Dom/mes, implement use, and MA

Homburg

Daring greatly
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Aug 28, 2007
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Well, this post is going to seem horribly fan-boy-ish, or something, but I figured I'd ask anyway.

In Dr. Mabeuse's thread entitled "Why do you whip?" I wrote down some prose on my actual experience in whipping, and I realised while writing that I fall into the positions I learned years ago training in Kali-silat. The strikes I use mimic many of the eight pattern and others, and that I shift stances and follow the triangle without even noticing it. It has been over ten years since I did any Kali work, yet I hit those patterns and strikes without even thinking of them. I even hold my off hand in the normal spot.

I also realised that it is why virtually every flooger I've made has a substantially longer handle than commercial floggers I've played with, and why I feel comfortable with shorter crops. It all goes back to that old training.

It is perhaps an esoteric question, but have any other Dom/mes, tops, switches, etc had any MA experience and found themselves falling into those movement patterns?

And I'm starting to wonder if I should start working my old two-stick skills for flogger florentine. Interesting concept.
 
Homburg said:
Well, this post is going to seem horribly fan-boy-ish, or something, but I figured I'd ask anyway.

In Dr. Mabeuse's thread entitled "Why do you whip?" I wrote down some prose on my actual experience in whipping, and I realised while writing that I fall into the positions I learned years ago training in Kali-silat. The strikes I use mimic many of the eight pattern and others, and that I shift stances and follow the triangle without even noticing it. It has been over ten years since I did any Kali work, yet I hit those patterns and strikes without even thinking of them. I even hold my off hand in the normal spot.

I also realised that it is why virtually every flooger I've made has a substantially longer handle than commercial floggers I've played with, and why I feel comfortable with shorter crops. It all goes back to that old training.

It is perhaps an esoteric question, but have any other Dom/mes, tops, switches, etc had any MA experience and found themselves falling into those movement patterns?

And I'm starting to wonder if I should start working my old two-stick skills for flogger florentine. Interesting concept.

I have zero experience with MA. I'm a klutz and prefer yoga.

however I florentine. It IS the same pattern you are used to, according to my Bull who I've florentined upon liberally and is insanely steeped in MA. I use floggers from leathercellar.com - Ms Brenda makes a longer and much heavier handle than other craftspeople because she actually makes a balanced implement.
 
Netzach said:
I have zero experience with MA. I'm a klutz and prefer yoga.

however I florentine. It IS the same pattern you are used to, according to my Bull who I've florentined upon liberally and is insanely steeped in MA. I use floggers from leathercellar.com - Ms Brenda makes a longer and much heavier handle than other craftspeople because she actually makes a balanced implement.

That's exactly it - balance. Commercially produced short-handled floggers are wicked ubalanced for me, and the ones with weighted handles work better, but don't swing right. Balance point should be just forward of the hand, or just below it, depending on what I'm doing.

I've just never felt comfortable with soft implements unless I make them.

Time to make some matching floggers for "v" and see if I can dredge up more old movements.

And I am glad that someone else saw the same thing. One lesson you learn from JKD is that the human body can only move in certain directions and angles with any sort of effeicacy. If you leave those directions and angles, you lose power, control, or speed. So every competent MA uses those directions and angles, period. It's just a matter of figuring out how to applies those angles and directions to what you do.

In may case, I've taken to my long-handled floggers with my old Kali drills. It's no damned wonder that it felt so natural the first time I touched it.
 
Did some flogger florentine last night with a pair of these. They are decadent and soft, a silken kiss as opposed to a fiery sting. And they are woefully short-handled and ill-suited to the task, but, oh, "v" had been so good. I could not refuse when she asked for the rope flogger. Her gasp of surpise when I started with the second was music to my ears.

And, yes, I fell right into two-stick drills. Bit tough, as the handles and balance were off, and the falls on these are more than a bit interested in going their own way. The challenge was worthwhile, and her pleasure was a palpable thing.

So, hooray for all that time I spent playing with sticks and blades in Kali. Who knew I would ever put it to such good use? =)
 
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