Welcome to Gaia! ::

It's one sword in each hand. There are three forms of Ssang Jang Gum. One is with both blades facing out from the thumb. The second is with both running along the arms, the blades extending from the pinky. The third is with one running one way, the other running the opposite.

I've been thinking about Double Swords/Two-Bladed Swords/Dire Swords/what-have-you, and I can't think of a way that they are both effective and safe enough to use. About the closest things I can think of are a couple of Wushu weapons. One is the Double Spear (a stick with a spear head at either end), and the other is the Kwon Do (a heavy polearm similar to a glaive or naginata on one end, and a heavy spear head on the other).

@Bahvanta: Allô!

hello i have just joined...pleased to meet you all!!!

Hey I just joined too!! ^-^ I hope I have fun here with ya'll! Weeee...

Welcome everybody

Too true.... xd

Hi folks, I was invited here by Marty Nozz after posting in a few MA-related threads in the Sports guild. I've actually been looking for a decent MA guild to join ever since arriving in Gaia-land, but somehow overlooked this one. The ones that I did find seemed to be made up of delusional kids who think they can kill with chi-bolts because they have green belts in American karate (arrogant and childish) and that Bullshido guild, whose members seem to have nothing better to do than adopt a narrow, arbitrary definition of what a "real" martial artist is and then make fun of anyone who doesn't fit it (also arrogant and childish). So I'm glad I finally found this place.

A little about me: My previous background is in aikido and military combatives. I got frustrated with the formality of aikido -- Every second spent bowing or doing some silly opening or closing ritual was a second that could have been spent training. Some of the technique was pretty solid and effective, but technique was all they taught, not fighting. Nothing wrong with that in and of itself, but I wanted something a little more visceral. I had to take a few weeks off to recover from some minor surgery, and just never went back.

So then I dabbled in military combatives for a few months. Lots of live sparring, which I liked, but the technique was sloppy and the classes lacked structure and focus. It also didn't have the friendly atmosphere that I loved about aikido, which bothered me, because MA training is as much a social activity as anything else as far as I'm concerned. If I'm not making friends, then I'd rather be somewhere where I will.

I'm currently in a mixed martial arts program that trains in panaktukan, kali, jun fan, muay thai, and American combat wrestling. I love it so far. It's the best of all possible worlds: Effective technique, an excellent workout, lots of fun, friendly people, and no silly white pajamas or traditional ritualistic stuff (again, nothing inherently wrong with that, it's just not for me razz )

Haha... Well, to each their own. blaugh

I'm happiest in a silly t-shirt and silly nylon pants.

Lol, I hate having to hold my trousers up when doing tuck jumps...