The non-martial arts

[Darth Cephalus]

Nice work. You have that areal switch down. Though it does stall the one hand, it kicks off nicely from the flowers. One's eye follows the motion not the stall. Well done and point. I took a break from the dual wield to work on some staff adaptations of the flips and rolls including a dual wield staff single saber. Expect that vid in the next day or two.

[Darth Cephalus]

Here is a montage of me messing around with a staff. All movies are demonstrated at the start ad are adapted from the rolls and spins tutorial. Some are still clunky with staff. I also put in a token effort of adding music and some basic editing. Enjoy.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkdw62aXGn4" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkdw62aXGn4</a>

[Master Venturous]

I love montage videos like these. You have progressed quite a ways, so well done to you sir.

[Darth Cephalus]

Thanks, I have mostly gotten used to the extra blade, the main issue is the extreme discrepancy in the weight. My initiate blades are HG. With the dual hand stuff, I have to consciously slow down the saber to compensate, and with the one handed spins I have to beware of it generating so much momentum over time that it gets away from me. Something to work with I suppose. Some time in the near future, I will pick through your staff work videos again for tips.

While I am here, a question for CH3M15T. I have gotten pretty good at your areal hand switch technique. I notice though that you do the areal almost exclusively with the right hand. Have you tried alternating between right and left? Just continue the alternating flowers into the upward wield after the right areal catch, wait for the left hand to come up under the right and throw the other switch. It does not land as naturally but if I can get to a point where I can throw them back and forth, I will be sure to post a video. Practice time on this is limited though as I dare not do it indoors over solid wood floors.

[Darth Cephalus]

Wood floors be damned! Here is a demo video that has examples of what I am talking about. A dual wield easter practice session set to music. Features work with flips, different flourishes and flowers, reverse grip switches, aerials, hand switches, and horribly colored blades. Enjoy

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djh2WOtDYhk" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">www.youtube.com/watch?v=djh2WOtDYhk</a>

[DARTH CH3M15T]

While I am here, a question for CH3M15T. I have gotten pretty good at your areal hand switch technique. I notice though that you do the areal almost exclusively with the right hand. Have you tried alternating between right and left? Just continue the alternating flowers into the upward wield after the right areal catch, wait for the left hand to come up under the right and throw the other switch. It does not land as naturally but if I can get to a point where I can throw them back and forth, I will be sure to post a video. Practice time on this is limited though as I dare not do it indoors over solid wood floors.

Couple of reasons why i favor my right hand. Firstly being that i'm right-handed. Second is that my left handed saber is still the plastic hasbro, darth vader hilt. I find it too be too wide and clunky and has alot of sharp corders and protruding bits that can hinder catches. I was going to wait untill i get my 2nd ultrasaber before focusing more on aerials. I'm still trying to train my left hand to do more reverse grip moves.

Point for your new videos. I feel like the apprentice again.

[Darth Cephalus]

I wouldn't say that. It is your move, I am just building on it. Also if it helps, I am having a hell of a time trying to get that move down where you rotate the right blade behind you while more or less throwing a plum flower with the left, and the under leg flip is beginning to look like a move I may never do well. As a tip for practicing left areals, treat the right hand like a prop and throw the saber around it with the left for a bit. Once you get that, use the good hand switch you developed, just switch the good saber into the left first and then throw the areal. At the end of my video I do some of your aerial switches back and forth, and because I am using different colored sabers, you can see that the one in the air during most of the end sequence is the yellow one. It comes out almost like the yellow saber is orbiting the pink one.

By the way, if you are sending in for another saber, I highly suggest getting something that has a comparable design/weight to your first and chipping in the extra $20 for a coupler (shorter blades too if you can afford it at the time) I think you would have fun trying some of these things with a saber staff from time to time. The extra weight and momentum makes it whole new creature.

[DARTH CH3M15T]

bit of a sloppy practice but my under legs flip switch over is vision able. Hurray.  

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfOk-J2G7Ys" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfOk-J2G7Ys</a>

I am having a hell of a time trying to get that move down where you rotate the right blade behind you while more or less throwing a plum flower with the left,

My continual spinning blade move is my reverse grip spin. If you work on this reverse grip spin so you can maintain a nice rhythm for a while and also speed it up amazingly. I can spin faster in reverse grip better than forwards. All the left hand is doing is sort of a plump flower, it is just like doing the alternate plumb flower move but with one of the blades in reverse grip. To keep it spinning now i don't even have to think as i was reverse grip spinning with old canes and sticks long before i even got a saber. but the principle is almost the same as the alternate plumb. Try not to keep the reverse grip spinning to begin with maybe. When flicking the left hand into the plumb when the right is spinning, you still have to flick your hips and body around to give it momentum. but not too far to clash blades. it involves a bit of an awkward lean and maybe a bit of control with how far to reach and swing your arm. It looked a bit clunky when i first tried it but ironed it out rather quickly. but i love reverse grip variations, as i've learned in single blade how to do as many things as possible in reverse grip. Spins, blade barrier, hand passes etc. i may work on a few more reverse grip variations of moves before doing another vid.


actually heres the video of the reverse spin. Simple and visually pleasing. Can be useful to adapt to other things. I like to try and spin like this as long and as fast as i can to help build memory and stamina for inverted wielding.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EurjzHccazQ" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EurjzHccazQ</a>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EurjzHccazQ

[Darth Cephalus]

I saw you threw at least one flip switch with the left. Nice. I fear my saber time is on hold until my out of town guests leave. Should be at least late next week before I have a chance to do any serious practice. When able, I will see if I can get that spin/flower hybrid of yours to work for me and try to polish up my simultaneous switch.

[DARTH CH3M15T]

I'm not too fluid with your half palm switch. so i find the duel switch difficult. i'm running out of things to work on again even though i've got alot too practice with. One move that i aim for and eludes me is trying to catch an aerial behind my back. Would be epic.
Anyways, i'm waiting for my 2nd ultrasaber to arrive 
initiate, silver with colour discs. Can't wait. excited for may 4th. going to try and watch all 6 films back to back. its an Early birthday present to me being my birthdays on the 8th.
And Go Team ME! this is my 100th post.

_LORD_CH3M15T_

[Darth Cephalus]

Congrats and early happy birthday. I think you will like the silver initiate. If you get around to it, I recommend LEE filters rather than the color discs. Only costs a few bucks for the swatch pack and a lot more versatile than the color discs. Did you get a coupler? As for the simultaneous switch, I actually found a more direct way to do it. That inverse double obi/ani switch was clunky. Once my out of town visitor leaves and I catch up on grading, I will post a video. Basically though, it is a simultaneous downward spin into a 1/2 palm spin to invert grips, into a double toss in front of the face to regular grip. It can be transitioned to off of a simultaneous downward and can transition to the same or to an alternating or simultaneous obi/ani.

[Darth Cephalus]

Been a while since my last video. Now that some time has cleared up, here is a tutorial showing a few ways to pull off a hand switch in a dual wield routine from an obi/ani, flowers, and a simultaneous downward spin. Leg flips are also briefly discussed. This covers my take on CH3M15T's flip switch and the simultaneous version I mentioned earlier. There are a few drops and collisions in here as I get caught up in the explanation, but the theory is sound. Look for more polished versions in future demos.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXva3BbXCjs" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXva3BbXCjs</a>

[Master Venturous]

I love how you and Chemist are continually breaking the mold with these moves and finding new ways to adapt them to other things. I personally like the first version of the dual wield switch from the flower. The pause isn't too dramatic and looks good when returning to the flowers afterward. Good job all around and keep up the innovation.

[Darth Cephalus]

I love how you and Chemist are continually breaking the mold with these moves and finding new ways to adapt them to other things. I personally like the first version of the dual wield switch from the flower. The pause isn't too dramatic and looks good when returning to the flowers afterward. Good job all around and keep up the innovation.

Thanks Venturous. So for today I have a couple more resources and a couple dual wield challenges.

The resources
Venturous mentioned Lord Tains in his videos and on the forum. I thought we might benefit from a link

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL709099574915B454

This is another staff resource I found helpful from expertvillage

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6E135A8705590AD6

The challenges
1
I have been messing with reverse grip a bit and am trying to figure out a reverse grip version of the alternating obi/ani. I have a version that can be seen in the last half of this video but I had yo add an extra beat to accomplish it. Basically the same thing Arcanus did in forward grip single saber over in the saberfit thread. Anyone want to take a crack at a more streamlined version?

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0O8YNBiXzs" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0O8YNBiXzs</a>

2
I have also been revisiting Venturous's alternating full plum flower to see if there is a way to weed the stall out of it so that both sabers are in constant motion. I have a feeling that it can be done but have not had a lot of time to work on it. Any interest?

3
With the exception of the overhead and the sideways flowers, the horizontal plain is more or less unexplored. There must be a fluid and repeating spin that can be accomplished around the body while keeping the balde moving horizontally.

[jedijmoll]

Hello all. so cool  I found you on the forum my son and I have been working on our spins and techniques for a wile now with no real master to teach us or lead us to the path of the guardian. so I hope to learn every thing I can from you all. the videos have all ready bean extremely helpful so thank you and may the Force be with you!