Now, here's a potential that I think was missed in that novel I just read, Dragons of a Lost Star. I mean, I understand it's beer and pretzel fantasy, and so the issue of religion (and its relation to the political structure) would inevitably lend itself to either a Greek-pantheon archetype, or an absence entirely of any meaningful exploration of it. Interestingly, in this novel what there is of the issue revolves around an absence of the the former of those two options, which to me made the setting so interesting (ie, what happens when there is suddenly a void in who has power over everything - who steps up to the plate?).

The trick is, though a messiah-figure is central to the plot (re: Dune, and she uses religion as a political and jihad-ic tool (re: Dune and George Martin's novels), she in turn is herself only a tool in regards to the narrative - and really only to bring back that pantheon-archetype, at that (bleh!). The nominal development there is of that character is secondhand, told only through the plot, and there is no exploration of her internal nature at all. Sadness. But, in the end, that's okay, that perhaps just separates beer and pretzel fantasy from Martin's high fantasy and Herbert's epics.

In other news, might as well do a technique rundown, it's been a while since I've done one of those. In this case, it's a standing sweep from the empty-hand portion Filipino art of kali, a great reference if available being the Kali Tudo dvds from Dog Brothers MMA. Where a more common type of sweep from a striking range (as is a specialty at the eastside KoSho school) is to work from the posterior, heel-side of the leg, for the purpose unbalancing in a stumbling way to make vulnerable for further strikes, this sweep instead works from a more anterior, inside angle. Interestingly, the purpose of kali's sweep is to not unbalance the person, but make them too balanced by widening their base, almost as if they're being forced to do the splits. Then, while they're completely rooted and unable to move, the hurt can be dropped on them.

The sweep itself has the best leverage right at the ankle juncture, and also avoids any clashing of shins, but I've seen a Thai boxer create a similar effect with a slamming shin kick to the inside thigh, followed by a brutal right hook on the recoil (whereas the kali sweep is usually best followed by a downward blow, such as a hammerfist). Another interesting variant occurs if the other fighter is savvy enough to lift their foot away from the sweep - if the sweep continues through, a hook or whip kick back up and over their shoulder becomes almost easy, and while their settling their weight back down, at that.