weapons

[fireka]

i study isshinryu, as ive probably stated a million times. for those of you who arnt familiar with the style it focuses on three main weapons; the Tonfa, the bo, and (my personal favorite) the sai. If you look at the heart of it all, just from research ive done, it almost seems that isshinryu and a lot of other okinawain defense styles are based around 'Anti-sword combat' for very good reasons if you look at there history. so of course, bo sai and tonfa are considered good weapons against the sword. my only disapointment though upon entering the dojo is that i had a great intrest in learning sword (actually, more like learning Boken) i still plan on learning this somewere, if not on my own through books and videos (i know, i know, im going to martial arts hell for that) but i was wondering when i should do that? i mean no time soon, i want rank first. but is it nesasiary to wait until ive gotten pretty desent at my home-styles weapons first?

[tommarker]

i'd wait. think about it... in your brief career in shotokan you developed a few habits that you're trying to break in isshin-ryu.

 

Bad habits with the sword can sometimes have a very harsh learning curve, if you catch my drift.

 

Maybe at about ni-dan or so, you should think about seriously pursuing the sword if you're still interested in it. By then, you might have completely different interests. Especially once you've been doing sai and tonfa awhile.

[fireka]

hum...these are very true statements. the only reason i considered the sword study at home is because while entire styles may be difficult and succesful self training is few and far between, ive actually seen people get good with a wepon at home who were studing another style ( my boss who is a tae kwon do artist learned nun-chuck) but if nothing else ill wait and reconsider weather or not i want to pursue sword in the future at san kyu, dose this sound reasonable? not that id study it at san kyu, just start thinking of weather or not i plan to.

[AndrewGreen]

I think that is a little more myth then fact. A sword will generally beat someone armed with any of those.

[fireka]

i can not speak for bo or tonfa, though ive admired the bo i never studied it, and am VERY new to the tonfa, confusing it at first sight for a mental ward ordearlys night stick! but back when i could not afford martial arts lessons i watched many tournments carefully and saw many cases in which the sai could easily out wit the sword. I am a huge advocate of both this weapons, the sword is a warriors symbol, who wouldnt like it? but there will always be a special place in my heart for the sai, im not to sure why. I look REALLY forward to studing it, though im a long ways away from that oppritunity.

[Withers M.A.A.]

I would wait until you were proficient enough with the weapons on hand before taking on something new. When you are very proficient enough with the above weapons then learn the sword.

[monkeygirl]

Disrespect towards another style (style bashing) is not allowed, under any circumstances. I split off/edited all of this thread's posts that dealt with the disrespectful comments. Please keep all further discussion respectful.

[tommarker]

ive actually seen people get good with a wepon at home

 

who were studing another style ( my boss who is a tae kwon do artist learned nun-chuck)

 

nunchaku and swords are like apples and oranges, and what a lot of people pass off for nunchaku skill is really not much more than advanced dexterity drills. most people who do all the crazy moves for the nunchaku are doing fancy baton twirling, and don't understand the true use of the weapon as a close quarter ensnaring, locking, and strangling weapon.

 

I could easily teach you to manipulate a sword in the same crazy way, but it would extremely dangerous to do so.

 

Whack yourself in the head or thigh with the nunchaku and you might have to get an ice pack or a bandaid.

 

Do the same with a sword, and you need a trauma surgeon.

 

The sword is not a weapon of strength, and IMHO, a few years of learning to maximize the efficiency of your movement in karate-do will make a big difference in learning the sword later.

[fireka]

will, first off i wouldnt go out and start training with a razor blade sharp samurai sword, i would be training with a boken. Just curious though, what sword arts are there besides akido and french fencing? I know theres a couple of celtic forms that still have schools, but im mostly intrested of course in asian styles, prefably okinawa and japan. Also, if do mean 'the way of' and karate-do is way of the empty hands, which means techniquely there are no weapons in karate itself. would you call the weapon arts things like sai-do or tonfa-do meaning 'way of the sai' ect.?

[JerryLove]

I think that is a little more myth then fact. A sword will generally beat someone armed with any of those.

Agreed; this is why the sword is the weapons of choice for single combat in the pre-firearm era.

i watched many tournments carefully and saw many cases in which the sai could easily out wit the sword.

 

And yet I can think of no army in history that preferred to carry Sai's or something similar. I would say that you are incorrect and that the sword is simply a better weapon.

I could easily teach you to manipulate a sword in the same crazy way, but it would extremely dangerous to do so.

I can teach sword combatives in relative saftey.

The sword is not a weapon of strength, and IMHO, a few years of learning to maximize the efficiency of your movement in karate-do will make a big difference in learning the sword later.

 

I believe that varies greatly by sword and fighting style. Certainly strength is not the defining attribut for an epee, but I wouldn't want to be swinging a hand-and-a-half sword without it.