Swordchuck Form

[Hanuman]

Alright guys, I really appreciate the feedback I've been getting so far and it's given me a general and realistic set of goals to work towards, I don't promise I'll be able to do this adapted style with fire in the immediate future (before 2010) but almost everything discussed is on my training plan I'm already working on so this is a sure thing.

I'll check back in a week since my training schedule is going to be tight right now but I will leave with this:

1) I'll post my MSN/WLM messenger address in case anyone wants to add me.
2) I'll check back on the forums and report progress on at least a monthly basis.
3) The more support I get on this issue (just in terms of feedback, not looking for donations) the more I'll focus on this particular style and the quicker it will happen, so please give me some feedback =]
4)Don't hesitate to email me if you want to learn this, all it takes is determination and practice.

Thanks again guys, keep on spinning.

[Hanuman]

Practice has been going well, the form is staying pretty solid and we are playing around with the idea, the main problem I'm having right now is with 180 turns, turning CCW tends to confuse the position of the right length vs the right weight and the weight crosses onto the left of the length and wraps around the hand, vice versa for all positions on the left hand when CW turning. I'll have to invent some finer theory for hand positioning while spinning and I might hook up some LED's to the weights to see the exact movement path during different weaves and spin patterns by using a long exposure camera shot.

Please post any questions or suggestions you might have, thanks.

[bobfish]

What kind of swords are you using?

[Hanuman]

Right now I'm using 2 wooden standard length escrima sticks and using 2 80g silicone core weights for the spinning ends (in reverse grips to emulate tethered ends).
We have a few shipments floating around the mail system right now so there should be some new improvements soon.

For the spinning weights my current options are:
75g chain whip - Aluminum
150g Ball Helix Assembly - Galvanized Steel
550g Chain Mace - Galvanized Steel/Silicone Core
525g Chain Mace - Stainless Steel/Silicone Core
Classic Sockpoi - Wool Elastic Sock/Silicone Core

Some of the orders coming in use LED's to glow brightly which should make tracking the orbits easier.

Thanks for the question!

Feedback appreciated, please post if you have any questions or comments.

[Metastophicleas]

Sword-chucks work best in a 2D theory (the physics behind it is that the cutting edge will always being the correct direction only on a 2D plane). In order to get the flight right, and make them usable, you need to find a way to make a cutting edge that is always flying forward (or the direction of attack). I give you the following: The cross: + ! Think about it, and try it out. You may also find that it will work easier when trying to work a prelimary form, and allow you to get the motion and positioning down pat.

I think. This from 3 hours of sleep, and 6 hours at work.

[Hanuman]

A cross would work even worse because the stability axis is in the middle which is attached via a pivoting swivel which allows the tether to move independently from the weight which reduces elastic torque from the tether, the front cross would cut into the air and want to go either direction and it would then steer the whole in that direction until it was symmetrical, which means the side of the cross would contact the body, the lighter the cross is the less it stabilizes after aerosymmetry and the more it "flutters", think of a leaf flying around in the wind.
If the stability axis was in the front it would have enough air pressure on the tail end to stabilize in mid air, but the natural form for this to take is an Isosceles triangle with the smallest side attached to the stabilizing axis, and of course the only thing light and flexible enough for this would have to be made of fabric, thus a slightly curved flag.

As i posted before, a flag big enough to properly stabilize a metal sword would be too large to use effectively, a smaller one might work but it would cause the entire process to be too dangerous. If I spin proper metal swords it will most likely be a custom balanced one, mix of a straight sword, estoc and modern fencing rapier.

I'm almost 100% certain that my main pair will end up being wood though, that way i can weave a kevlar knot around the whole, douse it in fuel and light it on fire.

I haven't worked out the material components yet, the thing about using swords like this is that the entire physics of the weight distribution is completely different.
What I can tell you is that my maximum weight is about 750g (around 1.75LBS) and that's after spinning progressively heavier designs of chain maces for a good deal of time and building up the muscle strength, if you spun the same things the way I do there's a huge chance you would get severe tendon and joint strain almost immediately, longterm damage would be severe tendonitis which requires surgery.

Even the lightest swords weigh at least 2LBS, swords generally feel a lot heavier than they are just because of how they are balanced, when you spin a longer weight attached to a shorter tether vs a dense weight on a longer tether it puts different strain on the muscles, it's a more intense and rigid feeling which causes trauma very quickly but the weight is greatly decreased because it's closer to the pivot and creates less centrifugal force which therefore means it's lighter and therefore has less chance of causing trauma in the first place, so honestly I have no idea what weight my muscles can take before risking joint or tendon failure with different balances.

[Codemonkey85]

Originally Posted by Lev

honestly I have no idea what weight my muscles can take before risking joint or tendon failure with different balances.

Well, don't hurt yourself! Although judging by your lengthly and detailed posts (this is not a complaint), it sounds like you know what you're getting into.

As a matter of fact, as much as the whole swordchuck joke (and all of 8-Bit Theater really) has drained Brian of his soul, I'm sure he'd appreciate anyway that there are people out there dumb enough to try something he came up with. (Not an insult! To you anyway.)

On that note, I can't find the link anywhere, but I'm pretty sure Brian posted on the news page once that a weapons expert did attempt to do this with wooden swords. I don't think it went well... although, you also have juggling and dancing to help out with the actual sword-chucking, so who knows?

[Hanuman]

As far as foresight, this will work.
The problem the other attempt had probably was trying to use traditional martial technique and adapt it to a radically different weapon physics than it was originally intended for, the style I practice is extremely loose and was only intended for juggling to improve dexterity and combat skill of the ancient Maori tribes and through that became a part of their culture. The adaptability of this form is actually a bit amazing, basically any thing with the weight heavier at 1 end than the other and has a working pivot can be used, if it doesn't have a pivot or it's unwieldy dense you simply attach a tether and there you go.
Really this can work with anything given a few specs:
-Entirety has to be longer than wide.
-Cannot be more than 8" wide.
-Cannot be more than 3'6" (give or take depending on your height).
-Working Pivot or Pivot attachment.

[Metastophicleas]

Wait....did I get across that the cross was supposed to be looking top down? I'm not sure (only two hours of sleep, and now 10 hours at work). :stressed:

Even with it spinning, the cutting edges would be very effective, without any loss of mobility or ease of use.

[MightyMorphinPoodleRanger]

sword chucks look easy after seeing a sith wielding light saber chucks