Reflecting blaster bolts

[Rathayatra]

it's fun just to shoot at someone and see IF they can deflect. lol.   This is a great idea to practice deflection. thanks.

[pepsiaddict]

You could get one of the guns and some nerf darts and paint the darts with glow in the dark paint. You can get that stuff pretty cheap and it works well/wont come off. I don't think accuracy of the blaster is too big an issue if youre only training to deflect the darts, and lets not forget blasters ARE clumsy and random haha. All in all I think this is a great nerf gun, its the only one I still have. I had one of the Vulcans though at one point, but I don't think using a fully automatic chain fed nerf gun would be good for deflection training...

I was thinking about the glow in the dark sticks, like these:
https://smile.amazon.com/Glow-Sticks-Bulk-300-Count/dp/B00N1QVCMU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489988251&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=Glow+in+the+dark+sticks&psc=1
Fire those at low speed, at night....THAT would make for sweet video!

Maybe a 3' pipe with a rubber band at one end. Like a slingshot with a barrel.

[obliviondoll]

New nerf "Accustrike" range is a lot better on accuracy than most. I got an Alphahawk for my birthday (yesterday, technically my first Ultrasaber was an early birthday present too), so I will be using it to test my deflection skills.

It has a "bolt action" style cocking mechanism, which is pretty cool, and the darts definitely travel a lot more consistently than the regular ones (I've tested my old darts alongside the new ones in the same gun, as well as the new darts in an older one and they just work better).

[pepsiaddict]

That Alphahawk does look pretty sweet. Let us know how deflecting goes: distances, etc. Extra credit for video.

[Master Uilos]

A few years back, my group actually ran a few tests on how to block/deflect blaster bolts. A friend brought their nerf gear, a few guns, a handcranked gatling gun, the usual. We actually found the most effective way to block/deflect is to keep the saber in front of you, down your centerline.

[Taegin Roan]

A few years back, my group actually ran a few tests on how to block/deflect blaster bolts. A friend brought their nerf gear, a few guns, a handcranked gatling gun, the usual. We actually found the most effective way to block/deflect is to keep the saber in front of you, down your centerline.

That's interesting. I'll have to try it this summer once the snow goes away. I'd like to get good at deflection, just because it is a cool skill to have.

[Darth Cephalus]

Back in the early 2000s, they actually made a set that I bought one of. I still have it around. It was a plastic lightsaber and an imperial droid in a stand. The droid was about the size of a small basketball. When you turned it on, it tracked the lightsaber and shot foam discs in the general direction of whoever was carrying it. It would pivot around so you never knew if it was about to fire. I always found the best way to deal with it was to hold the saber at slightly less than a 45 degree angle across my center line. In made it so I could deflect by moving side to side or by dropping. I dare say foam discs are a lot easier to deflect than nerf bolts though.

[pepsiaddict]

A few years back, my group actually ran a few tests on how to block/deflect blaster bolts. A friend brought their nerf gear, a few guns, a handcranked gatling gun, the usual. We actually found the most effective way to block/deflect is to keep the saber in front of you, down your centerline.

Ha! That's how I held it, tip pointed forward just enough that I could see over it.

[Rapine]

As to bullets: I'm thinking that the Sith method would just be to crush the gun wielder's mind.

[obliviondoll]

Can't get video, but confirming a "side stance" with the blade low and grip ready to slash upward seems to make for an easier time catching the shots with the swing. I'm not entirely sure why. I stand with right foot forward, blade on my left side, and slash up and to the right. Also opens up a few options for just reversing the strike, or doing a straight downward slash, or a cut from the right side which I like because it leads back into the deflection stance.

Also I expected that the reverse grip would be less favourable to deflections than it actually is... surprisingly actually a decent option, although the 2-handed side stance grip has given me slightly better results.

For just STOPPING the darts, rather than trying to knock them away/back, the straight upright 2-handed grip is pretty good, but a slightly better option (at least for me) is to use a one-handed grip with the blade horizontal in front of the body. And it's harder to use a reverse grip to stop the darts than to actively deflect them, which I found both odd and cool.

[pepsiaddict]

Very interesting Obliviondoll.
Thanks for the details. Sounds like you practiced a lot!

[kaanapuchris]

For this there should be a circle you stand in maybe 3 feet in diameter. You can dodge and block as long as you stay in that circle.


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[obliviondoll]

For this there should be a circle you stand in maybe 3 feet in diameter. You can dodge and block as long as you stay in that circle.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I didn't have an established rule about it, but I had been staying basically in a fixed position anyway, not dodging, only deflecting. I was only facing a single opponent with a bolt action weapon, though, not something that's semi- or full-auto. Multiple opponents or rapid-fire would probably make me move around a lot more - and having a fixed area in which to be allowed to move would make it a really interesting challenge. I might try and set this up in future - I'll dig up my old maverick and at least have 2 shooters to deal with

[pepsiaddict]

I didn't have an established rule about it, but I had been staying basically in a fixed position anyway, not dodging, only deflecting. I was only facing a single opponent with a bolt action weapon, though, not something that's semi- or full-auto. Multiple opponents or rapid-fire would probably make me move around a lot more - and having a fixed area in which to be allowed to move would make it a really interesting challenge. I might try and set this up in future - I'll dig up my old maverick and at least have 2 shooters to deal with

Badass!

[TheDutchman]

Ever since I was a kid I always thought the coolest part of a light saber was not the glowing sword part, but the ability to deflect and reflect blaster bolts.

I made my first "light saber" when I was 16 with a section of pipe, decorative chain and 32" long 1 1/2" dowel. Hundreds of hours spent having my siblings throw tennis balls at me. I got relatively good at batting them back, stopping them dead, and even redirecting their momentum. We had a massive point system going depending on what I did and what they did - which kept things competitive and them interested, the loser doing the winner's chore. I must have mowed the lawn the entire summer when my older brother learned to throw a curve ball. But eventually....I learned to watch for and hit a curve ball.

I think that this is incredibly cool, not to mention intuitive    Great idea^^

Does anybody else actively practice deflecting/reflecting?

Does baseball practice (and being hit on multiple occasions  ) count?