not sight.

You can't easily translate that to the screen or the page.

Asking non-trained grapplers to play a dedicated grappling game with complex controls will be difficult. /19

Weapon-based arts are sophisticated. Throw in armor and the complexity grows. The greater the complexity, the harder it is to represent them on the screen and the page.

But as a creator, I feel bound to represent the arts as best as I can, for those who can appreciate them. /20

My latest project, BABYLON BLUES, features ancient samurai fighting arts in a cyberpunk world.

Adapting historical methods to a fictional universe was a blast.

If you want to see how I did it, you can back it on Kickstarter here:

kickstarter.com/projects/15297…

/21

I hope you've found these posts useful so far. Up to this point, I'm just scratching the surface.

But if you want more, if you want to go DEEP, just let me know.

/end