In yesterday’s post, I was talking about the Lunar New Year’s demo that my teacher’s teacher’s school had done for Lunar New Year. They do it every year, and I’ve attended more years than not in the past fifteen years. I particularly remember the one in 2020 because it was right before the pandemic hit–and it was in this demo that my teacher’s classmate did the Double Saber Form.
Side note: This classmate started roughly the same time I did, and she’s the one I always compare myself to. She might have started a bit earlier, but I’m pretty sure it’s roughly the same time. And she is so much further than I am in terms of forms learned. She loves the weapons as much as I do, so I have thought about asking if she teaches. I don’t think she does, and I don’t know if it would be weird for me to learn weapons from her.
I dok know that my teacher does not care about the weapons the way I do. She hid it well for many years, but when I saated taking a real interest in the weapons, she had to come clean that they were not her baliwick.
It was a relief to find out. Well, not a relief, but instructive. I loved the Sword Form, but did not love the Saber Form. I have come to respect it, but it’s not my favorite. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I came across a video of my teacher’s teacher doing the Cane Form…with a saber. It blew my fucking mind. Once I watched it, it made sense (I have included the video below), but it wasn’t something I would think of on my own.
This is one of my limitations–I don’t just think I can make up a form just because. Come to think of it, it’s mostly the male students who think they can do this–for better and for worse. My teacher had a student who decided to make up a…I want to say Sword Form(?) after a year or so of studying. And that he could teach a friend how to do the Sword Form. He did the Sword Form at the demo and it was…not great.
It’s that culturalization thing again. AFAB ppeople are taught to be modest and not show-offy. The trouble is that show-offy often means drawing any attention to oneself when people from on AFAB people doing it.
Confession: I know I’m good at the weapons. Better than average, I mean. when I learned the Sword Form, I heard from my teacher that two of my classmates complained about how fast I was learning it compared to them (whether or not she should have told me is another issue. She shouldn’t have, but I don’t want to get into it). I understood how they felt on the one hand, but on the other hand, I aws not going to put my light under a bushel and not shine at something I could do well.
I took to the sword so naturally, I have said it felt as if I was born to do it. I learned it at a quick pace, and it was the one form that I have always done fairly well. I also taught the left side to myself so fast, I surprised myself.
I think that was part of the reason I had a hard time learning the saber. I expected it to be the sword, and it wasn’t.. It’s similar to the cane now that I’ve done half the Cane Form with the saber. Very much the same energy whereas the sword is much different..
This is something I would have a hard time explaining to people because it’s all vibes. There’s nothing quantifiable about how I feel towards each weapon, but I have often described my relationships with the weapons similar to romantic relationships. The sword is like a long-term marriage. First love; fire has faded a bit, but it’s cozy and comfortable. Saber is like the person you hated on first sight, then slowly grew to appreciate the better parts of it that I had not seen at first. We will never be passionately in love, but we’re in a comfortable place.
The cane is, well, the hatefuck. It’s my least-favorite weapon, and ironically, doing the Cane Form with the saber has made me appreciate the cane more. But it’s still clunky in my hand. As I’ve said many times, it’s a shame because the cane is a weapon I can carry with me without garnering much attention. But there’s something about it I’m missing. I don’t know what it is, but it just misses for me. I think I would rank it even lower than the saber, and that’s saying something.
Let’s talk the fan. That was the one weapon I really wanted to learn from the start. Why? I don’t know. Because it’s so pretty and fluttery. That’s surprising because I’m not feminine at all, and it’s the most feminine of the weapons. It’s quintessential lady, in fact, and I think that’s actually part of the reason I like it so much. It lookks so innocent and, well, useless. How can it be a weapon?
Very easily, I’ll tell you that much. Even without sharpened spikes/spokes/ribs, it can be deadly. You can poke it anywhere you can poke a finger. And you can unfold it in someone’s face–literally. I have been watching videos of women doing the Double Fan Form (yes, mostly women), and this is definitely at the top of my short list of weapons I want to learn.
But I also want to learn the rest of the Karambit Form, which is far from ladylike. It’s a fast, aggressive dagger form that looks as deadly as it feels. I also want to brush up on my Double Saber Form because I feel like I’m getting sloppy in a few places. fortunately, I can watch my teacher’s teacher do it and learn from the video what I’m fudging.
What weapons did I see at the demo that I would also like to learn at some point? (In other words, also on the short list)?
1. Gwandao. This is XingYi, and it’s so fucking badass. It’s a polearm that is roughly ten pounds. You have to twirl it over your head so you can show you have control over it, and I’m sure it’s excellent for your core strength. I have wanted to learn it ever since I saw it (by the same guy, I think) a decade ago, and the yearning has only intensified in the meantime.
2. XingYi Sword. It’s just cool, and it’s a sword. I want to learn all the swords all the time.
3.. Anything combat. Swords, canes, hands.
4. Bagua DeerHorn Knives, Swimming Dragon Form. It’s just the Hands Only Swimming Dragon Form, but adapted for the deerhorn knives.
5. Taiji Spear. This was not shown at the demo, but I really would like to learn more of it. It’s considered the highest weapon form in Taiji, and while I know the drills, I do not kknow much more than that.
I think that’s enough for now. What do I think is realistic for this year? I’m not sure. At least polishing up all my old forms–I should be able to do all that this year. at the very least..