Which weapons best?

[AndrewGreen]

Everyone seems to think the staff is a good place to start and is one of the more effective and easy to use weapons.

 

Not really. Against shorter weapons staffs get jammed up pretty easily, especially with beginners. A short stick (2 ft) or to of them seems to be the weapon of choice for sparring amongst most of my newer weapons students. They are easy to become effective with fairly quickly.

 

Most hate the staff as it is awkward and hard to defend with at first.

 

For forms I used to teach bo first. Now I usually do Nunchaku and then let them choose.

 

But really it just comes back to what you want to do with it. If you want to spar to win I'd say go with a shield and sword. But effective for competition, for fun, for self-defence, etc. Are all different and depend on you, you're abilities and your interests.

 

Don't listen to anyone else, try it and figure it out for yourself. Want to know which is most effective for fighting, get a group of people to learn the basics a few each and spar, a lot.

[JerryLove]

I don't like the staff as a good place to start.. .but it depends on why you are learning it. If your looking combatively, I like the knife, handgun, and long-arm as first weapons. For forms training, your criticisms are missplaced.

Not really. Against shorter weapons staffs get jammed up pretty easily, especially with beginners.

That depends entirely on how you use it. The European quarterstaff skills work best up close, and the indonesian spear stuff still works quite well.

 

I do, however, agree with the "for forms, learn what interestes you" advice.

[MantisWarrior]

well theres a lot of weapons out there to learn i think its best to get really good at your style then learn a weapon. i would think the staf is the best bet for your first weapon.

[Kung Fu Hamster]

Nunchakus, soo cool

[AndrewGreen]

well theres a lot of weapons out there to learn i think its best to get really good at your style then learn a weapon. i would think the staf is the best bet for your first weapon.

 

If you're studying a weapons style thats kind of hard isn't it?

[AndrewGreen]

That depends entirely on how you use it. The European quarterstaff skills work best up close, and the indonesian spear stuff still works quite well.

 

Just out of curiousity, How much sparring with a staff against other weapons have you done? This has not been my experience. In close a staff usually looses. It gets grabbed or jammed and you get hit.

[rowland]

Jodo is an excellent source of staff kata, and aikido an excellent source of staff technique. Sensei Dave Paka from Birmingham West Midlands, is an excellent tutor of both bo and jo tecnique. Having trained under him periodically he taught me much about the use of theses weaons.

 

I dissagree that a staff is not an effective weapon. If I had a bo or jo i would feel confident enough in my ability to fight multiple assailants.

 

with respect to unarmed style, my boxing abilities, or lack of would restrict me during a fight involving many opponents. The fear of being penned in or swamped by bad guys would force either a retreat or me reaching for a weapon. If i had even a broom handle utilising my jo techniques i could keep good ditance (in aikido maiai*) and systematicaly dish out fractured skulls.

 

Usheiba, the founder of aikido was adamant that aikido be developed to be as effective as possible. His style was an amalgam of japanese martial arts wich incororated much use of swords and spears. These styles he adapted into both an armed and an unarmed form which follow the same form, lots of low postures and sweeping movements.

 

If your looking t train with weaponry i suggest taking a weapons class from the style in which you already train, with t he aim of becoming at least semi-proficient with as many as possible. The effective use of any weapon comes from its comfortable adaptation to your style.

 

In reply to Andrew Green; bo(long) and jo(short) staff technique is very versitile. Some teach how to disarm an opponent when hes got a staff, some teach defence from assailants enraged enough to attack you even when u have a staff and they try to take it off you. Attack with a staff can be leathal It wouldn't take much to do someone a serious mischeif. The techniques help you attain or retain the weapon as well as use it.

 

BTW i think there would be a gould chance you could safely disarm or neutralise even our 9 mil packing friend at close quaters with the correct use of a staff, as long as hes not too far away. If hes gonna shoot you what have you got to loose?

 

For sword and stick kata check out aikido, jodo, kendo.

 

For excellent close quater staff attack and defence try aikido

'if blood was gold, and i had a cup to catch it, i could be king a thousand times' CR

[fireka]

honestly, its kinda dumb to train in a weapon for self deffense, do it for fun, tradition, and tournament. But if you did want a classic weapon for self deffense, id say either sai or tanto is your best bet. But other wise, yea, learn whatever looks groovy, its all good. BTW what non-weapon art do you study now?

[AndrewGreen]

In reply to Andrew Green; bo(long) and jo(short) staff technique is very versitile. Some teach how to disarm an opponent when hes got a staff, some teach defence from assailants enraged enough to attack you even when u have a staff and they try to take it off you. Attack with a staff can be leathal It wouldn't take much to do someone a serious mischeif. The techniques help you attain or retain the weapon as well as use it.

 

Yes it is, but it is harder to get used to. Beginners tend to find themself jammed up really easily by someone with a shorter weapon which is much easier to use without much training.

 

A staff requires a lot more practice, in handling and footwork to be able to defend against an agressive opponent. It is very easy to close into a clinch against a staff then it is a short weapon, because at that range a staff is difficult to use. One hand to grab the staff, the other is free to strike with the shorter stick.

 

Disarming - Yes it can be done, but its not easy and not something you look for, its something that if the opportunity is thier you take. The most common disarm that gets pulled off for us is close in tight, and grab their stick up against yours (like your holding two sticks) ideally with their fingers in the middle, and do sort of a downward strike behind them to get it away.

[Kaju_influenced]

IMO i think one should master there body first then i beleive weapons only become an extention of ur body which makes it easier to master.