Russian Shashka: this looks familiar

[Darth Cephalus]

I have been seeing a lot of videos lately of Russian women spinning swords. If you don't know what I am talking about, then here is a prime example.

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

Look familiar? Apparently a lot of what we have been doing is a Russian Martial Art associated with Cossack culture. The sword they are using is called a Shashka and apparently I need a couple. This page has some more examples. I would have posted this over in the combat side, but you know how they are over there.
http://singdancefight.com/2014/12/22/how-to-use-dance-with-a-shashka/
At any rate, most of the moves are things we have seen before, there are some neat high low things that were new to me. Had to give them a try.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIFj_1eNgl0" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIFj_1eNgl0</a>

[Master Resolute]

Very nice. Familiar, yes. I learned the plum blossom and little flower through a Central Chinese Martial Arts known as MeiHuaQuan. That being said, when something works, or is popular, it tends to be in other arts as well. For example, I teach Kali and we get a lot of the Krav Maga crowd coming over to us due to the similar techniques. Training methods and mindsets are different but many of the skill sets are similar.

Good stuff DC.

[Darth Cephalus]

Russian Shashka Spinning With Lightsabers: Day 2. Working on some transitions, a bit of timing, and some movement. I think I have it down pretty well at this point. May work on traveling a bit more.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmR_UJYf5Ng" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmR_UJYf5Ng</a>

[Greywolf]

Cool find !

I just had a short look at some of the videos and fund those two especially 'hypnotizing' :

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2fynD7tLiY" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2fynD7tLiY</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do2vsNz-Ync" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do2vsNz-Ync</a>

I really have to get one of my sabers 'spinable' again and restart practicing...

[Greywolf]

Russian Shashka Spinning With Lightsabers: Day 2. Working on some transitions, a bit of timing, and some movement. I think I have it down pretty well at this point. May work on traveling a bit more.

Update: Finally had time to watch your videos, too

How much time has passed since you watched your first Shashka video? I've got the impression you reached the point at which you 'absorb' new techniques within hours

[Darth Cephalus]

I had seen the one with the jacket a while back. If you look, it is in the prime thread on saber artistry. I learned from it the spin I later started to call the wing spin. I did not know what it was and it seemed to be the only video out there. I had not seen double saber Shashka Adyghe until it surfaced in a facebook group a couple weeks back. At the time i thought, well that is interesting. When I saw the same video again a few days ago followed by another, it got me to thinking that this was a thing so I looked into it.  That was me and google translate for a while to get some search terms before I found results. The techniques I didn't have, I picked up in about 2 20 minute practice sessions spread out over 2 days, but to be fair, I have been doing this for a while and it was mostly about learning to isolate and retime things I already knew ow to do. There is actually a fair bit out there now that i look, but almost none of it is in english so search words like "sword" don't work. I had to know the name before I could find it.

I will be posting a bit more about it over in the saber combat section soon (history and such), and if they try to move it back here, I will politely tell them to bite me.