HOW TO WIN A FIGHT
Kids Chinese Sword Fighting Seminar
April 2010, with Sifu Scott M. Rodell

The main theme of the seminar was How To Win A Fight. The students were presented with three main styles of Chinese sword fighting:

The Sniper/Monkey
The Technichian
The Power Fighter

Our kids swords are specially made for training in Chinese sword fighting. They are not play swords but are safe enough for the kids to have a lot of fun while training in serious skill. As far as kids fitness activities go, this is among the best. We were fortunate enough to have Scott M. Rodell Laoshi train the children in techniques the adult students are also working on. If you want to know how to win a fight in Chinese swordsmanship, read on.

The Sniper/Monkey

Watch out for sniper monkies.

Some fighters like to stand well back, look for a small opening and dart in with a quick cut. They are like a monkey with short, swift movements, darting in to take offensive action and darting out. These fighters are prepared to wait, taking no risk until the duifang becomes careless. Then before you you know it, they have snapped a quick Pi cut to the top of the hand.

Some monkeys perfect the technique of using pi and tiao in succession to snap at the top and also the bottom of the hand. They are fast and don't leave you anything get them back with.

Sifu Rodell advised the children to counter these attacks by getting in first with a power attack. He advised them on how to win a fight of this nature by not letting the monkey play his own game.

The Power Player

Slip out of range, void, counter cut.

This type of swordsman tries to overwhelm you with a huge rush in attack. He charges like a raging bull or like a ram with his head down, coming after you. This sort of attack doesn't give you time to think but Chinese sword fighting is all about staying calm and in control.

The answer to the power fighter is to slip out of range of the cut. Let it fall into the void. Then counter cut while his momentum has carried him off balance.

The children were instructed to know their most natural type of swordsmanship and train in the other types as well so they could be any one of the three in answer to a specific type of duifang.

The Technician

Best fun of the day - The Skirmish. Not many technichians here.

This style of fighting is like the spider. The technician uses carefully trained, correct techniques to deliver precise cuts and deflections. He uses skill and is probably the most dangerous type. 

Rodell Laoshi told the children to how to win a fight of this type by using unusual attacks. A technician is good at countering specific things he has put a lot of time into training for. If you use an angle he is not ready to deal with, you may keep him off guard.

The children practised being one type or another and countering the styles. This teaching was very popular and they have asked for more practise at their weekly training.

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