James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
Tai Chi Chinese Practice Sword For Slow Form | Martial Arts Beginner Training, High Carbon Stainless Steel
1 min read
This Tai Chi Practice Sword offers beginning Tai Chi sword players a chance to start out with a blade of decent quality — and still stay within the recreational budget. Be prepared for some minor adjustments you’ll need to do on your own.
The sword itself follows a common Tai Chi pattern. The 29-1/2-inch high carbon stainless steel blade won’t flex to the degree that a higher quality sword of spring steel would, but for practicing the slow form, this isn’t an issue. Some fittings could work loose and might require a little ingenuity with a glue gun to repair, but you can’t always expect perfection from a bargain sword. Here, you get a good blade with nice balance and an overall length of 40-3/4 inches that most players will find easy to handle. When you graduate to the finer points of the form you’ll probably want to move up to something better, but this is a practical sword for the beginning student.
Since this blade is solid steel, it will also develop arm and wrist strength better than a collapsible practice sword or a lightweight wooden version. Modern people usually don’t have the fine muscle control or specific strengths required for the precise movements of Tai Chi sword forms. New students may choose the lightest practice swords available. A beginner’s form will look much worse with this heavier blade in hand, but the physical challenge causes improvements that don’t happen with imitation weapons.
The sword includes a nylon tassel and a matching sheath but no carrying case.
James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
This Tai Chi Practice Sword offers beginning Tai Chi sword players a chance to start out with a blade of decent quality — and still stay within the recreational budget. Be prepared for some minor adjustments you’ll need to do on your own.
