#mando'paru

[atelier-dayz]

Mando’paru (Part Two)

[Part One]

***Disclaimer once again: I am by no means an expert in martial arts, and my knowledge on Mandalorians is a work in progress. Please only take my words as they apply to Jate’kara ‘verse and/or my fics***

My imagining of what Mando’paru looks like is, of course, inspired by Temuera Morrison and the martial arts of the Maori. 

See: 

Martial arts of the Maori

Part about their Weaponry School

About the Taiaha

Temuera Morrison with a prop lightsaber

Youtube is a friend for more videos! :D

The actual teaching part:

My headcanon is that Mandalorians begin combat training at 5 (or the equivalent in non-humans). Whether they start later than that is totally up to the purview of their buire, but the consensus is around 5. 

(Aside: let me tell you tiny five-year-olds learning martial arts is the cutest thing in the world.)

The very basics would include stretching techniques, footwork, stamina training, the basic stances, the proper ways to punch, the different types of kicks, some basic common sequences (like a punch-punch-kick or a punch-stance change-punch), and the likes. 

They then start with barehand combat forms, because you gotta walk before you can run, and barehand techniques can then be translated into forms with weapons. Just like how there are multiple barehand forms even within just the standarized form of wushu with varying levels of complexity, and just like how the Jedi have multiple forms of lightsaber combat styles (Forms I - VII), I imagine the Mandalorians have similar variations in their combat forms (at least four, but seven if I really want to push the parallels LOL). And because they start at 5, and motor skills at that point are not the best, they’d start with a form that’s more basic -- simpler, shorter, less complex -- and one that serves as a foundation for everything else. And they build on that with the subsequent forms.

While Mandalorians use a whole arsenal of weapons, there’s surely an emphasis on being able to fight with your bare hands if you’re unarmed or out of weapons. (See: the fiasco that was Galidraan and Jango killing SIX Jedi with his bare hands.)

After barehand, they’ll move onto weapons. I believe the basics would at the least include knives and a staff/club (I’m imagining here the taiaha but could be others). These basics would also have multiple forms that progress in complexity, building upon each other. The training might then vary based on preferences and the times, such as whether they learn to use a sword or two, an ax or two, a spear or halberd, or even the totally awesome bes’bev. Which might then also have multiple forms based on different teachings.

Other weaponry they’d be trained in that might not include any forms: wires/cables/rope, jetpacks, shields, grenades/bombs, and whatever little gadgets are stored within their vambraces, like the whistling birds. The tools of their trade.

They would of course learn how to shoot blasters and determine if they’d prefer one or two, a rifle, or a heavy artillery type of blaster weapon. They would also learn through trial and error how to incorporate their personal combat training with the use of the blasters. (I’m not saying gun-fu, but totally gun-fu, but less...agile than in the movies considering they’re in armor and Mandalorians are less acrobatic.) 

The combat forms teaches them the movements, helps them build in the muscle memory to perform the movements on instinct. They also need to practice actually fighting, to gain practical combat experience. So of course there are practice fights, either their buir fighting with them or them fighting with other children within their clan or from neighboring clans.

Related though not combat training, they would learn to care and maintain their weapons and armor. They’d likely learn rudimentary forging to fix blades or make small armor adjustments, and if any of them showed propensity, they may progress to become an Armorer through a formal apprenticeship.

At 8, the kid is apparently old enough and trained enough to be taken on missions/bounties but I imagine this is also up to the purview of their buire. I also imagine these to be milk-run types of bounties because CHILD SAFETY. 

A Mandalorian is legally by their standards an adult at 13. So they should be fully trained by then, but that would vary based on when they started their training, and I totally imagine some buire keeping them close by for a few more years because THIRTEEN.

How this all applies to Jate’kara:

Obi asks Jango a bunch of questions while he’s teaching Anakin some of the basics in Mando’paru. And Jango realizes that Obi was not trained in Mando’paru by one Mandalorian, but by multiple trainers based on the specifics of the questions he asked --  “on the positioning of a hand, on the degrees of rotation on a kick, on a variation on a sequence of movements”. These are all variations that would be seen in different styles, from multiple teachers. Obi did not learn a style standardized by ONE clan. He instead learned from multiple trainers from multiple clans (who all totally sniped at each other because the “proper” way of doing a form and tried to one-up each other), leading him knowing a mixture of forms. (Jango would very much like to know exactly what the kriff went down on Mandalore during Obi’s visit and also who those trainers were 8D)

[atelier-dayz]

When you have the time or feel up to it, could you talk about Mando'paru? I was rereading Jate'kara and I saw that you were willing to go into details! :D

I would be happy too!! 

(It took me a while to reply because I got carried away. Hopefully it’s coherent enough for people. I put most of it under a read more but Tumblr keeps eating it??? People on mobile, APOLOGIES LOL)

***Disclaimer: I am by no means an expert in martial arts, and my knowledge on Mandalorians is a work in progress. Please only take my words as they apply to Jate’kara ‘verse and/or my fics***

Mando’akaan’paru 

Or Mando’paru for short, is what I came up with to refer to Mandalorian martial arts (literally, “Mandalorian combat form”).

While doing research looking for the Mando’a for Mandalorian martial arts before realizing I had to make it up myself, I came across this comment on Reddit by @/grasscoveredhouses, which I found a fantastic starting point for me:

I am 100% behind the idea that Mando’paru is structured similarly to wushu. If only because I am biased and have been practicing wushu on and off since I was 12 and that’s where my frame of reference comes from. With the Mandalorians’ clan structure, I also can imagine that there are overarching similarities within their martial arts:

Basic types of punches and kicks

Basic stances and posture

Certain sequences in moves 

Certain targets or strike surfaces (We’re all familiar with the kov’nyn, I’m sure. And when fighting against another armored individual, aiming for the weak points like the joints is likely a key teaching point) 

Holds and grapples, including choke holds

Pressure points (likely limited knowledge that not all knew)

And many of their movements were likely originally inspired by the movements of animals -- like with the martial arts of the Maori. 

-- But there will be variability in the style of Mando’paru learned/taught based on what region they’re from, the clan they’re from, who they were specifically taught by, and even the time period they’re in. 

On Region

To use as an example, in wushu, there are distinctions between northern-style vs southern-style -- northern-style having extended stances and punching/kick forms, fluid transitions, and high kicks; southern-style having low stable stances, blocky(?) transitions at times, and short, powerful punches. There are also different schools or families within those styles, so they keep to those general principles, but still look distinctive. (The most popular northern style that I think people are familiar with would be the Shaolin-style, but there are many others, including the animal styles I’m sure people have heard of.) There are also overlaps between the two broad styles, with one influencing the other and vice versa. However, you can identify northern vs southern fairly quickly. 

So how that translates: an experienced Mandalorian would be able to look at how a Mando fights and learn some things about them -- most immediately, which region or set of clans they might be from due to the distinctive flavor for that region. The region would influence the style being taught due to the clans around them (so what’s taught and shared between the clans and how they influence each other), the types of opponents they would have to face (sentients? armored individual? bandits? non-sentients like dangerous creatures?), and the geography. These things would affect what stances or footwork is preferred, if they prefer punches or kicks, what types of weapons they use, what targets do they aim for on an opponent etc.

On the Clan

Someone familiar with specific clans would be able to identify their style or influence in another's fighting style. Especially if it’s one of the longer-standing and/or bigger clans. (I think of this kind of like the different families/schools of wushu styles.) Like I mentioned, the region the clan is settled in will influence their preferences. The clan’s leadership and the experiences the clan had over the years will also influence what’s predominant in the fighting style. (Do the leader prefer short and quick battles or ones with more finesse? Do they prefer open combat or structured duels? Do the clan fight more creatures or peoples? Groups of people or only a few? Do they do a lot of bounties or as a mercenary army?) The clan’s relationship with the clans around them or are friendly with will also influence them. They might incorporate things from other clans that they see useful or just plain fun. They might join into one clan, which could mean a complete meshing of styles or a hodgepodge based on who is teaching. Which leads me to...

Who Specifically Teaches Them

A Mandalorian is taught how to fight by their buire -- both of them. From what I gather, while one parent is off doing jobs, the other is responsible for the child care and the training. And then, they trade off as needed. I also imagine, given their clan structure, that they’re highly communal in their child-rearing. The buire are the main caregivers, but others in the clan are available to help take care of the child. What results is the child will have a main teacher or two as well as secondaries. And as I learned from learning under multiple coaches within the same school while having a “main” coach to go to, each Mandalorian is going to add their own flair to the style even if it’s the same one. They’ll have personal preferences on the things they will emphasis -- how low a stance will be, which stance to do, how much turn a spinning kick would have, high kick or low kick, short jab or a reaching punch, etc. 

They would also tailor their teaching to the individual. This is also depend on the teacher but also the Mandalorian being taught. They’ll emphasis what would work with the kid’s body type and inherent style, what would be most comfortable for them and be the most effective.

On Time Period

A Mandalorian, if they’re experienced enough or seen the style before, might also be able to recognize when someone was originally trained.

To use wushu for an example: the wushu I practiced is the internationally standardized version (so it’s been agreed upon which are the standard taolu or kata for someone to learn). I learned the introductory barehand taolu when I was 12. Fast-forward to my college years, the introductory barehand taolu being taught was different from the one I learned. It starts similarly and then veers off into a different sequence. All the same elements, but ask me to do that version and I would have zero clue without reference. I would be able to recognize it though. That was a change in less than 10 years. (There was also a change in preferred weapons lengths. Relevant, but then I’ll get even wordier.)

I imagine that might be the case for Mando’paru. The styles change and adapt to their times and changes in consensus within their own clans. I imagine as time went on, many of the clans fought less creatures and fought more sentients. And as their leaders changed and their clans experienced different things, they styles also changed and adapted.

[Part Two]