How We Can Best Describe Nabard To Others

As discussed amongst ourselves and with Master Safakhoo;

We as martial artists are limited by our experiences and tend to categorize martial arts based on the characteristics of the main players: Wushu, Tai Chi, Judo, Taekwondo, etc.)These styles are obviously unique and identifiable by characteristics such as Wushu's acrobatics, Teakwondo's kicking, Judo's throwing, or Tai Chi's slow deliberate movements. Upon analysis however we realize that all martial arts are identifiable as martial arts because they share more similarities than differences- they are all the human expression of defensive and offensive strategies, through the limitations of human anatomy: we each have 2 arms, hands, legs and feet.

The human body has specific capability- when applied in defensive or offensive maneuvers in combat; those movements create a martial art. Though all arts share similar kicks and punches, it is the concept of each art which makes it different and by which each martial art is distinguished. The concept of the art lies in the way the practitioner is taught to comprehend a combat situation and apply the limited defensive and offensive movements of the human body in order to survive.

Though Nabard has many differences, they may not be obvious at first glance- kicks are kicks and punches are punches. Just as its fellow martial arts, Nabard differs primarily in concept. The Nabard concept states that rules limit the instinctive response to survive by programming a practitioner to limited action- in Nabard, definitions are not given to each movement and there is no distinction between defense and offence. Nabard is designed to be a multifaceted style which offers the ability to react and adapt at any angle and to any situation. Practitioners are taught to think in spherical terms rather than linear terms. This allows the Nabard practitioner to intentionally interchange various blocks, strikes, grabs, and throws in order to manipulate an opponent.

If you would like to know more about the Nabard style, please visit the website. You will find a philosophy section as well as a history section which will provide you with more information.

Nabard Combat Website
Nabard Fitness Website

Knowing Your Body...The Greatest Quest

It has been a little over two weeks since my last post due to my work/life schedule being so busy. Well, now things are a little more normal and so here goes another post.

Today I was helping a few students during our Combat class and then in Log Training class as well. During my time with these students, each differing in time spent within our academy, I was able to see how much we rely on our developed ability to understand our body.

It first started when I worked with a new student who has participated in Combat and Log Training classes for a few months now. Although he still feels at odds with his body (most notably his feet), he is doing quite well. I worked with him for a while on his footwork at the end of Line 1 and tried to explain to him how I was able to feel when my feet were correctly positioned within a front stance. I explained how the pressure on my feet is noticeably different when my feet are turned in or out too much, and how the pressure feels against the outside arch of my foot when I am in a proper front stance. I explained that it comes from repeatedly focusing on how my body sends signals to my brain and that it becomes more natural and easy over time. After moving on to work on my own forms I observed him paying attention to his feet more closely and within a few minutes he was much more consistent with his stances and he looked much more comfortable as well. He still needs to continue working on his stances, but he picked up on it very well when he was made more aware of how to focus on his body.

My second exposure was when I was working on the fan technique with a fellow senior student. We were both reviewing our form and were helping one another with various parts of the form. Working with her in this situation provided a very different experience for me. Our hand, foot, and/or body position was more of a remembrance factor than a new discovery like a new student. We have each been exposed to the signals our body provides in these situations for quite a few years now, so it was much easier for us to rediscover and correct some of those form movements which were fuzzy to us for some reason or another.

Lastly, I was helping a very new student during our second class of the evening which was Log Training. She is a student of another martial arts style, and has recently begun taking classes within our academy. During this class, which was her very first Log Training class, she had some difficulty flowing into the training movements. This was not because of her fitness level. On the contrary, she is very fit. The difficulty however was due to the lack of experience with our movements and how she could not coordinate her body as well as she liked. In the end she confirmed the merits of our Log Training class, and is looking forward to her next class where she feels that she will perform much better. She also believes that our Log Training exercises will benefit her transition into Nabard Combat, which requires a lot of movement and fluidity that is not a part of her previous martial arts style. All of this confirmed to me that once we better understand how our bodies move, behave, and react, we are much more able to develop ourselves.

Each of these situations reinforced to me how important it is to know your body. Knowing your body does not come quickly, and not always easily either. Through continued exploration and self study, each of us can become much more than we are currently. Once a person becomes aware of this and accepts the inherent challenges therein, that person begins one of the greatest quests in life. This is the quest of constant improvement. Within this quest, a person realizes that the more they know and understand currently, the more there is to improve upon and the more there is still to learn.

Unique Log Training Movements

Many times a new student will have a strange look on their face when we perform some of our log training exercises. It is a typical thing for this to happen to a student participating only in log training or to a new student of the Nabard Combat System. In each case, these students have not experienced the more dynamic ranges of motion or the unique movements associated with the Nabard Combat Systems weapons. I have tried to explain this to the new students before their first class, but it has always been better received after a class is complete and the student has experienced the movements and motions first hand. Once they have seen an entire class doing the movements as they are trying themselves, it just makes more sense to them through a connection. In the end there is always some amount of surprise at how much sense the movements now make and how much fun it can be.

A few examples of our log training movements relate to our Nabard Combat Systems weapons are included below:

Butterfly Sword Blocks - Nabard Short Logs

Butterfly Sword Attack Around the Head - Nabard Clubs


Butterfly Swords Forward Thrusts - Nabard Clubs


Stay tuned for more to come...