Kartuli Parikaoba (ქართული ფარიკაობა)

Thoughts on thrusting in Khevsur swordplay

2020-08-21T16:31:19-07:00

One thing I've really struggled with in my study of Khevsur martial arts is the use of the thrust. As I understand things, there are some very interesting cultural constructs surrounding when it IS or IS NOT okay to thrust in Georgian culture. As a result of this, Elashvili documents NO use of the thrust in his text Parikaoba. that book is an attempt to capture and put down the basics of the friendliest least violent form of Khevsur sword and buckler. But despite the name of this blog, what we're trying to work on and study is "Lashkroba" which is the most serious and most violent of the three distinct levels of Khevsur fencing.

The three levels are:

Parikaoba (we're showing off)
Chra-Chriloba (We're settling a dispute but don't want to kill or seriously injure each other)
Lashkroba (This is war to the knife)

As the intensity goes up, so too, does the use of the thrust. The thrust is considered lethal, and there is MUCH less documentation about it. (I have an excellent article about the use of the thrust in dagger fighting in Georgia by Vakhtang Kiziria that I'm translating in the background as I work on other things right now) and much of what we know of the use of the thrust comes from anecdotes and stories, or from interviews from the last remaining Khevsur who truly practiced the arts in earnest in their youth. It is from that last, as relayed to me by Vakhtang, that some of my latest thoughts on where and how the thrust comes into play in Lashkroba come. As far as I can tell, the thrusts the Khevsur used come in two, possibly three flavors. Under the buckler, plunging from above the buckler, and possibly angled inward from the side of the buckler. (the last i have no direct evidence for yet, but it fits with the rest of what seems to be shown to us in the other evidence and the completeness of the arcs of attack addressed via the cut.) I've been playing with this recently in my daily practice, which I often video and post on my YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/c/MikeCherba Watch there for a more formal video on thrusting in Khevsur swordplay along with some more formal content on Active buckler use!

Shrike's Forge Khmali review

2020-07-14T15:49:33-07:00

Did a review on a new prototype training weapon for our studies made by Shrike's Forge. Check out the write up and the video

https://docs.goohttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1WN622LwNxGRvDuxl-O3fCe4D42FEeO0wiOq0KYrs5kg/edit?usp=sharinggle.com/document/d/1WN622LwNxGRvDuxl-O3fCe4D42FEeO0wiOq0KYrs5kg/edit?usp=sharing

https://youtu.be/pFS_pzV7AQc

Quarantine practice. Several different pell drills with sword and buckler.

2020-04-23T16:42:55-07:00

A little solo pell work during shelter-in-place. My phone mirrored this and I still need to get it fixed. I'm very much NOT left handed.
Basic 3 cut drill
ups and downs drill
Buckler press drill
Drill to cut with hanging parries
cut to a low guard with a thrust
Straight cuts from the upper angles
power cuts to the level shift and thrust
parry of a thrust with transfer and counter cut (4 variations IIRC)
Cut combinations from the high profiled guard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP5-tA7GMJo

New Basics Video up!

2020-02-25T12:13:45-08:00

Check out our new overview video on basic guards, striking, and covers over on YouTube!

https://youtu.be/xZJcM8RMR9Y