Fans

[DWx]

Does anyone train with fans?

We were messing around with them in my Tai Chi class and I think I want to have a go at learning to use one properly. What's your opinion or their practicality for self defense? I didn't really think they would be apropriate for today's society but my teacher was adamant that they could still work in certain situations. Also if anyone happens to know a good place to buy them in the UK that would be great.

[bushido_man96]

I am not sure they would be all that practical for self-defense today. They may make a nice distraction, but I don't know for sure. You could try and see, though.

[phi-long]

i train with fans. usefull for todays self defense, heck yeah, ill try to get you guys a video of me vs a jin(straight sword). fans are perfect for tai chi and bagua, specially if you learn joint strikes jlocks and changes. in the right persons hands they can be just as efective if not even more than a sword.

[DWx]

but of a stupid question but:

phi-long (or anybody else),

What materials do you reccommend for a fan? I'm thinking of buying one so I can practice in the holidays but I really don't know what I should be looking for. I've seen ones made out of silk, paper or cloth, which one's better? Also, are there any particular brands/styles that are better than others?

thanks,

[KamasandSais]

All I know is i wouldn't go with paper becuase paper rips.

[lordtariel]

I am not sure they would be all that practical for self-defense today. They may make a nice distraction, but I don't know for sure. You could try and see, though.

The fans they used for self defense were were quite heavy. Worked quite well for clubbing when it was closed up. I've seen them made out of metal. Wouldn't want to take an open one across the face.

[bushido_man96]

I am not sure they would be all that practical for self-defense today. They may make a nice distraction, but I don't know for sure. You could try and see, though.

The fans they used for self defense were were quite heavy. Worked quite well for clubbing when it was closed up. I've seen them made out of metal. Wouldn't want to take an open one across the face.

I have heard that as well. However, I don't think carrying around a metal fan today would be very practical.

[cross]

i train with fans. usefull for todays self defense, heck yeah, ill try to get you guys a video of me vs a jin(straight sword).

I fail to see how a fan being used against a straight sword has anything to do with todays self defense. If you want to do weapon training that relates to modern times, look at modern weapons. Knives, sticks, guns.

Fan training may be very interesting and worthwhile for artist purposes, but its relevance to practical self defense is slim to none.

[Athena]

In today's world? Well..might work well against a street or fist fighter wonder what the heck you're doing with the fan hehehe

[NightOwl]

Not very practical at all, as the only real reason that they had them was because they could be concealed as a regular item since it was common for someone to have a fan and it didn't look suspicious (I was reading the account of a famous samurai named fukushima who wrote of his friends getting a fan that concealed a knife during the violent period before the Meiji restoration). To be frank though, I don't ever see why you'd want a weapon fan over a knife, sword, stick, staff, or even a gun. The time it takes to unfold it gives you a disadvantage over an edged weapon like a knife or sword (and swords can't be carried these days, so they aren't practical for defense either), and there are much better choices for baton type weapons. It doesn't have a place in the world today, and even back when you might have been able to use it, if you were using a fan over or sword you'd be in trouble.