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As fantasticly and almost rediculously fast as some of them are moving (assuming the video has not been sped up), I have to wonder whether the training weapons acurately reflect weapons of war. Are we watching what amounts to the Indian equivalent of Wushu, or are the practicioners in the clips simply the creme de la creme? |
* Hoping not to sound disparaging toward the tradition in which Mike trains, I must echo David's sentiments. I've seen these and some other Gatka/Shastar Vidya sparring clips before, and the weapons employed don't seem to reflect the weights of most talwar. Remember --especially between the 17-18c. -- talwar had to contend with plate, mail, and scale armor, and thin, narrow blades like the ones evidently shown (as well as the first example I posted) would not be of great service in the field.
We must also consider that the historic record shows some details that are difficult to reconcile with the present methods.
1. Talwar are regularly shown in a high drawn-back guard indicating a powerful strike employing a full range of body motion, not the 'all in front' techniques here.
2. These strikes are well-recorded in both literature and art as having devastating impact -- slicing torsos, etc. at a single stroke. I don't see how that kind of power can be generated with the short-arm techniques shown.
3. Even though the buckler-sized dhal seems to have become common during the 19thc., artwork shows that larger targe-sized dhal were the norm in earlier times, and of course much of any shieldwork seems to have been disregarded in cavalry use of the talwar. The matter of fencing with the talwar while mounted is still an open issue.
* Viking swords cannot be directly compared to talwars because with the former one's wrist can still straddle the pommel, whereas in the latter it can't.