Tim,Tim49 wrote:Re. ambidextrousness.
A couple of examples to throw into the ring:
I presume most of you are aware of the left handed thrust in Tanto Dori and the mythology surrounding it?
Also:
In medieval history there was once a Scottish clan who trained all their fighting men to be left handed, this was considered dishonourable, particularly when you look at the origins of shaking hands in Western culture, i.e. to offer your weapon hand to a potential aggressor. Also, it is said that in the turret design of European castles the spiral stairways were designed to give the right handed defenders the advantage. The spiral blocked the stronger arm of the invaders but allowed easy access for the defenders. Might be a myth, but like most apocryphal stories there is sometimes a grain of something useful.
I am also inclined to mention a particular duel in The Princess Bride.
Tim
Trained with Steve today and we talked about this.
He showed me some Tenshin Shinyo Ryu versions that are very close to the SYR and (ultimately) the Wado version.
You will remember at the start of All Wado we talked about KK#10 and its comparison to TSR Kinukatsugi (carry the cloth).
FWIW he said that these weren't "typically" practiced on both sides - although there is no harm to.
Just thought I'd share.
Gary