Armor Making

So if you notice there is a link to a site called The Ring Lord. For those that are not familiar with the site they are a fabricator or chainmail and armor equipment to make your own armor of the such.

I've been "weaving" for several years now and am better than a beginner, but maybe not near an intermediate level yet. I've taught myself the basic weaves: 4:1, 6:1, 8:1. I've made 3 complete armor projects: 2 coifs with mantels and a mail shirt.

One thing that drew me to chainmail was that it was the chosen armor of the Moros.


A lot of the armor was taken from fallen Spanish during the Spanish occupation. Metal work was not a strong point of the Filipinos, at least not as strong compared to the Spanish, but they were very resourceful. Many times the helmet of the Moros was nothing more than a hollowed out coconut, and generally you will not see much armor pertaining to the legs since some Moros fought from a crouched position.

The preferred mail weave of the Spanish was the European 4 in 1.


This was the pattern that I learned first, since the others are just a tighter version of this pattern. Not a difficult pattern to learn, but can a little frustrating at times. After you get the hang of it it is not too bad.

Well now I am up to a more challenging project: scales.


I've been working on this for a while and can tell you that it is a far cry from chainmail and is much higher on the frustration meter. I've completed a patch of about 5 lines of 15 scales and am about to pull my hair out. This process is similar to chain, but is easier to lose track of and tangle. The tool used is not the highest quality and needed some tooling before I could use it.

In total I have 4000 scales and 8000 rings which should make an entire shirt-with any luck. If and when I complete it I will post pictures of the completed shirt, but until then wish me luck.

SBG

Technique

tech⋅nique

  /tɛkˈnik/ Show Spelled Pronunciation –noun

1. a way of doing something, especially a systematic way; implies an orderly logical arrangement.
2. skillfulness in the command of fundamentals deriving from practice and familiarity; "practice greatly improves proficiency".
3. the way in which a (usually skilled) process is, or should be, carried out.

So why is technique important? Technique, like the definition suggests, is the skillful use of fundamental skills.

The basics are not just a jumping off point for an art, but are a foundation that needs constant attention and fortification. There is a reason for rehashing the basics more often than doing more complicated things: skill sets need to be constantly polished or the motor skills can be lost. Grandmaster Tony Somera tells us that the Giron System is really found in the basics: the warm-up drills. If you can master these skills then the rest of the system will be much easier.

Obviously techniques vary as much as systems of martial arts do, so what works for one system may not work for another. Let's look at the first definition: a way of doing something, especially a systematic way; implies an orderly logical arrangement. What this says to me is that even though another system may have a technique their way of doing it is tailored to the system structure; they have a logic progression to get to the same answer that fits their needs.

Let's take the round kick for instance. Almost every system has some form of it. Now let's put that tool in two systems: Muay Thai and Harimau Silat. Muay Thai has a very powerful stand up round kick that no one can argue is very effective. Now let's look at the ground system of Harimau. For one how do you throw a round kick from the ground, and better yet how effective can it be? I can tell you that the round kick in Harimau is just as powerful and effective as that of a Thai Boxers, if the technique is sound.

Technique is not there to bore or limit you; it's there to help you. Technique allows you to efficiently perform the tasks laid out by the system structure. I can kick hard, but I have invested time in learning how to do it right. There's a difference in a kick that sounds good and one that is good. I perfected my technique, not by kicking as hard as I could, but by actually kicking slower with exaggerated movements. Eventually the movements became less exaggerated and more natural, and with time I felt real progress with my performance.

When it comes down to it it's the simple stuff that you will always fall back to. The cool, complex stuff is only when someone is taking your picture: coolness points. In a pressure situation you want the most ingrained techiniques to come out, which hopefully are the basics. You will be hard pressed to get that one cool technique you worked on three weeks ago to suddenly surface during a confrontation; most likely if someone punches at you you know what you will do? Hubud. Just think about it.

Doing the basics can be tedious at times, and flat out boring the rest. As an instructor it can be a challenge to come up with ways to trick students into doing something they really do not have the desire to do. Since hubud was mentioned before lets take it as an example. Hubud in the shell form can be done by most blind-folded, upside down and half asleep, which is how most high ranked student end up doing it. You can tell my the deer-in-headlights look on their face. How do you make it more interesting to those students without detracting from the ones just learning it? How about you turn out the lights? How about go outside in the gravel and dirt? How about pack everyone together in a small space? The options are really limitless; we just need to be inventive from time to time.

In the end if it's important to you then you will invest whatever time you have into perfecting it. If you want to hit harder then you will work at perfecting you punching. If you want to be the best stick fighter then you will have a stick in your hand at every opportunity. If you want to be the best grappler then you will roll with anyone that you can find. Being good is not something that wil happen overnight. It will come with hard work and dedication, and learning the techniques laid out by our instructors and the instructors who taught them. Be patient and keep hitting away. Eventually you will topple whatever obstacle bars your path.

Guro Chad

I'm here

Well it's up, but still in transition while I figure out all the nuances of blogging. Enjoy the music, and please be patient while I add more stuff.