• Weapons
  BO (Staff)
• 
  
  HistoryThe bo is one of the five weapons systematized by the early Okinawan developers of the style known as te (hand).  In feudal Japan it was part of the bugei (early Japanese martial arts) and was used by samurai, priests, and commoners alike.  Its six-foot length made it an apt weapon against swordsmen, disarming the opponent while allowing the user to remain at a safe distance.

• Traditional use

  The bo evolved from poles balanced across the shoulders to carry water or other loads.  As a fighting instrument, it allowed blocking and striking against a range of weapons.
  
  

• Current use

  Now part of the budo (martial ways), the bo is still used in kata performance.  Physical conditioning with the bo improves balance and upper-body strength.

• Sai

• 
  History
  
  Present in Okinawa and other Asian weapon arsenals, the sai (pronged truncheon) was used to stab, block, trap and punch. Practitioners often carried a sai in each hand, and a "spare"' at the belt. The weapon could also be thrown.

• Traditional use

  The sai is believed to have originated with the pitchfork. As a weapon, it was used in conjunction with various karate stances and techniques, and in defense against sword attacks.

• Current use

  With dulled points, the sai is now a karate training weapon. It tests accuracy in striking and quick block-and-counter techniques. The efficient use of the weapon is much reliant on the dexterity of the practitioner with his thumbs, which the tang is balanced and rotated on along with the loosening and tightening of the grip from the small finger for striking and consolidating power. The early use of the weapon makes the user appear stiff and robotic but as the training advances the flow and unity with body movement becomes ever more apparent. Sai is the practise of 'Shuto' in empty hand and emphasises the need for 'Koshi no Chikara' (Hip power) and 'Suri Ashi'(sliding movement). The importance of body movement and good footwork is ever more apparent as the weapon is of a smaller classification than Bo. Advanced practitioners must learn to throw the Sai, a difficult requirement in view of the weight. The Sai explores the weakness of Bo, thus making Bo-jutsu stronger.

• Tonfa

• 
  HistoryThe tonfa (side-handle baton) was developed as a weapon by the Okinawans, specifically for use in conjunction with karate. Two tonfa were often used simultaneously, and were very efficient against armed assailants.
  
  There is in principal only one kind of Tonfa although the shaft varies in shape from round to rectangular. History has also shown the butt ends to be pointed but this is extremely rare. The weapon attracts two kata in the Ryukyu Kobujutsu syllabus but because of its exposure with the police in the baton form it is a very popular weapon to practice with.
  
  The weapon is used in pairs and is of wood, again red oak or white oak preferably in keeping with the Bo. The length of the weapon is also the same requirements as the Sai, about three centimetres past the elbow when gripped. The weight like the Bo is paramount to the efficient usage of the weapon. Too light and it lacks power in Kumite, too heavy and the techniques lack speed and become ponderous. Again like the Sai there are three grips, Honte-Mochi (Natural), Gyakute-Mochi (Reverse) and Tokushu-Mochi (Special grip). The latter is not commonly used but is very effective and relates strongly to the techniques of Kama.

• Traditional use

  Originally a bean or rice grinder, the tonfa's circular movements as a farm implement evolved into its rotating strikes as a weapon. The side of the tonfa was used for blocking, and the ends for direct punches.

• Current use

  Now an advanced karate training aid, the tonfa aids development of block-and-strike strategies and upper-body strength.
  

• Nunchaku

• 
  History
  Nunchaku as a weapon comes originally from Okinawa (Ryukyu) archipelago which is part of today's Japan. In 1429, King Sho Hashi united the three parts of Okinawa, creating the Ryukyu Kingdom. To decrease the possibility of a revolt, he declared prohibition to carry weapons (kin bu) - none but the king's army and nobles can carry weapons. Of course, usual people became helpless against the swords of soldiers and bandits (wako). To defend themselves, Okinawa citizens and villagers widely practiced Martial arts. In the beginning of XVIII century Okinawa was occupied by Japan, the Okinawa army was defeated and unarmed population was unable to resist to Japanese samurais. Okinawa was turned into a Japanese protectorate; the population had to pay high taxes and was discriminated in other ways. Inhabitants didn't begin serious revolts, but killed Japanese officials and tax collectors here and there, attacked small groups of samurais. Then there were created secret groups who fought against Japanese soldiers. Then warlords prohibited carrying and owning of any kind of weapon, everyone who owned weapons had to be killed according to new law. There was organized the so-called "hunting of swords" (katana-girl) - all iron weapons (and even iron tools) were confiscated, forges were closed.
  
  In these bad days only one knife for a complete village was allowed - this knife was stored on the square of village tied to pillar and villagers were allowed to take this knife only for a few hours and only after confirmation of the village leader. In this period Okinawa martial arts were widely spread as last possible means of self-defense. Of course, knowledge of unarmed fighting techniques can't help on battlefield against regular army, but sometimes it was enough to defend against a few bandits. Citizens mainly practiced unarmed arts of to-te or okinawa-te, which later became the basics for today's karate, villagers usually trained in the use of every day's tools as weapons, today we know these systems as kobudo or kobuj'utsu.
  
  In the hands of a kobudo practitioner usual tools were converted to weapons when needed - not such lethal weapons, as sword or spear, but serious enough to really increase chances to defeat opponents. In the list of most popular tools, which were learned in kobudo as weapons, were such things as staff (bo or rokushakubo), baton (hanbo), sickle (kama), handle of home millstone (tonfa) and, of course, nunchaku. Popular myth say, that nunchaku were used in original as flail, but it's a mistake - Okinawa flail, like European, have human-height length handle, such tools are also used as a kobudo weapon. Nunchaku was originally used as a horse bit. Original nunchaku sticks were curved and became only later the model which is used today - with straight handles. The nunchaku wasn't a very popular weapon - we can see this because none traditional nunchaku kata is known today (for comparison - more then a dozen traditional staff katas are known today). The low
  Popularity of nunchaku came probably from its low effectiveness when used against sword or staff - in such situation tonfa or kama give more chances to defeat the opponent. But one who was skilled in nunchaku usage was able to easily defeat a few opponents, who were unarmed or armed by knives. So today, when swords and spears are passed to museums, nunchaku has become one of the most popular weapons.

 

• Kama (SICKLE)

• 
  History
  
  In 1470, when traditional weapons were confiscated by the Japanese military, Okinawa commoners utilized the kama as a fighting blade, often attaching a chain to the base for greater reach. This longer weapon was known as a kusarigama.

• Traditional use

  The kama was originally used for cutting grass. In close range fighting, the sickle could be used to trap an opponent's weapon, or for striking.

• Current use

  The kama is most commonly used in kata (forms) competition and demonstrations. The forms include circular movements which improve blocking and countering techniques.
  
  The bladed weapon of the Ryukyu arsenal, this weapon brings to the practitioner the feel of steel and the hint of fear a live blade gives. Used, as a pair there is one style of Kama with varying sizes of blade length and shaft size. The corner of the blade to the shaft should have a groove cut into it for catching the Bo and other weapons without the blade digging into and getting stuck into the attacking weapon.
  

• Escrima (weapons training)

  The most obvious feature of an Escrima class is that it is usually weapon-based. Most systems begin by teaching the student to work with weapons, and only progress to empty-hand techniques once the stick techniques have been learned. This is reasonable because most systems have unified their teaching so that the empty-hand techniques are learned through the same exercises as the weapon techniques. The most common weapon used in training is a rattan stick about the length of the practitioner's arm, although the lenght may very from about 45cm to 70cm. Some schools prefer sticks of a particular length, while others expect students to learn which techniques are appropriate for a variety of lengths. Most North American and European schools use hand and head protection when sparring with rattan sticks.Other sticks used for training and for some duels are made of hardwood, such as molave or kamagong (ebony), that is burned and hardened. They can also be made out of aluminum or other metals, or modern high-impact plastics. The sticks can also be padded for training purposes, though this practice is usually only used in schools in North America or Europe.
  
  Many systems in fact begin training with two weapons, either a pair of sticks or a stick and a wooden knife (called espada y daga, Spanish for "sword and dagger"). This is sometimes justified by pointing out that warriors would not have gone into battle with an empty hand; another common explanation is that having two weapons forces the practitioner to use both hands, which is valuable even when working with one weapon: the extra hand is used to control the opponent's weapon and to strike when the range is sufficiently close. (Such uses are banned in modern sport fencing, so sport fencers generally hold the unused hand away from danger.) Historically, people all over the world, including Filipino warriors and Renaissance fencers often trained with a long weapon in one hand and a short weapon in the other. The stick techniques used in Eskrima fall into two categories: the stick techniques that are training for sword fighting, and the stick techniques that are training for stick fighting. As usual, most systems are designed so that the practitioner can adapt their training to either weapon. Other weapons traditionally included in Eskrima training include spears, shields, whips and flails (called nunchaku in the Okinawan martial arts).
  
  

  Eskrima or Escrima refers in a general way to Filipino martial arts. Other terms which have entered into common usage include Kali and Arnis de Mano; occasionally the abbreviation FMA is used. Eskrima and Arnis are the names primarily used in the Philippines today. The name Kali is seldom used in the Philippines and in most cases is an unknown word. The difference in the name either implied the region from which the art originated or the time period when the art was developed.
  
  Many different systems of Eskrima exist, many of which can trace their origins to a single tribe or region. Some of the mast famous systems are the San Miguel Eskrima, Sayoc Kali, Serrada Escrima, Doce Pares, Dog Brothers Martial Art and the Black Eagle Escrima system. In most systems, skills with weapons and with empty hands are developed at the same time, using training methods designed to emphasize the common elements. The weapons used are the single rattan (bamboo) stick (solo baston), double sticks (double baston) and stick and knife (espada y daga). Some systems are know to specialize in other weapons such as the whip and staff.
  
  There are basically no differences between Arnis, Eskrima and Kali. The general martial arts community uses the different names to refer to any Filipino martial art, although most teachers have a preferred name for their art. Originally, the difference in the name implied the region from which the art originated.  In fact, the term Kali did not exist until the 1960s when two well known eskrimadors popularized the word to distinguish what they taught from the teachings of other eskrimadors. In other words, it was a marketing gimmick. Unfortunately, many young men/students came to believe that Kali represented a parent art form of escrima and arnis, and eventually the name, Kali, took on a life of its own. Today, the term Kali is seldom used except for a few areas in the Southern Philippines.Filipino Martial Arts has seen a revival due to the teachings of modern masters such as Dan Inosanto, Cacoy Canete, Edgar Sulite, Leo Gaje, Armando p. Angeles and Leo Giron. The name Eskrima is the Filipino spelling which comes from the Spanish word esgrima, "fencing". The name Arnis is thought to derive from the phrase arnés de mano, Spanish for "harness of the hand". The origin of the name Kali is not certain, although some suggest it is related to the traditional weapon called a kris, karis, or kalis. Another explanation is that the word is a portmanteau of the Filipino words Kamot, meaning hand or body, and Lihok, meaning motion. This explanation may be a more recent innovation, retroactively fitting an acronym to the existing name. However, historically there was never a mother or parent art form known as Kali in the Philippines.

 

• Sword

• KATANA (traditional Japanese sword)

• 
  History
  
  Developed after the bokken, the katana was the favored weapon of the samurai warriors and the most widely used Japanese sword. Drawn in a "sky-to-ground" manner, it was worn in the belt on the left side, edge upward.

• Traditional use

  Employed on foot or horseback as a thrusting weapon the katana was used in battle, competition and in ritual deaths.

• Current use

  The katana is now primarily a popular weapon for kata competition and demonstrations.
  

• BOKKEN (wooden sword)

• History
  
  
  
  The bokken was a popular samurai training sword because it was safer and less expensive than a "live" blade.  When used in competition it could be fatal, and samurai would often keep a bokken nearby while they slept, so intruders could be captured without spilling blood within the house.

• Traditional use

  The bokken was primarily used to practice blocking and entering techniques.

• Current use

  The bokken is still used in place of the katana (sword) for training, competition, and demonstrations.
  

• TANTO (knife)

• History
  
  The samurai wore the tanto either alone, or with the tachi (long sword).
• 
  Traditional use The tanto was used as a thrusting weapon in close combat, although it could also be thrown.

• Current use

  While tanto-jutsu (art of the dagger) is not widely practiced, the weapon can be used in Katas and close quarter combat

 






Ms. Jolene Testimonial - Helping others is one important aspect in the martial arts.  We learn to train well with others. We learn that higher ranks have an obligation to help teach their knowledge to lower ranks and help them learn the same things you have been taught.

"A confident and straight to the point center, dedicated to changing lives one body at a time!"