Idiot teaches himself the Japanese sword and then sells it

Good and reasonable post, ap :tup:.

Ah well, I've been added to the list of those who may not comment on the Shining Art that is ... erm ... well ... I'd rather not say.

I guess my constructive message to him regarding honesty/morality didn't do the trick :lol:.

How I found out was that I tried to add this comment to his profile but couldn't unearth a way:

Mr Roach, in your profile you state quite clearly that you expect a certain amount of criticism from those with experience in the sword arts and that such criticism does not bother you.

If that's so (and it's a commendably open attitude to put forward) why is it that anything, that is not in praise of your forms-playing, deleted in short order?

Openly abusive posts that are unfit for public viewing I could understand your deleting and quite right you would be to do so. But why remove those that merely point out that, altho' there's nothing intrisically wrong with 'cinematic' forms, what you are doing should not be mis-represented as swordplay?

I don't think that such would be a particularly unfair comment to make but it looks like I'll never get the chance now :sobs:.

 

But isn't that true of anything? The words caveat emptor are true whether it is used cars or sword arts.

Many people get themselves worked up over things like this. To me, that is an incredible waste of time and effort that could be much better spent training. There will always be cretins that firmly believe they know what they're talking about, even though it is patently obvious to the more experienced that they are totally clueless. What that fool does on YouTube does NOT affect my training in the least. I will continue to train the way I train, and do the things I do. If some high school samurai wannabe thinks that what I do should be like this kenvert stuff, that doesn't bother me in the least. If somebody lays out money to learn crapola like that, then it's their own fault for not taking the small amount of time and energy necessary to do a little bit of research first.

 

I once heard a TKD instructors theory on teaching. He believed from white to black belt was meant to be a taste of the art after 1st or 2nd Dan if they stayed then he would teach them the true art. A friend of mine asked him but what will happen to them if they get into a fight out there. his reply was simple "Well, then they will find out." He went on to explane that the white to black belt guys that just wanted the "Black belt" pay for this nice building they trained in so that the ones who wanted real learning had a home to go to to train. This UTube junk seems along those lines. Let these fly by night guys suck up the wannabe ninja samurai dorks so that the rest of us can train in relative peace and quiet. Out there, well, they will find out.

 

Yep. But if we're talking about cars, then there are lots of resources available to help them. If you're talking about sword fighting, then most of the "resources" available are going to be from the entertainment industry. Which is precisely what this material caters to.

Of course it doesn't affect my training. And as I said above, I don't think it's really a huge deal for anyone else's training either. Even those people who currently buy into it. But if, as you suggest, people are going to do a bit of research ahead of time, I'd be perfectly happy for us here to be such a resource. I'm not going to actively try and "bring down" this sort of thing. But serve as the counterpoint? Sure, yeah.


Stuart

 

Thanks. I appreciate it.


Stuart

 

I absolutely agree with you Stuart. I was actually referring to those that get seriously bent out of shape by these clowns. On this and other forums, there are many that rage against what these people are doing. They wail and gnash their teeth about how it makes us all look bad and is disrespectful to those who train hard, etc, etc ... I am all for providing a reality check, but I'm just saying it's not worth those folks getting upset over it.

 

Sukerkin,

I think that is a descent message that wouldn't harm this chap to read so, with your permission, I'd like to post it on his profile (I havn't been locked yet). I also read the first message you put up (before he deleted it) and I thought you couldn't get much more civil than that, so I expect his reaction to this one will be similar. But hey, at least you will have reached out a hand to the guy, not much more you can do than that (other than that bokken-splinters thing).

 

none of you have posted comments on youtube. i seem to be the only one there.

 

Hi Devoken, I think another one of our members has helpfully spoken my word for me on the profile in question - many thanks for the offer, it was much appreciated. Also, many thanks for your opinion on what I said both previously and this time.

Shootdog, people from here and elsewhere have been leaving comments explaining in one way or another that what this chap is purveying is not 'real'. However, the esteemed worthy deletes the comments and blocks the poster so that none (who don't already realise) may know the lack of swordsmanship content in his videos .

 

I have left coments on one of these gentlemans personal pages but the pages with the videos seem to get the posts deleted before they get posted.

 

I agree with you. Sorry mate. My post sounded a lot more disagreeable than I meant it to. My fault.


Stuart

 

heh heh heh, I remember doing those choreography videos, when I was younger.

You know just as long as they have fun doing it. I'm sure they don't tend to perform with disrespect, and make a parody of the style.

But it's definately not good enough to put it on film. They should send that video in a amateur video contest. Though it won't get the best feedback. But it's only good enough to try.

 

And Sukerkin glad to see somebody with a close user name as mine.

 

Haha, turns out he does XMA. Now I totally forgive him; he honestly doesn't know any better.

 

ROFL!

I think I ought to walk away from Mr Roach as I could quite easily get a little 'crusady' about him if I'm not careful. As others have said, yes, that sort of playing does give the non-informed entirely the wrong impression and could get impressionable youngsters hurt when they try and emulate it but that's the case with a great many things.

Tho' when my missus, whose only contact with swordwork is watching me, calls him a "baton twirling nonce" it's hard to fault her :lol:.

 

It seems I've been prematurely blocked from posting on his profile, as I tried to post something there for the first time yesterday and was unable to. I wonder if he has been following this thread as I have the same user name on youtube.

 

He obviously has Jedi-reflexes.

 

:snortle:!

Why on earth did God put the power of easily distributable media into the hands of those least capable of doing anything good with it?

Ah well, at least my responses from the esteemed Mr Roach were just impolite rather than purely vitriolic ... I wonder if that's because I live relatively near ... mmm ... ponders :lol:

 

all flash no substance.