Throwing Sai

[Shorinryu Sensei]

I believe the sai were used in Okinawa by the palace guards because they weren't allowed to have bladed weapons by the Japanese. The said would be more appropriate than a bo for example, because a bo needs more room to use than a sai does. They were used in pairs, not three's, and if they were thrown...which I feel was a rare occurance, it was generally aimed at their attackers feet at close range in a quick, downward movement.

 

Now...I'm getting pretty old, but not so old that I lived in the time that sai were actually used for a weappon, or farm implement, and we all know how martial arts myth's abound out there. I seriously doubt if the Okinawans threw their sai very often...if ever, because they have lost the use of the weapon as soon as it left their hand. Also, tying a rope to a sai so you can retieve it is simply nonsense. More Hollywood mumbo-jumbo crap I'd say.

 

Back to the origional question...I think the only way you can throw a sai, the same as a knife, without it flipping end over end, would be a "palmed" underhand throw. This would be fairly up close and not have a lot of power behind it I suspect. You'd certainly not be able to stick in it in somebody unless yo utip was VERY pointed...and sai weren't normally made that way. They were made of cheaper, brittle metals that weren't suitable for sharpening.

[Shorin Ryuu]

Oh c'mon. We know you were giving Adam and Eve fashion advice on how to wear their newly donned fruit leaves...

 

Anyway, just one note about your last post, Shorinryu Sensei. I believe the rokushakubo (that's the common 6 foot bo, for those laypeople here) was used outdoors where there was room. The jo (that's about 4 ft for those same laypeople) was used indoors due to space limitations.

 

But yes, the royal bodyguards did like to use them.

 

In terms of penetrating flesh with a throw, I would have to disagree. Hitting someone with the weight of a launched sai would be sufficient to stick someone. That's my opinion, anyway.

 

I would agree on the commonality of it, however. There's no reason to "give up" your weapon by throwing it at somebody.

 

There's actually an old thread about this, but the search command is a little broken right now (For me).

[Shorinryu Sensei]

Oh c'mon. We know you were giving Adam and Eve fashion advice on how to wear their newly donned fruit leaves...

 

Well, Adam was easy...Eve took a bit nore time *ahem*

In terms of penetrating flesh with a throw, I would have to disagree. Hitting someone with the weight of a launched sai would be sufficient to stick someone. That's my opinion, anyway.

 

Hmmmm...I don't know. I'll ask one of my lower ranked students (don't want to use a higher belt, just in case it works) to let me try it on them. I'll report back later on the results.

[ovine king]

sigh..... (hehehe)

 

i still like my answer more....

 

anyway.

 

seeing as we were getting onto more serious discussion.

 

where does the jutte come into all of this?

 

it is used in a similar fashion right?

[1kickKO]

Actually the nunchukus were used as a rice flail, not the sai.

[willow]

Nunchaku were used to harvest the rice. Sai were used to put holes in the ground to plant the rice. THAT's what they are saying.

[1kickKO]

The history of weapons is so bloggy. Nunchukus were originally a wooden flail used to crush rice. Sais just used to be used to plant seeds...many people on these boards to agree with the history of the weapons, but many do, I personally do, but that's your take on it

[willow]

for future reference, the words and their plurals are:

 

Nunchaku- nunchaku

 

sai-sai

 

don't put "s" on the end of them.

[1kickKO]

[ovine king]

no one said that sai were used as a rice flail.