Classical Weapons 1 - Broadsword

Warning: this is not wing chun, this is not part of the wing chun kung fu system. Broadsword is part of the weapons traditions of shaolin kung fu. The footwork is very different, with crossing-over steps, deep and wide stances and movements, including dropping to one knee. Stay up on toes, cat and tiger stances predominate.

The broadsword is a close-in weapon, so Errol Flynn pirate-style fencing moves aren't part of its use. For longer ranges Chinese used spears and such. A broadsword is often applied with a draw-cut, using as much of the full length of the blade as possible. Full extensions or chops appear so far to be rare, unlike the many straight thrusts used with the straight "saber" used in tai chi. This is because the draw-cut allows to direction of the motion to be converted smoothly. In a chop, once the blade hits, it stops (might rebound), but the continued motion is absent. With a draw-cut the blade motion can loop into the next.

When chops are used, they are frequently decapitation moves to take the head off, or to split him in half.

Thrusts: because the point curves upwards, most thrusts need to follow that angle. instead of a straight jab, angle the thrust upwards until the point penetrates, then aim the force straight along the blade, allowing the forward edge of the tip to do the work.

In general, the Chinese broadsword appears to me to resemble bayonet fighting, with fancier footwork.

Basic rule: steel to flesh, not flesh to steel. To be less cryptic, the left hand isn't trying to block the enemy's sword. While the left hand seems to be moving into a guarding position, it's not really. Trying to block a sword wth a hand just results in the hand being cut off first. The left hand is normally held lower than in wing chun, and is actually moving to where it can quickly return to hold, guide, or press the back of the blade.

Stance: left foot forward, grip in right hand, back of blade (behind the belly swell) held between thumb and palm. The left hand needs to be flexible and quick to shift and move. The sword is on a diagonal from upper left to lower right, and angled outwards.

If the broadsword has rings on the back, the rings may be gripped inside a fist (middle and ring finger knuckles flanking the back of the blade) like a punch dagger. In a swing, the rings can also swing forward and strike the back of the blade on impact, acting like impact hammers.

On all footwork, try to stomp as weight lands to set up a tension in your body.

The first seven techniques are all responses to someone overhand cutting down at your head.

1) "arm slash"

A: steps forward and overhand cuts in a full swing.

B: Step diagonally left and draw cut the attacking arm.

Notes: Weight goes onto left leg at end of step. Do not step directly to left, but step diagonally forward and left at a 45 degree angle. Keep your body facing in direction of step, do not turn to face him. Place the edge of the blade near the hilt on the outside of his arm and draw cut the arm by bending the right arm and pulling the sword down his arm, keeping the point angled at his face. Your right elbow should be bent, not straight, at the end of this. The left hand stays in guard.

If you step directly out to the left, you will be too far from him to keep the right arm bent when draw cutting.

Continuation: Step in with your right foot towards A as you turn the sword over so its edge is facing inwards to his neck. As you step in, push-cut the left side of his neck, then reach behind his neck with your left hand, grab the back of your blade, and pull the sword into his neck with both hands.

2) "gut slash"

A: steps forward and overhand cuts in a full swing.

B: Shift/lunge to your left and ball up as abdomen slash. To do this, your left hand releases its grip and point moves concave and horizontal at face level as your right wrist crosses to your left. As you step, the cut slashes out, draw across abdomen. End in tiger stance: left foot down and planted, with the right knee almost at the back of your left heel and the right foot trailing and on toe. The right hand ends up at your left hip, with the blade pointing behind you or out to your left. The left hand stays in guard.

Notes: In the first part of the move, blade looks like a bottom-heavy hourglass. This whirling part is in case the other person is faster than we think. Do not whirl the blade over the top or back of your head, just in front of you.

Continuation: Shift right and step in, slashing down and maybe diagonally from left to right for A's neck. Your left hand follows the back of the blade, guiding it. If he tries to slash out at you, aim the sword for his forearm as he slams it into your sword edge. Important: as you draw cut his neck/arm, check and hold A's right arm with your left hand.

Drill/exercise: hang a tire from a tree branch and practice X-draw-cutting (angles #1 and #2). On #1, the L hand simply follows the blade back, with the followthrough wrapping the blade under your L armpit. On #2, the L hand pushes down/along the blade as you draw with R. Your L should end up out in front of you as the blade end is drawn off the tire, still pointing at the tire. Turn L and slash in #1. The goal of this drill is to develop a good figure 8 pattern.

3) "two step"

A: steps forward and overhand cuts in a full swing.

B: Step in on right foot as you raise the hilt up and drop the point down to feed his inner wrist/arm down the edge. Step in with left foot behind his right foot and draw-cut from his right collarbone to the left abdomen, then thrust (blade edge vertical).

Notes: The first is not a perpendicular block with the blade horizontal. The blade angle is almost vertical in line with the motion of his cut. The blade remains across the body and is still held with both hands. The hilt can smash the face, and aiming the hilt for the face is a good way to keep the angle accurate.

For the second move, put the base of blade on his right collarbone and draw down as you move deep in, drawing down with your right hand and pressing in with your left hand. At the beginning of the second cut, you need to turn the left hand in to you (fingers pointing at you) on the back of your blade, so the elbow points at him. Elbow ends pointing at chest, forearm along back of blade with hand nearer hilt. Since your left arm presents its elbow to the target to hide the blade, you can elbow strike to the face/chest/shoulder on way down the draw cut if convenient.

For the third, your left elbow points along blade as thrust (if rings, grab and pull the rings as a handle as thrust with the right hand).

The left hand needs to be limber on the back of the blade for this technique.

Drill: You can practice this as a solo drill. Hilt up/point down and to left as step in deep horse stance (right hip forward), then step deep horse left as draw down torso, then thrust. With each step, you should turn 180 degree, (right, then left, then right side facing forward at your imaginary opponent).

4) "hanging spin"

A: steps forward and overhand cuts in a full swing.

B: Cross-step (leap) to your left with right foot as you release your left-hand grip on your blade and throw it over your right shoulder. The blade should hang down and out from your back as protection while your back is turned to your enemy. Place your left hand on the grip. As his blade hits yours, continue leap and spin to your left into a counter-clockwise 360 degree slash.

You should end facing the same direction as you began, with your left hand at your left hip, the sword pointing forward.

Notes: Wait to spin until blades contact, don't do it before you know where his blade is. Keep the blade hanging down the back for protection, and draw the back across your right shoulder as you whirl and slash. Draw the hilt to your left waist on the power slash, the strike is a slash and a draw-cut.

5) "pool cue" or "bayonet"

A: steps forward and overhand cuts in a full swing.

B: Step forward and a little left with your left foot and draw-cut block to the outside of his right arm, moving his arm to your right. The blade edge should be aimed to your left. Thrust to the chest/abdomen, keeping the blade edge facing to your right. The blade is turned flat here to keep the edge of the sword facing his left side, so he can't parry or deflect with his left hand. If the edge od the blade faced down, he could push on the flat side of the blade and deflect the point from his chest.

Notes: Don't shoulder smash, let the blade do the work of deflection. For training purposes, wrap your hand over the edge of the blade to prevent nicks from lacerating his arm. The blade will likely have some minor nicks in it if you have been practicing the #4 "hanging" technique.

6) "hamstring" or "cross-step"

A: steps forward and overhand cuts in a full swing.

B: Cross-step directly to the left with your right foot and go to your left knee as your right arm slashes horizontally to your right for his lead leg's Achilles tendon/hamstring.

Notes: Step far enough to the left with your right foot that the top of your left foot touches the floor. Your entire body goes as low and tight as possible. Use your left hand out to your left on the floor to steady yourself if you need to. The right arm goes straight, the left arm goes to your right shoulder.

Remember to step fast, as there is no blocking or guarding in this move. Get out of the way.

This is a chop. To get the hands in position, practice slapping both hands to your right (right arm to full extension, left elbow bent and left hand slaps right shoulder).

7) "rainbow" or "umbrella" (Duke calls this a "roof")

A: steps forward and overhand cuts in a full swing.

B: steps to the right and slightly back, draw cutting the underside of his wrist. To draw-cut here, edge up, draw back from left to right. The back of the blade should slide across the outside/back of your extended L wrist. As you draw-cut the same angle you step (when viewed from above), your left hand extends out to your left, pushes his arm to your left to check it, and grabs the wrist for control. The hands move in a vertical arc like a rainbow.

For the second part, grab his right wrist with your left hand, and turn it outwards (supinate) to guide the blade away from you. Shift left and chop his neck (which should be extended slightly from the pull), or his arm. You are not pulling the arm in to you, but around you in a big circle to his front right. After the chop, can draw-cut.

Warning: if you aim for his arm, remember your own hand is right there. Do not "defang the wrong snake"!

8) "shave" or "scrape"

A: steps forward and cuts horizontally at B's left side.

B: Step in with your right foot to just in front of his right foot and turn 90 degree left as you scrape or shave his forearm. The idea here is to turn your blade along its long axis and shave the hair/skin/flesh off his inner right forearm. For practice purposes, aim to scrape down the edge of his sword, because the sword is moving faster and is more difficult to scrape properly.

Followup 1: As you are scraping, reach across your body with your left hand (behind your sword) and grab his blade (just the back, do not wrap your fingers over its edge). Tuck your sword under your left arm and turn 90 degree-180 degree left, putting your left foot between A's feet. As you continue to turn, you will stab A in the abdomen with your sword. The turn is all that is necessary, you should not need to jab with your right hand.

Note: if you keep cutting your own throat on his sword, you need to step in deeper (more closely towards him). This technique depends on moving smoothly.

Followup 2: after the shave, reach across your body with your left hand (behind your sword) and grab his blade (just the back, do not wrap your fingers over its edge) or wrist. Shift R and slash diagonal right and up into his armpit. Followthrough until your sword is over your R shoulder, shift L and pull his wrist to his forward right and chop at his neck, just as in #7.

Followup 3: after slashing upwards to the armpit, rotate your R shoulder up, back, down, then forward as your R hand makes a tight vertical loop, keeping the point aimed at him, and thrust to the abdomen.

9) roll

A: steps forward and thrusts at B.

B: In a quick motion, B moves his R hand in a clockwise arc, and the L hand as well, pivoting the sword on a point about halfway down the blade, about the height of his thrust. This will "roll" your sword on top of his, and deflect the attack, ending with your blade pointing at him.

Notes: the R hand is more important than the L. This is not a push-block with the L, it's a roll-over.

By adding a jab after his defense and having your partner deflect and jab, this can become a 2-way drill.

10) inverted cross block

A: steps forward and thrusts at B.

B: drops the point of the sword, and pushes the hilt across his body, the sword vertical and point down, to his L shoulder. B's L arm should be inside the arc of his R arm and sword. To counterattack, B's L arm grabs or pushes A's sword or sword arm to control, and chops out (left to right) and down at the neck.

11) knuckle slash

learned as part of two-man drill.

A: backhand slashes at B, either horizontal or upward diagonal.

B: drops sword onto A's knuckles, edge down, and steps back as draw-cuts A's knuckles/wrist. B's L hand crosses the back of his R wrist to check A's R wrist, and can grasp A's wrist and pull it off-center for a thrust followup.

12)

learned as part of two-man drill.

A: backhand downward slashes at B (second cut of a figure 8).

B: turns left and drawcuts the underside of B's wrist by pulling his blade diagonally up and left, ending with his R wrist above his L shoulder. Let the blade travel and turn it for either a diagonal or vertical downwards followup cut. B's left hand is inside (closer to his chest) than his R hand on the drawcut, and checks A's striking hand in place for the drawcut.

2-man broadsword drill

This drill consists of 5 attack-defense combinations. The partners take turns attacking and defending. In the first exchange, A attacks B and B defends. Next, B attacks and A defends. At the end of the 5, A takes B's role and vice-versa. Therefore each partner does 10 moves before the sequence repeats.

As many of these defenses are recoveries from failed attacks, your options may be limited so that the drill's response is the only good way to avoid getting chopped.

Some of the techniques need to be changed for the sake of the drill. For example, when A follows up his roof/rainbow defense with a neck chop, he would normally pull A's wrist to A's right front until he hits A's neck. For practice purposes, B should let A's wrist go early enough that A has time to defend with a scrape to B's blade/inner forearm.

1. A overhead chops. B#7 roof/rainbow.

Footwork: step in. F: step back and right.

2. B pulls A's wrist, chops to neck. A #8 scrapes B's blade.

(Let A's wrist go early).

F: F:

3. A backhand upward diagonal B #11 draw-cuts A's wrist from slashes for armpit.(#8,followup 2). above.

F: F:

4. B thrusts for A's stomach. A cross-blocks, point down.

F: step in w/??? F: shift to left.

5. A downward diagonal backhands B upward R-L diagonal drawcuts the

at B's head. underside of A's wrist. B's L hand is inside of his R wrist, positioning A's wrist for the drawcut.

F: F: shift to left.

6. B overhead chops, whipping A#7 roof/rainbow.

back from the upward drawcut.

Footwork: step in. F: step back and right.

7. A pulls B's wrist, chops to neck. B #8 scrapes A's blade.

(Let B's wrist go early).

F: F:

8. B backhand upward diagonal A #11 draw-cuts B's wrist from slashes for armpit. above.

F: F:

9. B thrusts for A's stomach. A cross-blocks, point down.

F: step in w/??? F: shift to left.

10. B downward diagonal backhands A upward R-L diagonal drawcuts at A's head. the underside of B's wrist.

F: F: shift to left.

Repeat.