View on weapon spinning

[nickb123]

OK its clear by looking at threads that we all have mixed views on how a weapon should be used. I've decided to give my view about it and I would love to see others' so maybe we can have a deep debate lol

 

Spinning weapons: Its negative sides are obviously that its useless if in an extreme situation you used a weapon in combat. Also its kinda a slight mockery towards traditional martial arts, that its being turned into a frilly 'baton twirly' type thing.

 

However, I believe there are positive sides. Spinning weapons I think does get you more of a feel with a weapon. I do know how to spin my sai and used to do it all the time. I have drawn away from it and developed better striking skills etc, but I still do like spinning my sai sometimes. Its generally quite fun in my view and it does build up more strength and increases flexibility in the arms and wrists (at least in the case of sai anyway).

 

So really I don't believe spinning weapons to be very shameful. If you choose to do it then good for you. But I think you should look into the actual history of a weapon and the arts it is used in before choosing how you wish to learn the weapon. I think a practitioner owes the weapon enough to research how our predecessors used them

 

K there we go, my huge outspoken view. Your turns....

[username4]

yes. were you said that you spun the sai because it was fun well i did that with my swords but just because it was fun although i needed more toward my attack and defence, well; i started useing twirls in my attacks to get to the place faster. example i wanted to strike with the sword running up the back of my arm then sling it out as an attack to distract the enemy and then come in with the opposite sword for the killing-wounding blow. but to get it behind my arm elbow ect i had to quickly twirl it. that is probally the only benefit i see for spinning besides hand-eye quadination wich i was trying to get first and to my surprize i also found that i soon had arms like popeyes.

[username4]

and o ya if you really wanna kill somebody with a sword and look kewl doin it (mabye) go get an instructor if you wanna look cool infront of your friends (if they have no idea how to use a sword) and a fool in the eyes of your master and enemys dont get an instructor. i didnt get one cause i just wanted the hand eye quardination which i now plan on getting from a bo the it why i sold my swords... to buy a bo

[Sauzin]

OK, first off to the original topic. I want to make it very clear. There is nothing shameful about safely spinning weapons or props that look like weapons (hatchets, knifes, sai, torches, kama, nunchaku, etc...). You just need to understand two things.

 

The first is that there is nothing martial about the art you are practicing. Spins are beautiful, fast, and wonderful displays of dexterity. But they don't work in a real fight. Not even a little bit. So don't try it in a fight. You'll get hurt, killed, or go to jail.

 

The second thing you need to know is that you are practicing a respectable art that by working spins and other techniques that cannot be used in a fight is technically a type of juggling. Webster's dictionary defines juggling as: "to perform the tricks of a juggler" and a juggler as "one who performs tricks or acts of magic or deftness". This is what spinning is. As a result going to a martial art forum might not be the best place to find help in what you are doing. Juggling is a very popular art and there are many forums and web sites out there who can help you with spinning faster and doing tricks.

 

I'm now going to try and ignor what frakis is saying about killing people with swords and looking cool . I will just say that I am glad he traded them in for a bo.

[steveb]

and o ya if you really wanna kill somebody with a sword and look kewl doin it (mabye) go get an instructor

 

Just trying to imagine the look on my kobudo instructor's face if a student came in and asked how to kill someone with a sword while looking "kewl"

[ComicBookGuy]

ok, i understand how it's view as a lack of respect for the history of the weapon and such, and i know this thread was probably created due to my thread on kamas, but...no offense, but what's with you guys and how practical is it to use, say a sai, sword, or kama, in battle? i mean, you guys keep saying that all the flash isn't gonna help you win a fight...no doubt there, it's just like XMA, you're not gonna do a snapuswipe in a fight...but really guys, how many of you carry around your sais or swords or kamas when you walk the streets, when you're most likely to get into a fight...you're NOT going to be using your weapons in reality! so that aspect of how practical flash is out of here...however, i do understand that learning a weapon purely for flash is kinda tossing out the history and tradition of the weapon, so for that i will agree with you

[Drunken Monkey]

learning to use a weapon isn't just about learning how to use a weapon,

 

just like learning how to fight isn't just about learning how to punch and kick.

[White Warlock]

And running with Drunken Monkey's comment, weapons practice is an extension of the techniques you study. However, if you condition your mind and body to add flair and fancy to each and every 'extended technique,' you're essentially wasting the functionality of the training associated with weapons. Just because weapons tend to be longer, can be applied more quickly, and are far more sensitive to your actions, doesn't mean you should be filling in all that time saved, with fluff.

 

True, you can dance around and look heapin' impressive with a sword, if someone is coming in with a punch... but really... if you practice fun and silly things, that is what you'll do in a real life confrontation... fun and silly things. Practice what you intend on doing in a real life confrontation, with or without a weapon. If all you focus on is flash, you'll find yourself more focused on 'how impressive' you look, than on how 'effective' your actions are in a given situation.

 

Oh, and frakis, if you had tried that sword strike thingamabob against anyone else who wielded a sword (or a toothpick for that matter), you would have been stabbed six or seven times before you even had a chance to finish impressing him with that cool move.

[ComicBookGuy]

if you practice fun and silly things, that is what you'll do in a real life confrontation...

 

this is what i was trying to get at...you're most likely never gonna need to harness the power of a sword when you're mugged on the street...and even if by some odd chance you do utilize it, even if you trained doing wrist flips, you're not gonna instinctively do a wrist flip when you're faced with a gun...even though you train to do corkscrews or boxcutters in XMA, you're not gonna bust them to save your hide...just like with a weapon in a real life situation (which probably isn't going to happen in these modern times)...but like i said, i understand the belief to train traditionally with the weapon due to the fact that the MA weapons have histroy and tradition to it...so for that i understand...it just bugs me when you guys keep mentioning the ineffectiveness in combat today...