the sai

[darkreaper]

Hey all

I' m a bit new to the site but very

familier w/kenpo karate. In our dojo and when someone advances to

advanced blue belt and they automatically get to how to handle a bo

staff. (Our rankings go: White, yellow, purple, blue, advanced

blue, green and advanced green and brown and black). (i just

recentally recieved my brown belt.) Once you hit brown belt you

are able to choose a new type of weapon, whatever it may be. I was

looking into different kinds of weapons and their anatomy and how they

handle. I finially decided in geting a pair of Sai. Our dojo is not

very familier w/it so i did some research. I checked out different

sites and even bought a book ON it and but im still having trouble

learning some of the basic and advanced techniques. I was wondering if

anyone knows a good resource thats reliable and show' S step by step

instructions. Thanx

[AndrewGreen]

First you need to lear to hold them right;

Step one, find a big post and beat on it, strikes and stabs. When you stop saying ouch that step is done.

Step two, get someone to swing a stick at you, when your blocks (open and closed) are able to stop the stick and not bruise your forearms that step is done.

Oh, and yes, I am being serious, the way most people hold sai would likely break their index finger if they actually hit something with them.

[Sauzin]

Um let me add a step .5 and perhaps a step .75. Find a good sai before you start beating a post with it. I keep telling people these production $20-30 sai out there are not made for contact. One little imperfection in the mold or a bubble in the alloy and the thing will snap. It's not safe. On top of this productions sai all have a nub in the center or round moto. This makes it harder to get the thumb in the correct position and makes it more likely that it will slip if it is, possibly injuring yourself, especially if you are working against a bo. So my suggestion, before you do any kind of impact work, is get a good shureido, murasaki kobudo, or agina energy sai.

If I were to add a step .75 it would be to find someone who does know sai and pick up tips in person from them. You don't have to go to another teacher per say, just find someone with some legit kobudo experience and ask them questions. It will really help you out long term.

[Rokusho_Tao]

Congratulations on picking one of the most difficult weapons to use! lol. That is not an insult, as I am just now learning to use sais. I am much more experienced with Katana, Boken, or Naginata, myself. Karatedepot.com has some sai instructional videos that my help you out alot.

[darkreaper]

kewl, thanx for the tip

[Pacificshore]

On top of this productions sai all have a nub in the center or round moto. This makes it harder to get the thumb in the correct position and makes it more likely that it will slip if it is, possibly injuring yourself, especially if you are working against a bo. So my suggestion, before you do any kind of impact work, is get a good shureido, murasaki kobudo, or agina energy sai

I finally found a pair of Sai on Ebay where it did not have this round moto you have described. They actually made their own version with the flattened moto. The price wasn't bad either, so I decided to take a chance on it, and when I get it next week, I'll let you all know how they are

[Pacificshore]

I received my new pair of sai that I purchased from Ebay. As far as I'm concerned, they are well made, well balanced, and light The moto is flat vs the round nub, so provides for better control during manipulation of the sai. Of course these are not for hard contact as they are more for use in forms. However, if you don't have the $$ to spend on a custom made pair or a Shureido pair, then this in my opinion is the next best thing versus the "not so cheap" run of the mill ones sold at every martial arts retail store. I will post a picture of my new set in the gallery

For $29.95 plus $8.95 shipping, I am happy with my purchase

[Zaine]

You can only learn so much from reading things, my suggestion is to find someone in your area that can teach you it.

[swdw]

The best made and balanced commercial sai are the TRADITIONAL sai from Shureido. The price is high, but these are real sai that will last a lifetime. Althought they aren't light, you'd swear you could flip them as easy as breathing because of their balance.

On to your weapon choice, you might want to consider a weapon your instructors are well versed in. If you insist on sai, then at least start with the material by Fumio Demura.

[Shrekka]

First you need to lear to hold them right;

Step one, find a big post and beat on it, strikes and stabs. When you stop saying ouch that step is done.

Step two, get someone to swing a stick at you, when your blocks (open and closed) are able to stop the stick and not bruise your forearms that step is done.

Oh, and yes, I am being serious, the way most people hold sai would likely break their index finger if they actually hit something with them.

I am sorry but I totally disagree with this post. The original poster should be out there finding another teacher if he is so interested in learning the sai, or better yet, choose a weapon that your Karate school has knowledge of.

If you practise a weapon or karate by yourself without the proper instruction, you are starting off with extremely bad habits that can only be rectified with years of continual practise.