Training With Martial Arts Weapons - Karate Kung Fu Weaponry

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Training With Martial Arts Weapons - Karate Kung Fu Weaponry
By Clint Leung

There are opportunities in martial arts training to learn to
use various martial arts weapons. 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.

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.

About the Author: Clint Leung is a lifelong martial artist with
over 32 years of training experience in kung fu, tae kwon do,
karate, kickboxing and martial arts weaponry. He has won
Canadian and world championship titles (NASKA, NBL and WSKF).
He is also owner of Free Spirit Activewear
(http://www.FreeSpiritActivewear.com) , an online retailer and
designer of premium martial arts activewear. Free Spirit
Activewear has martial arts info articles.

Source: http://www.isnare.com