Great River Taoist Center – New England Branch
Chinese Swordsmanship Seminars
Greetings and warm wishes to all of you who attended Scott M. Rodell’s 4th and 5th New England seminars on Chinese Swordsmanship, in 2006. This is just a quick note to keep in touch and thank you all for your continued participation. Much gratitude and appreciation goes out to LaoShir, who travels to the New England area for our edification! Through his guidance, we are growing both within the context of our lineage and within the sphere of our own practice.
The most recent chapter unfolded at Brattleboro School of Budo, in Southern Vermont. The Dojo was spacious and clean. The cushioned flooring was a pleasure to work out on and the mirrored walls helped to enlighten us about our posture. Sensei Patrick Donahue proved to be a welcoming host, an open-minded martial artist and a fine person. Our thanks go out to him also!
Friday afternoon Joey, Mark, Kit and I were treated to a FREE afternoon of cutting instruction. “Jersey Joe” Carroll hosted the event at his house in Brattleboro, VT. We sliced up 40-50 plastic gallon jugs filled with tap water. My initial liao cut ended up somewhere on the moon… good for a home run, bad for proper internal swordsmanship. LaoShir corrected many of our mistakes and demonstrated a few flawless strokes. Each of his cuts finished with the point of the jian aimed at the Duifang. (Sure, he makes it look easy…) Check him out at http://www.grtc.org/video/index.html or www.videogoogle.com All good stuff!
The Huanno swords we used performed quite well. They are beautiful, well made, affordable and SHARP! They can be purchased on Scott’s website www.sevenstarstrading.com for the lowest prices in the USA.. Students of this system receive a special discount not listed on the website. (Just ask Scott.)
Saturday we continued our study of the fine Art and Science of Jianmanship. We reviewed the basic cuts, both through group repetition and practicing with a partner. An emphasis was placed on moving from our Dantian. Much attention was given to stepping and understanding proper footwork. Because of the small group in attendance, LaoShir gave us a heavy dose of hands-on instruction. This was one truly intensive training session! There was plenty of free-play and a few bruises told the tale. Since we were an uneven number of participants, Teacher gave us all more than a few matches with him. It was an action packed day, that’s for sure. Even Zorro would have had his hands full! That evening we dined at a Thai restaurant in Brattleboro. Swords, great food and beer!
Sunday we kept cycling through the same quality training. Our group had doubled in size but still had the same intimate feeling. Again, we focused on correct stepping. Kit told me how much he learned from all of the footwork we incorporated this time around. I agree, wholeheartedly. Sunday afternoon, post-lunchtime, Scott gave a show-and-tell lecture about the 8 antique Chinese swords Kit and I had brought down from up North. It’s always a pleasure to hear such a knowledgeable speaker expound on antique weapons. Once again, each sword was passed around the group to examine closely and swing about.
It was great to see Mark, Joey, Kit, Kyle and Christine again! Our deepest thanks go out to Mark for all his efforts as host and chauffeur. Once again, he and his lovely new bride, Louise, pampered LaoShir with their hospitality.
We missed the bright Spirits of several of our core-group. Rob, Amy, Louise, and others were absent from the Dojo BUT not from our hearts.
While the importance of maintaining regular participation in these bi-annual seminars cannot be overemphasized, everyone is encouraged to attend as their busy schedules allow. As the curriculum of this system is cyclical in nature, not linear, people are welcomed to join in without feeling the group has “moved on without them. ” Since the central theme of this study group is the practice, review and refinement of the basic cuts, we all end up where we started… exploring the form, function and application of the cuts inherent in both the hidden Michuan and public Yang family sword forms.
As these events are planned several months in advance, we are proud to announce our SIXTH Seminar on Chinese Swordsmanship in New England! The weekend of May 5th-6th, 2007, looks to be the best time as it does not conflict with World Tai Chi Day, Mother’s Day, college graduations, Father’s Day or high school graduations. A busy time of year, indeed! We would like to continue to hold the seminar at Brattleboro School of Budo. A great place with lots of room.
NEWSFLASH!!! The next scheduled seminar for students of this lineage is in Boston, MA., March 23-25th, 2007. This day and a half event will focus on learning the Michuan Sword Form. Contact bede@stillmountain.net for details. You can also check out www.grtc.org for all seminar listings/announcements.
It has been my pleasure meeting and studying with such a fine group of people! May we all cultivate a deeper understanding of our Art in this coming Year. My personal resolution is to spend more time practicing swordsmanship.
Yours in Martial Spirit, Jon Palombi.