I love swordsmanship and hope to one day learn a martial art using swords I`v never had proper instruction but I still try to practess and improve evry day.

Never try it, but I want to, too bad that you can't get sword easily in my country, just knife.
But I'm a careless person, so the thing that might be happen is...
I don't stab my enemy, but I stab myself. I'm dead and my enemy laugh for my stupidity ^^;

Ahh, grasshopper. I began my training in swords and medieval waepons while I was a member of the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronisms). While we did dress in homemade armor, getting blasted in the skull covered by a 10ga steel helm by a large rattan stick WAS a righteous experience. Needless to say, your fighting skills evolve quickly.
Since then, I carried my swordsmanship over to the martial world and fight in the kendo/samurai style and Chinese longsword style (1 or 2 handed). As I learned Wing Chun, I learned how to fight with 2 butterfly swords. Really fun, and really physically taxing.

I don't get to use my skills much anymore but I do teach how to use a knife (any kind) in combat. A common misperception is the idea of "knife fighting." There is no "knife fighting":only knife killing. I also teach proper concealed carry and withdraw techniques, which are important to bringing a hidden blade to action.

As with any implement of death, learning the technique is only half the battle--learning the mindset to kill with said implement requires some self-reflection. If you want to learn knives and swords for fun, that's fine, but don't think those skills will save you unless you the mindset to kill a person in a very brutal way.

AS an aside, I carry bamboo kendo swords in my cars in case I have multiple opponents. Of course, if the shit gets real bad, I have my Glock 26 :)

I'am a fan of swords, I really love them and like Entarul want to learn someday about swordmanship. I own a chinese sword that use for decoration. It's all.

I wish i could learn it, sounds amazing

I envy you @theironwarrior T_T I wish I knew how to fight with swords and katanas...I bought a bokken some time ago, but still haven't begin to train, I want to train with proffesionals who teach me, not by myself. Toledo, a city of my country, has some of the best swords out there, it's famous because of that. I'm planning on buying a sword online and look for associations or clubs in my city to teach me...

I fence myself, or rather used too for varsity (epee, dueling sword). But I've recently been fiddling around again since the Doha games. Its plenty of fun and a lot less common than Kendo, unless you live in France. Theres also a reason for me to get all giddy whenever that fencer in Ranma 1/2 shows up (yes, they are all but short scenes where he's shown, but he's there and I'm happy) T_T *tears of joy*.

Yuki-ne3Chan

Never try it, but I want to, too bad that you can't get sword easily in my country, just knife.
But I'm a careless person, so the thing that might be happen is...
I don't stab my enemy, but I stab myself. I'm dead and my enemy laugh for my stupidity ^^;

well yes it can be hard to get a sword I would suggest getting a bokken(wooden sword)ferst if you make a mistake you might club youself prety nicely buy you wont die and a bokken is cheaper than a real sword.

I learned kendo from my grandpa. he has his own dojo back in kyoto. but now i have a professional instrucor to continue my training in kendo.
i've tried using a really samurai blade from my grandpa but it did'nt work that well it was way too heavy for me.

Anybody do aikido? you get to do bokken training. it is SWEET

I don't really know much about swordmanship. But i have come up with an idea.
In old asia stuff like marksmanship and swordsmanship was a kind of art.
But in Europe it only existed to kill.

I myself think the way the europeans saw it is better.
Becuse to handle a katana you need years of training.
But to handle european broadsword the only thing you need is raw strength.

I've always dreamed of learing how to use a sword. I hope to learn in the future.

Sabaku-no-Leti

I envy you @theironwarrior T_T I wish I knew how to fight with swords and katanas...I bought a bokken some time ago, but still haven't begin to train, I want to train with proffesionals who teach me, not by myself. Toledo, a city of my country, has some of the best swords out there, it's famous because of that. I'm planning on buying a sword online and look for associations or clubs in my city to teach me...

Are you talking THE Toledo steel? Holy...that brings back memories of my SCA days. If I recall, one of the members I talked to had an original buckler from, I think, the 1500s. Worth quite a bit.

Learning the basics of sword fighting to actually fight (I'll assume non-lethal--ha-ha) is not that difficult. Movies and martial forms for weapons make using them look elaborate, difficult and "fancy-dancy", but the actual attack application is fairly simplistic--with a sword, you're basically slashing, thrusting, or chopping and combinations of the three. FWIW, a chop-slash is the best way to decapitate someone. I could teach anyone a simple but effective combination in about 15 minutes.

My training is about 50/50 formal/informal. Part of being a martial arts instructor is being able to inductively and deductively analyze movements of a style and consider the best method for teaching and using those movements, and this applies to teaching one's self. I have to admit I do have the advantage of being able to mimic a movement immediately after seeing it. NOTE: You still have to put in the time of repetition training to develop the neuromuscular conditioning in ANY physical endeavor.

If I was to compare what I know of Japanese and Chinese sword fighting, I'd say they are fairly equal in difficulty to learn, but require different focus. Japanese sword fighting requires more mental focus, while Chinese sword fighting requires more physical focus. This is just my opinion, though, based on my experience. I can't say I prefer one over the other as I like to switch back and forth based on whether I'm fighting or practicing with live or stationary opponents.

Somewhat off-topic and probably a bit nutty, but I have kung-fu poles in my yard (like the old Shaw Brothers movies) that I use both for weapons and non-weapons combat. The first three are spaced so I can run through a series of movements with a single or double-handed grip or with a sword in each hand. My myspace profile has pictures of them
( http://www.myspace.com/theironwarrior)
Maybe someday when it's warm and I'm feeling like an all-out attention-whore, I'll video a sequence of me playing around in my yard.

NOTE: for the purpose of this thread, the word "sword" means bladed and non-bladed objects 2'+ in length.
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hi-mizu, tell us some more about your formal training. I'm curious and envious!

HevnHira, aikido is great stuff! I love it and someday hope to take some formal lessons. I've sparred with aikido people over the years and always had fun.

I'd want to pick it up oneday as an extracurricular activity and knowledge that may prove useful in the future. Swordsmanship is definately one thing I want to learn.

It's easy to fire a gun (not aim and hit a target 300m away with a 9mm)...but when you have to adequately defend yourself and there's only a stick or sword at your disposal?

A sword isn't just a sword...it's a multi-functioning weapon when you think about it. You can cut, slice, stab, deflect, defend, etc...and your training doesn't only apply to just swords...it's basically anything in length that you can weild (a 2x4, bamboo sticks, a poll, etc...) and it improves hand-eye coordination, focus, mental and physical strength...

I train with a bokken,a katana,and a heavy peace of pipe.I try to practice every day and learn more and more.i first started wen I was about six years old from my godfather who I still spar with wenever I can.I`m best with two handed swords but want to learn to use a sword in each hand.Its really fun to learn and grow in swordsmanship.