I have a good sword

[Tiwas]

Actually, that's when I stop, because if I fight while on adrenaline, someone's getting seriously hurt (probably me) and I don't want to do that.

For me, few things compare to being thrown hard into a well-executed breakfall that doesn't hurt at all.

I see your point, and we all react differently. When I get hurt (as long as it's not major) , I tend to get a lot more feedback from my senses, which helps me execute in better form. Plus - if I get angry, I get calculating. Not to hurt the other player, but I start planning 20 steps ahead instead of just 5 or 10

[TheAlchemist]

That kind of reminds me of the first time my girlfriend came over (a few weeks ago). First she was like "oh, you're brewing mead? That's so cool!". Then she was like "oh...you have three full contact training swords? And you designed them yourself? They're really beautiful, but...you're not the kind of guy who dresses up and goes to fairs, are you?". Just waiting for her reaction when she sees what I'm knitting

Gotta ask:
What are you knitting?

[Tiwas]

Gotta ask:
What are you knitting?

Guess it's more "knitting" than knitting It's chain maille armor and chain maille inspired jewelry It's not feminine if it's done with pliers! It's not, I'm telling you!

[Gespacho]

Never thought I'd see a topic like this on a Mead making forum.

The chain mail and the swords sound pretty cool. I've never really had the time or the patience to make the weapons myself. I don't even make my own staffs. The wood around here is terrible. Since I'm too lazy to read through 4 pages of comments, do you practice any empty handed fighting Tiwas?

Btw, chain mail is MUCH manlier than a sweater.

[Tiwas]

The chain mail and the swords sound pretty cool. I've never really had the time or the patience to make the weapons myself. I don't even make my own staffs. The wood around here is terrible. Since I'm too lazy to read through 4 pages of comments, do you practice any empty handed fighting Tiwas?

If nothing else, you should try making jewelry. Girls love it

I'm a judo brown belt (couldn't bother with the kata, so didn't go for black), in addition to krav maga, jijitsu and brazilian jijitsu, kick boxing and some other sports I've just tried for the fun of itt. Nothing after I tore the ligament in my left knee, though...How about you?

Btw, chain mail is MUCH manlier than a sweater.

haha - glad you approved. My girlfriend keeps switching beween calling me a nerd and "refreshingly different" (I don't look too geeky, or so I've been told). I'm going to get her a t-shirt saying something like "my <3 got h4x0r3d"

[Gespacho]

I started out the opposite. I started learning mixed, and then specialized. I'm lucky that one of the 3 major families teaching Hung Gar moved to Calgary some time ago. I've been learning from them for almost 10 years now. I'm trying to take it easy now, though. Chronic injury on my right elbow. Gotta keep the joints I have left in good shape.

I've gotta find a shirt like that for my fiance! The first time I made her dinner she walked in, saw the weapons rack, and said "you're a nerd!". The relationship took off from there.

[wildoates]

I'm buying my tickets to the May 7 Scottish Games in Woodland, that's as close as I get to any of that. Although I do make jewelry, so far it hasn't brought me any fellas, and anyway, even if it did they might not be the type I'd be interested in.

[Gespacho]

Didn't the highland games get started as a way to practice fighting when the English wouldn't let them use weapons?

[wildoates]

I have no idea, I don't actually have any Scots in me that I know of--I just love manly men in kilts throwing heavy things. And the music...love the music.

My son has a kilt, which he occasionally wears in Norway, it's not nearly as common there as you see it here, though. If I bad the moolah, I'd buy him a sword and have Tiwas teach him how to use it.

[Chevette Girl]

I started out the opposite. I started learning mixed, and then specialized. I'm lucky that one of the 3 major families teaching Hung Gar moved to Calgary some time ago. I've been learning from them for almost 10 years now. I'm trying to take it easy now, though. Chronic injury on my right elbow. Gotta keep the joints I have left in good shape.

I've gotta find a shirt like that for my fiance! The first time I made her dinner she walked in, saw the weapons rack, and said "you're a nerd!". The relationship took off from there.

That's awesome that you've got good instruction!!

I just obtained my second kyu ranking in Aikido last week (then first kyu then black belt, been there almost ten years but hate grading so several people who started years after I did have gotten their black belts already), and I totally understand the need to keep the remaining joints functional. Thankfully Aikido usually helps my osteoarthritic knee, but my wrists are going to take a while to recover from helping my other friends practicing for THEIR gradings... elbows are chronically screwed but that's at least only soft tissue damage

The nice thing with Aikido is that you can accommodate injuries, I've gone to class with a sprained neck (multiple times, actually, another chronic problem) and still gotten something out of it... we've revised many techniques because of different body abilities for a lot of the students.

And the weapons rack over the fireplace mantle only has one metal-bladed weapon in regular residence, the European broadblades live in the foyer, closer to the car... my husband made me the weapons rack for my birthday one year

Hey, Wildoates, what kind of jewelry do you make? I do wirework and mostly Native-inspired beadwork (seed beads)... and I totally wanna get my hubby in a kilt... I'm closer to being Scottish than he is though

And right now my swordhandling group is practicing/coming up with ideas for two demonstrations we're doing at local Medieval festivals... it seems to be catching on in the area, maybe one of these years there will be a full ren-faire!

[wildoates]

I make various things, I see something and it makes me think of something and I've got to try it. I've got an Etsy shop, but nothing's presently in it.

My hobbies are all expensive!

[Tiwas]

I have no idea, I don't actually have any Scots in me that I know of--I just love manly men in kilts throwing heavy things. And the music...love the music.

Uhm...the little elves and goblins in my head are trying to make me comment, but something inside me tells me it might not be wise

[wildoates]

Don't you mean trolls? Everywhere I went in Norway I saw trolls.

[Tiwas]

Don't you mean trolls? Everywhere I went in Norway I saw trolls.

oh, so *that's* what I look like in the morning...nah, the ones in my head are smaller and meaner. Definitely goblins... :-D

[wildoates]

One thing my son would not let me buy as a souvenir was a troll, not even a post card (he did let me take one photo with one, but only one). He would have let me buy a horned fake Viking helmet before he'd have let me buy a troll. No fear, however, all I brought back for me was a print of medieval Bergen, still not framed

The only swords I saw in Norway were in museums, unfortunately.

[TheAlchemist]

Guess it's more "knitting" than knitting It's chain maille armor and chain maille inspired jewelry It's not feminine if it's done with pliers! It's not, I'm telling you!

Awe...go on...embrace your inner feminine!

[TheAlchemist]

Although I do make jewelry, so far it hasn't brought me any fellas, and anyway, even if it did they might not be the type I'd be interested in.

Or do you mean that you might not be the type they'd be interested in?

[Tiwas]

One thing my son would not let me buy as a souvenir was a troll, not even a post card (he did let me take one photo with one, but only one). He would have let me buy a horned fake Viking helmet before he'd have let me buy a troll. No fear, however, all I brought back for me was a print of medieval Bergen, still not framed

The only swords I saw in Norway were in museums, unfortunately.

I agree! Trolls should stay in the mountains, and helmets don't have horn. Total rubbish.

About swords and stuff, like I've mentioned in a few other threads; our history, apparently, isn't something to be proud of. In addition, most Norwegians are afraid of being called nationalists, as that has somehow become a synonym for neo nazi If you know stuff about runes, you "have to" be either into black metal and church burnings or, again, a neo nazi. It's a shame...We actually don't have to venture further than Sweden to find a country proud of its' ancestry and get to go to heaps of festivals and fairs.

Did you get to read up on the history of Bergen? That's where the black plague started off in Norway. We still don't like them

[Gespacho]

I just obtained my second kyu ranking in Aikido last week (then first kyu then black belt, been there almost ten years but hate grading so several people who started years after I did have gotten their black belts already), and I totally understand the need to keep the remaining joints functional. Thankfully Aikido usually helps my osteoarthritic knee, but my wrists are going to take a while to recover from helping my other friends practicing for THEIR gradings... elbows are chronically screwed but that's at least only soft tissue damage

Sounds like you have a good instructor too, and that you kept up with your training. That's the hardest part for me. Some days I just don't want to practice at all. We do try to do demonstrations from time to time, though. My favorites are the weapons demos. All we've done so far on stage are a few different demos for staffs. Spears, swords, and knives present their own difficulties on stage. Someone is going to get stabbed...

My son has a kilt, which he occasionally wears in Norway, it's not nearly as common there as you see it here, though. COLOR="Purple"][/COLOR]

I was shopping for a kilt a while back. Those things are expensive as hell! I think I might just go to the antique shops downtown and buy an old uniform. Kilts are often part of the uniform, and they're usually well insulated. Living in Alberta I like anything that's warm.

[mmclean]

I was shopping for a kilt a while back. Those things are expensive as hell! I think I might just go to the antique shops downtown and buy an old uniform. Kilts are often part of the uniform, and they're usually well insulated. Living in Alberta I like anything that's warm.

As a younger man I would never have thought of wearing a kilt. Now that I'm not quite so young I think it would be so cool. My grandfather wore a kilt and played the bagpipes in the town parade. Never got to see him, as he died when I was rather young.

I wish I could find my true clan plaid.