Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - European Military Patterns- Ethnographic or not?

Rivkin · 8th January 2007, 05:12 AM

I will be honest - I do not know the man you are talking about; what I do not believe is that the word of martial artist should be held over the word of contemporary (i.e. medieval) manual or source, not nessesaraly written by a universally recognized swordsman, since we do not really know who was the top of the cream in 1657.

5 with blunt weapons is a good djigitovka, however I would suggest giving them real weapons (since it is a graduating test) and asking to chop off plums from each other's helmets (this is more historically accurate). However this would not qualify him (I am sorry) to be a middle eastern warrior, just best out of five. There are such things as mamluk manuals, and the level of mamluks was sort of good upper level; when they would slack a little bit, they would be beaten mercillesly by arab bedouins, so we must assume that good armies composed of arab beduins, mongols, turks and others had somewhat similar performance standards, a little bit better, a little bit worse.

I can not imagine anyone remotely approaching the level of mamluk _regular_ soldier. Chopping sheets of paper, where you are told exactly at which layer to stop (i.e. 4th out of 50) ?? Sustaining the rate of aimed fire - 2 shots per second ? Chopping sticks put up into ground 1 yard or so from each other, on alternative sides, at a full gallop from the horseback ? I am not mentioning a great range of other things, but it is staggering. Not to mention that until the middle of XXth century most archery standards held in the medieval middle east where considered in Europe to be pure fantasy, since no one can come close to such feats. But that's what training 24/7 under a guidance of a prominent warrior, since the age of 7 will do to you.

And this is exactly why I am very sceptical concerning martial arts. There are some martial artists who read manuals, research accounts, interact with tribesman who still use weapons or research native sports, that very often contain traces of old military traditions. I respect their research (I honestly do). But when it is told "shamshir was used for hooked stabbing", I am not saying it is not possible, or it is not so, I just do not believe in it. The reasons - no one mentioned it and geometry of the point is different from typical "armour piercing" points one sees.

Concerning my origins, which greatly interest the swordforum community, I have decided to become an isareli-backed turkist or may be even a jew. Makes people madder

!

8th January 2007, 05:12 AM	#10
Rivkin Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 655	I will be honest - I do not know the man you are talking about; what I do not believe is that the word of martial artist should be held over the word of contemporary (i.e. medieval) manual or source, not nessesaraly written by a universally recognized swordsman, since we do not really know who was the top of the cream in 1657. 5 with blunt weapons is a good djigitovka, however I would suggest giving them real weapons (since it is a graduating test) and asking to chop off plums from each other's helmets (this is more historically accurate). However this would not qualify him (I am sorry) to be a middle eastern warrior, just best out of five. There are such things as mamluk manuals, and the level of mamluks was sort of good upper level; when they would slack a little bit, they would be beaten mercillesly by arab bedouins, so we must assume that good armies composed of arab beduins, mongols, turks and others had somewhat similar performance standards, a little bit better, a little bit worse. I can not imagine anyone remotely approaching the level of mamluk _regular_ soldier. Chopping sheets of paper, where you are told exactly at which layer to stop (i.e. 4th out of 50) ?? Sustaining the rate of aimed fire - 2 shots per second ? Chopping sticks put up into ground 1 yard or so from each other, on alternative sides, at a full gallop from the horseback ? I am not mentioning a great range of other things, but it is staggering. Not to mention that until the middle of XXth century most archery standards held in the medieval middle east where considered in Europe to be pure fantasy, since no one can come close to such feats. But that's what training 24/7 under a guidance of a prominent warrior, since the age of 7 will do to you. And this is exactly why I am very sceptical concerning martial arts. There are some martial artists who read manuals, research accounts, interact with tribesman who still use weapons or research native sports, that very often contain traces of old military traditions. I respect their research (I honestly do). But when it is told "shamshir was used for hooked stabbing", I am not saying it is not possible, or it is not so, I just do not believe in it. The reasons - no one mentioned it and geometry of the point is different from typical "armour piercing" points one sees. Concerning my origins, which greatly interest the swordforum community, I have decided to become an isareli-backed turkist or may be even a jew. Makes people madder !