Martial
Arts Weapons Training
Martial
artists can learn to
use various martial arts weapons as part of their overall training.
Many martial arts schools, especially those that teach Japanese karate
and Chinese kung fu
styles have weaponry as part of their overall
curriculum. Popular weapons from karate systems include the bo staff,
kama, sai, sword, nunchaku and tonfa. Chinese kung fu styles have
broadsword, 3 section staff, kwan do, whip chain, butterfly knives as
well as their own versions of staff. Of course, there are many other
types of weapons in martial arts but the above are the more common ones
taught.
Some
of the more
exotic weapons include the fan, rope dart and the hook swords. Martial
arts weapons can be divided into short and long range. An example of a
short range weapon would be a pair of sai. The bo staff would be a
long
range weapon because of the longer reach.
Weapons can also be
divided into bladed and non-bladed. Kamas and swords of course would be
bladed weapons where staffs and nunchakus would be non-bladed. In most
training situations with bladed weapons, the blades are not live. That
is, the blades of swords and kamas are blunt rather than sharp. This
adds to the safety aspect of martial arts weapons training. Weapons can
also come in different weights from heavy traditional models down to
ultra light weight versions for forms competition.
Martial
arts weapons
are considered as extensions of a martial artist’s own body. For
example, strikes with a weapon are really extended hand strikes. Blocks
with weapons are modeled after traditional martial art blocking
techniques. Therefore, it is important for martial arts students to be
relatively proficient with martial arts techniques using their own
bodies first before learning to use any martial arts weapon. This will
help the students understand the applications behind each weapons
technique much better.
In most Japanese karate
schools, weapons
training won’t be offered until students reach an intermediate level
such as green or blue belt. There are martial arts that are strictly
weapons oriented. An example is Japanese kendo which is modeled after
samarai sword fighting. Philipino arnis is stick fighting which was
developed in the South Pacific islands.
There
are many
benefits in
training with martial arts weapons. Because most weapons
have some weight to them, their use will help develop muscle tone and
strength. Performing forms or katas with weapons will also develop
coordination.
In
today’s world,
martial arts weapons may not be as practical as the days of the past
when it was acceptable to carry weapons wherever one traveled. However,
with some understanding of weapons techniques, a martial artist today
can turn almost any household item such as an umbrella, cane or even a
set of keys into weapons of self defense if required. Another important
point that shouldn’t be ignored is that most practitioners will claim
that training with martial arts weapons is a lot of fun.
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Samurai And Ninja Swords
However,
not all
martial arts clubs
and studios will teach weapons. Many tae
kwon do
schools for example do not include weapons in their overall training.
This is not to say that Korean martial arts do not have weapons. The
Korean martial art kuk sool won features the staff, sword and cane. So
if a martial arts student wishes to learn the use of weapons, a school
that includes them in their training should be sought after. Another
alternative for students who are otherwise happy with their martial
arts club that doesn’t have weapons training is to get supplementary
private instruction from instructors who can provide it.
Weapons training can open up a whole new dimension to overall
martial arts training. Even advanced tai chi practitioners use swords
in some of their forms. It doesn’t matter if sometimes the swords are
made entirely of wood either since the actual weapons techniques will
still be used in the forms. For many martial arts competitors, weapons
forms are their favorite divisions to compete in.
From a spectator point of view, weapons forms can be very exciting
to watch especially when weapons such as whip chains or kamas with
strings are used since their presentations are so dynamic and even
somewhat dangerous to the user. Such weapons have caused injuries to
users when certain techniques were sloppy or mistimed. But like other
aspects of martial arts, proficiency with a martial art weapon after
much hard training can bring a high sense of satisfaction to a martial
artist.
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