Feb 12
11
Staff Fighting of Shastarvidiya
I first wrote about Nidar Singh here. You can’t really tell from pictures whether or not a martial artist is genuine or a
Master Nidar Singh
poser. With Master Singh’s wild outfit and exotic weapons, I feared for the worst. But having seen him in multiple videos, I can say he’s the real deal. He has a mastery of multiple weapon and unarmed arts as well as an understanding at a very high conceptual level. He can not only do it, but he can explain what he is doing, and why.
Recently I’ve written several posts on staff and long stick methods (The shovel. Ilustrisimo Dos Manos. Modified Tapado.) Master Singh’s method of staff fighting is unique and highly effective.
Here are my notes on his method:
1:27 Construction of staff (ebony) and length (from outstretched fingertip to outstretched fingertip).
1:40 Other Indian staff methods –the staff method and the “gatka” method, which he refers to as an “exhibition style”
3:30 The Shastarvidiya stance
5:50 Master Singh contrasts the vatya (? my guess) method with his method. Essentially, he begins by thrusting, but not just thrusting –he uses curved thrusts and thrusts that come up from under an opponent’s field of vision so that he can’t see it coming until he’s hit.
7:40 He explains how he does a curved thrust. I immediately added this to Big Stick Combat. GM Estalilla does a variety of tricky strikes, but does them one-handed. I have found that devious strikes are easier when done two-handed.
9:40 “This art is the most boring art to look at, but the end result is where all the excitement is.”
10:25 Photographic evidence that Master Singh not only knows what he’s talking about, but can actually fight. The photo captures him launching a thrust right at his opponent’s throat the moment he raises up (telegraphs) to strike. Of course, because the idiot wasn’t actually killed, he continued prancing around. How many people in the crowd recognized the fight-ending potential of Master Singh’s first strike?
13:00 He fights two opponents. Master Singh opens with a thrust, then follows up with strikes once he’s created an opening.
16:30 He demonstrates the pole ax. This reminds me of the Dane ax.
Katar
19:00 What if you get rushed? What about the staff in close? This is the challenge of the big stick and the staff weapons: you’ve got exceptional reach and power at a distance, but are at a disadvantage in close. Master Singh explains how the Indian dagger, the katar, can be used as an equalizer.
This seems to me to be the answer for the big stick –instead of a stick and a knife in each hand, the espada y daga method, carry a knife that enables you to hold a stick with two hands.
22:00 He returns to the instance of the challenge match. What can you do when your ignorant opponent either can’t recognize, or refuses to acknowledge, the fact that you have bested him? Unfortunately, killing him to prove your point isn’t an option. But these guys will flourish, putting on demos, running big schools, and winning tournament trophies.
