Damnjanovic Fencing System (Macevalacki Sistem
Damnjanovic) is a contemporary Serbian form of swordsmanship.
Its defining was completed during 2003. and 2004. The foundation
of Damnjanovic Fencing System is a result of personal experience
of Dejan Damnjanovic, its founder, in various Asian and European
sword arts, as well as of his research on various military saber
techniques that were studied on Serbian Military Academies before
1918.
There are two main fundamentals on which Damnjanovic Fencing System
is based. |
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The first is related to the necessity of
combat effectivness and realism as a fundamental of the technique
of the system. The second is related to the idea of defining the
system not as a sport-like, competitive activity, but rather as
a spiritual, meditative process, with the self cultivation as
a primary goal of training. Damnjanovic Fencing System is not
a sport, and it should remain that way. The weapon used in Damnjanovic
Fencing System is the saber, identical to the one used in modern
sport fencing. However, the method of its use is different. The
technique of sport sabre is mostly based on Italian and Hungarian
schools of sabre. Italian sabre school appears around 1860, and
is based on a cut that is performed from the forearm, with the
elbow as the point of pivot. Hungarian sabre school, defined by
a famous fencing teacher from Budapest, Keresztessy, gradually
replaces the Italian school during the first two decades of XX
century. The major reason for the succes of Hungarian sabre school
is its interpretation of cut as a movement of the wrist, thumb
and index finger, which greatly increases the speed of performance. |
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It is obvious that a cutting technique based
on the forearm or wrist movement (as in sport sabre) is far from
being sufficient for the elimination of the oponent in the eventual
real situation of combat or duel. In case in which the idea of
technique is its combat effectivness, it is necessary to base
the cut on the shoulder movement, with the strong use of hips
in the moment of impact. This interpretation of cutting technique,
so rare in contemporary western swordsmanship, on the contrary,
can still be found in some Asian (Japanese) forms of sword use
– Battodo, Iaido and, to a certain degree, Kendo.
The other deformation of contemporary sport sabre is related to
the footwork. In the sport sabre, the footwork implies only straight
line movement, which is the consequence of the shape of the fighting
area. The realistic context, on the contrary, demands footwork
in all directions, even circular movements (similar technical
element in various military sabre manuals, up to 1918.). |
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Another deformation of sport fencing is the
way of holding the weapon. In sport fencing the hold is often
very loose, and not strong enough to cut a hard target, or to
block a cut that is performed with full power. The important element
of training in Damnjanovic Fencing System is the cutting of targets
made of straw, that were before sank in water, with the real weapon.
This training method does not exist in sport fencing, as well
as in majority of schools of historical fencing. Fencing without
cutting training is similar to the shooting without a target.
However, cutting training is still a part of the curriculum of
some Japanese sword arts – Nakamura Ryu Battodo, Toyama Ryu Iaido,
etc.
The other main fundamental of Damnjanovic Fencing System is the
interpretation of fencing as a spiritual process of self cultivation.
The sword technique in this context becomes a method of achieving
the more harmonious state of being. To be more specific, through
the regular focusing on the technique, the mind of a practitioner
gradually becomes, through the years of training, more concetrated
and less disturbed.
There are two ranks in Damnjanovic Fencing System: the student
(all practitioners that have started training), and the master.
To become a master, it is necessary to succesfully pass the examination
that has three parts: physical, technical and theoretical. The
condition to try the examination is three years period of regular
practice. Only a master of Damnjanovic Fencing System has the
authorisation to teach and issue ranks.
Damnjanovic Fencing System is organized in the traditional and
centralized manner. The fundamental structure of its organisation
is "bratstvo" (order, broterhood).
It corresponds to the sports club, or dojo, in Japanese fighting
arts. The leader of one "bratstvo" has
the rank of the master– the "bratstvo"
that he leads is named by his name. The leading body of Damnjanovic
Fencing System, as a whole, is "centralno bratstvo"
(central order, broterhood) – the first that was founded. It has
the authority to accept the other training groups (bratstvo)
in the system. The leader of the whole Damnjanovic Fencing System
is the teacher of "centralno bratstvo"
(equivalent to the president of international federation, in sports). |
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