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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: TopCat <topcat@**.CENCOM.NET>
Subject: Kali/Arnis/Escrima & two-handed martial arts
Date: Fri, 30 Jun 1995 18:38:11 -0500
If you study the styles, you will find that they originated as hand-to-hand
styles. Pentjak Sulat is extremely similar to all of those. The reason is
that it was derived from them. They are not strictly "stick" styles either.
They use everything from paired swords/sticks to sword&shield, knife&stick,
knife&hand, hand&hand, and nearly any other combination you can imagine.
They are taught specifically in the use and coordination of
attacking/defending with both hands whether armed or not.

Now a little note about my post on 2-handed martial arts styles. I look at
things from a "call it what you will as long as the result is realistic"
approach. I know full well that no art says "only use one hand." But many
do stress coordination of moves in a stronger manner than other styles.
These styles I would represent as two-handed unarmed styles. The effect
desired is brought out in the rules in what someone once termed (I believe
it was Damion) a "black box" manner. The means (though they may seem
strange) produce a desired (and realistic) result as long as you look beyond
the exact wording of the rule and into the spirit and mechanics of it.

-- TopCat

Further Reading

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