Jian Basics- A form to practice

May 30, 2020

Hello, everyone!

I hope you have also had a good morning's workout and that you are having an awesome weekend.

Today I am at the last post in a series of posts that got written for my friend Nicolas in the U.S.. Nicolas loves sword-fighting and is into HEMA and Lightsabre League battles. Even though weapons training is not a big thing with me I do practice with weapons on Saturday mornings. To me, however, it is more of a physical workout than training for an actual fight using the weapon.

That does not mean that I do not practice fighting techniques at all.

So- how does one get a physical workout while practicing fighting techniques? Well... One way is with forms!

In the previous posts we have looked at some exercises that are also basic attack and defense moves.

We can string all these together in a single pattern that can get practiced regularly. This way our bodies get used to doing all the movements that we need it to do when we use the sword.

Here is our form for doing just that:

1. Every form in Asian martial arts has an opening movement. Ours starts from an upright standing position with the sword's hilt in the right hand (yes- selfie mode on my phone really messes that up, but I really was holding the sword with my right hand!) My left open palm gently touches the blade.

My shoulders are kept relaxed and my arms are kept loose and light. My feet are about a shoulder width apart- or a bit more to make me feel more firmly rooted.

I breathe in, feeling my whole body filling up with air and energy and the sword becomes lighter in my hands, floating upward.

Breathing out I feel my body become as heavy as a rock as my energy sinks down to my stomach and my hips sink as low as they can between my feet. The sword also follows suit and sinks to rest at a point in front of me- just below my navel.

I am now calm and ready to begin...

2. When I breathe in I twist my left hip and shift weight onto my left leg to let a thrust pass me. The sword would stick to the opponent's weapon and ride it all the way until it has passed me.

Breathing out my legs uncoil and like a snake striking at its prey I explode into a sudden lunge and straight thrust.

3. Breathing in again I shift my weight into my back leg and squat down to duck a high swipe attack.

Breathing out again I shoot forward with my thrust just when the opponent's weapon has passed harmlessly overhead.

4. Breathing in again I turn around and withdraw into a crane stance to get my leg safe from an attack.My free hand is extended to prevent me from getting closed off from attacking and the sword is drawn back to have room.

Lowering myself and extending the lifted leg I breathe out and shift my weight forward as I deliver another thrust.

5. Cross stepping with my back leg past the back of my lead leg I breathe in again and prepare to uncoil in a vicious back spin. Then- breathing out- I uncoil and whip the blade out in an outward cut.

5. Twisting my hips into the opposite direction I maintain my firm base and power an inward swipe to my other side.

6. Breathing in again I withdraw into a cat stance facing the front with the sword poised at my hip and then I breathe out as I shoot into another lunge and thrust.

7. Breathing in again I withdraw into another crane stance facing the back again and...

...breathing out I shoot another thrust out to an opponent behind me.

8. Now- doing the cross step and back spin again I turn around to beat the opponent's mid-level thrust to the side while standing in cat stance, then immediately

circle the blade over my head to come around in an outward slice to the opponent's arm or wrist. It is immediately followed up with a pull-back and thrust that ends in forward stance.

9. Breathing in again I twist into a cat stance facing the other way and parry inward this time, circling with the blade to follow up with in inward slice and then I immediately shoot into forward stance with a straight thrust.

10. This turn and twist may feel awkward if you have never done katas like Gankaku/ Chinto or Bassai Sho.

It makes a lot of sense, though, if you imagine being attacked with a downward slash or straight thrust from your right. To avoid the attack and to turn the tables on the attacker and yourself you simply turn and pivot on your back leg to sidestep the attack and then follow up with a lunge and thrust.

11. Pivoting on my lead foot to turn into a back stance facing my right (as seen from the front. Don't let the lack or mirroring in the camera confuse you.),

I prepare to shoot into forward stance and end the move with a reverse thrust.

12. Then, quickly pulling in my back foot I turn around and chamber the blade to deliver a thrust into the opposite direction, ending in forward stance.

13. Now pivoting on my lead foot I twist my body to guide a thrust from my left past me, using the hard part of the blade to stick to the opponent's blade and to guide it past me. This is typically done in forms while breathing in.

I exhale again as I shoot forward with the next thrust...

14. Turning back again to face forward in cat stance again I parry an attack outwards to my right and then circle the blade around to follow up with an outward cut to the opponent's hand or wrist.