Weapons

Western

Longsword
Side sword
Broadsword
Rapier
Parrying Dagger & Dirk
Sword & Buckler
Spear, Bill & Halberd

Japanese

Katana
Naginata, Nagamaki & Yari
Nunchaku & their cousins
Sai

Multi-Cultural

Staff, Stick & Walking Stick
Cane & Crutches
Knives & Daggers
Found & Improvised Weapons
Last Resort: Unarmed Techniques

Longsword
Longsword is a term used to describe a lot of different swords across the breadth of Europe throughout several hundred years of history,
and the definitions vary quite a bit, even at the time. There were no standard definitions, only a set of conventions that varied from
place to place (at least).Joachim Meyer’s longsword, in 1570, is what some of his contemporaries would call a bastard sword, or what
Victorian writers termed a ‘hand & a half’ sword. But Giacomo di Grassi, writing about the same time as Meyer, describes a set of
techniques for the ‘long sword’ using an illustration of a man carrying a greatsword, too large for any single-hand use.

And that disparity came about within a single continent and a single decade, at a time when both blades were commonly in use, no matter
what you called them. Today, two different museum curators in different places may define two identical swords quite differently.
So it’s not a bad idea to start by defining what we mean by ‘longsword’ in this school.

The SRS longsword style covers the broad range described as bastard swords in their heyday, meaning anything from essentially
one-handed blades, hilts with enough length on the grip for backup from the off hand, on up to swords too heavy for more than clumsy
swings one-handed. (At this end of the spectrum, more of the true greatsword techniques come into play.)

As with all our combat styles, the first focus of study of the longsword is defensive combat. Students begin training in combat
ethics, as well as wards (guard positions) that promote an awareness of correct footing, body positioning and hand techniques.
These foundations are more designed to keep the fighter alive …even against a more experienced foe… than to kill an opponent.
Our longsword style uses both edges actively, and the point as well, to keep the opponent at a strategic range, forcing the attacker
to expose hands and forearms to disabling cuts.

On the offense, attacking with the longsword is characterised by domination of the opponent’s blade, forcing an attack that may expose
the hands. Another general approach may be to move in on guard, exposing a particular area (e.g. one elbow) in hopes of drawing a
predictable attack in turn (in the SRS this ‘mousetrap’ is still regarded as an attack).

Since this often involves moving into second range with the opponent, some discarding and grappling techniques begin to enter the
curriculum at this stage, as do backup weapons such as dagger and short sword. For the most part, however, these techniques are the
focus of the third level of longsword study.

As with all our styles, students train against a variety of other weapons, in addition to the longsword itself.
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Side Sword

In its day, it was usually just called a sword. Today it’s called a ‘cut-&-thrust’ sword. In Italy, it was often termed the ‘spada di filo’, or edged sword, to distinguish it from the rapier with its emphasis on point work. Under any name, it’s a sword held in one hand, designed for both cutting and thrusting

The favourite sidearm of the European Renaissance, this blade was the essential instrument of swordplay from 1400 to 1650 or later. Versatile, quick, and powerful, it adapted to civilian and battlefield use alike. Often used with buckler or dagger in the off hand, the side sword is quick and versatile in combination or on its own. The Silk Road School also practises a double-sword form of this weapon.
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Broadsword
This can mean two things in the modern day, and the SRS offers instruction in either one.

First is the range of Norse and medieval swords, a forged club with an edge, made as much for delivering controlled fractures as shearing cuts. Known as a broadsword today, it was just called a sword in its heyday. Focus in training is placed on understanding of the principles of physics that permit this weight to be moved fast and effectively.

Second is the Scottish basket-hilt, often called a claymore - incorrectly. The true broadsword of the 18th century is a finely-balanced, powerful weapon, well-designed for defense and offense alike. Sharp and flexible, the Scots basket-hilt broadsword offers powerful slicing and thrusting with unsurpassed hand protection.
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Rapier
Favourite street weapon of the rich-boy gangs of Italy, the rapier arrived in England with an inflated reputation among the upper classes. Quick and lethal on the offense, its flaw lies in the fact that a rapier thrust rarely incapacitates an opponent immediately, while its very lightness makes cutting almost useless. A strong defense and quick footing must blend with sudden thrusts and stop-thrusts to bring the rapier fighter home in one piece. In the SRS, the rapier is rarely used singly - the off hand is usually filled with either a second rapier, a dagger, or a buckler.
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Parrying Dagger & Dirk
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Sword and Buckler
Sword-&-buckler play formed one of the most essential staples of European swordplay,
civilian and military alike, for hundreds of years. Over those centuries, folks wielding a huge variety of
swords, in an even huger array of styles, found ways to employ the small shield that faces forward from the
front of your fist. And small wonder: this is a combination that allows for an amazing range of defensive
and offensive options.

From place to place and from time to time, the buckler itself took an even wider variety of shapes- if anything-
than the swords it was matched with: but the basic form remained a simple round disc with a raised boss in the
centre, the grip being placed across the hollow of the boss.

The SRS approach to civilian sword-&-bucklerworkplaces its first focus on an extended buckler arm, keeping a tight
control of the defensive region, and developing control and versatility with the sword around this protective zone.
Often on the defense, the blade is held ‘in reserve’, with the sword’s tip positioned carefully near the rim of the
buckler, avoiding the opponent’s attempts to bind and darting out to attack the attacking hand.

On the offense, the buckler can hide the sword’s intent, and depending on the design, often it can be used to
bind the opponent’s blade in turn. The boss riding on the front of your fist can add serious authority to a
punch, and rim-strikes with the buckler’s edge can break bone. Deceptively simple, the buckler becomes more
versatile and more effective the longer you practise with it..
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Spear, Bill & Halberd
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Japanese

Katana
Kaze-To Gaijin-Ryu (single and paired) - Reconstructed from various treatises, primarily Musashi’s Book of Five Rings and the Yagyu family-transmitted manual (Heiho Kaden Sho), the SRS kenjutsu style has been honed in sparring, cutting and iaijutsu practise for over thirty years. Students typically begin with the fundamentals of paired katana (based on Musashi’s Niten-ichi) and gradually work into single sword and mixed weapon training. We emphasise freedom of movement and adaptability to changing circumstance, employing Musashi’s yin-yang footing and many of the Yagyu defensive stances. As its name suggests, Kaze-To Gaijin-Ryu is considered a "Gendai" art because of its modern roots and mixed sphere of influences.
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Naginata, Nagamaki & Yari
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Nunchaku & their cousins
The SRS uses Nunchaku less as a weapon than a training tool. Nunchaku possess the dubious distinction of being one of the very few weapons with which it’s actually easier to injure yourself than to injure your attacker, and in many places they’re highly illegal. However, they are a superb tool for learning sensitivity to the natural flow of mass that governs the efficient use of all weapons. In our school they are treated as a martial physics tutor: they teach you fundamental truths about the laws of mass, momentum and redirection… and they correct you when you make a mistake. We come at Nunchaku from the “brakes-first” approach developed by Rik Scott in the 1970s: first learn to catch and stop the sticks; then develop the “accelerator” skills, figure-8s and the like.
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Sai
Known primarily as a kobudo weapon from Okinawa today, the sai date back to India before the time of Christ. A primitive form of metal weapon that requires little forge-craft, sai are used for striking and thrusting, blocking and trapping. Usually the sai are used in a pair, but traditionally a third sai was carried by practitioners, so that one weapon could be thrown. Twirls and spins are primarily for show, but they do serve to teach the practitioner control and precision. At their highest level, the sai are superb in use against multiple opponents, striking and blocking in all directions.

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Chinese

Jian
“Jian” is a term applying to all Chinese straight, double-edged swords. This, in turn, is broken down into countless different styles of jian.
The broadest distinction lies between ‘scholar’s sword’ techniques and ‘war sword’ techniques. Scholars’ swords tend to be lighter and more flexible, war swords heavier and more durable. In the SRS we blend yin and yang by focussing on the warrior’s jian applications, as practised with the heart of the scholar.
Delicate blade movement and rapid use of the hands continually threaten the opponent’s hands and arms, while controlling the centre zone of the fight with the point.
Often two of these are handled in a pair- to maintain distance from an attacker, to control the attacking weapon, and to create openings for counter-attacks.. Working with a pair of swords also promotes a more balanced flow of the practitioner’s qi.
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Dao
“Dao” is a term applying to all Chinese curved, single-edged swords. This, in turn, is broken down into countless different styles of dao. (Some styles of ‘long-handled dao’ have hafts five to seven feet long, and the SRS system treats those more as pole weapons.)
The broadest distinction lies between ‘scholar’s sword’ techniques and ‘war sword’ techniques. Scholars’ swords tend to be lighter and more flexible, war swords heavier and more durable. In the SRS we blend yin and yang by focussing on the warrior’s dao applications, as practised with the heart of the scholar.
Both defensive and offensive motions of the sword are executed at a greater distance from the body than in many gung-fu styles seen today. We see it as better wisdom to fight the enemy outside the gates than to allow him inside your house before the fight begins. So while most formal styles of this weapon today emphasise blocks and cuts that nearly brush the practitioner’s body, we work to keep the fight further away - after all, those close moves are utterly impractical in combat. If an actual opponent’s blade should strike your blade in combat, the basic physics of the situation pretty nearly guarantee that you’ll be cut on your own blade as it bounces under the impact of any serious blow. Additionally, these modern formal moves require such delicate timing that it’s far too easy to miss blocking an opponent’s blade entirely.
Characterised by broad sweeping cuts and curving thrusts, the SRS ‘folk pugilist’ style of dao employs one-handed blades for the most part.
Often two of these are handled in a pair- to maintain distance from an attacker, to control the attacking weapon, and to create openings for counter-attacks.. Working with a pair of swords also promotes a more balanced flow of the practitioner’s qi.
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Middle-Eastern

Scimitar, Shamshir & Tulwar
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Archery and Ballistics

Combat Archery: Longbow & Horsebow
The SRS approach to archery is based on principles of ancient scouting or skirmishing combat. Once basic proficiency with safety is developed, students change position with each shot in order to develop instinctive range-finding skills. Elements of training include shooting from cover, partnered shooting, considerations in dealing with armoured and shielded attackers, varied terrain, nocking a shaft while walking (or running) and shooting at a variety of targets.
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Multi-Cultural

Staff, Stick & Walking Stick
The SRS staff style combines Chinese and English techniques in a lively and effective international synthesis. Sparring with padded staves tests technique against the realities of timing and range.
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Cane & crutches
Often seen as badges of helplessness, these tools are amazingly versatile weapons of self-defense. No matter what your reason for carrying these items, they can expand your options in a physical confrontation with unexpected and devastating effect. Explore the possibilities, based on your actual needs and limitations.
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Knives & Daggers
As parrying weapons, thrown weapons, or weapons in their own right, the SRS encourages awareness of the possibilities. The knife is one of mankind’s oldest and most versatile tools. Based in street and military techniques, the SRS addresses the hard realities of cold steel in a defensive, sane manner designed to keep you alive… and out of jail.
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Found & Improvised Weapons
One of the specialties of the Silk Road School is adaptability. And one of the liveliest exercises of that adaptability is the practise of making weapons out of whatever comes to hand. Pens, briefcases, skateboards, crutches, and chairs are only the tip of this iceberg. The real limit lies the individual imagination, and we work to expand that limit to brand-new horizons of creative application.
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Last resort: Unarmed Techniques
The opponent has closed in. Your weapon is a liability. What now? Empty your hands and use the weapons nature gave you: hands, feet, elbows, knees… and your wits. Based in street and military hand-to-hand systems, the SRS offers striking and grappling techniques for a variety of unpleasant contingencies.
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Of Sword and Self-Defense

Weapons