Martial arts weapons training - Weaponry as part and lethal

Martial artists can learn to use various martial arts weapons as part of their general training. 

Bountiful martial arts schools, especially those that teach Japanese karate and Chinese kung fu styles, have weapons as part of their general modules. 

Prominent weapons of karate systems include the bo staff, nunchaku, kama, sword, sai and tonfa. 

Chinese kung fu styles have wide sword, kwan do, 3 staff sections, whip chain, butterfly knives as well as their own special variant. 

By all means, there are many other types of weapons in martial arts, but the above are the most typical ones taught.

Some of the more exotic weapons include the fan, the string dart, and the hook swords. Martial arts weapons can be branched into short and long range. 

An instance of a short-range weapon would be a pair of sai. The bo staff would be a long-range weapon due to the longer range.

Weapons can also be divided into blades and non-blades. 

Kamas and swords, of course, would be bladed weapons where staff and nunchakus would be bladeless. 

In most blade weapon training situations, the blades are not alive. Particularly, the blades of swords and kamas are blunt rather than sharp. 

This adds to the safety aspect of martial arts weapon training. Weapons can also come in distinctive weights, from heavy traditional models to ultralight versions for form competition.

Martial arts weapons are considered extensions of a martial artist's own body. For example, hitting with a weapon is really an extended hand punch. 

Blocks with weapons are modeled after traditional martial arts blocking techniques. 

Therefore, it is important that martial arts students are relatively capable with martial arts techniques using their own bodies first before learning how to use any martial arts weapon. 

This will aid students grasp the applications behind each weapon technique much better. 

In utmost Japanese karate schools, weapon teaching will not be offered until students reach an intermediate level, such as the green or blue belt. 

There are martial arts that are strictly weapon-oriented. An illustration is Japanese kendo, which is shaped after Samarai sword fighting. 

Philipino Arnis is a stick fight that took place on the islands of the South Pacific.

There are many benefits to martial arts weapon training. Since most weapons have some weight, their use will help develop muscle tone and strength. 

Performing weapon forms or kata will also develop coordination.

In today's world, martial arts weapons may not be as factual as the days of the past, when it was acceptable to carry weapons wherever you travelled. 

However, with some understanding of weapon techniques, a martial artist today can turn almost any household item like an umbrella, cane, or even a set of keys into self defense weapons if necessary. 

Another critical point that should not be ignored is that most practitioners claim that training with martial arts weapons is a lot of fun.

However, not all martial arts clubs and studios will tutor weapons. Many tae kwon do schools, for example, do not include weapons in their general training. 

This does not mean that Korean martial arts have no weapons. The Korean martial arts kuk sool won features the staff, sword, and staff. 

So if a martial arts student wants to learn the use of weapons, they should find a school that includes them in their training. 

Another alternative for students who are otherwise happy with their martial arts club that has no weapons training is to receive supplemental private instruction from instructors who can provide it.

Weapon training can open up a whole new dimension to general martial arts training. 

Even leading tai chi practitioner use swords in some of their forms. 

It doesn't matter if swords are sometimes made entirely of wood, as actual weapon techniques will continue to be used in forms. For many martial arts competitors, weapon forms are their favorite divisions to compete in.

From the viewer's point of view, weapon shapes can be very exciting to watch, especially when using weapons like whip chains or rope kamas, as their presentations are so dynamic and even somewhat dangerous for the user. 

Such weapons have caused injury to users when certain techniques were neglected or poorly done. 

But like other aspects of martial arts, mastering a martial arts weapon after much hard training can bring a great sense of satisfaction to a martial artist.

Read More: Benefits of Martial Arts Training

List of Martial Arts Weapons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_martial_arts_weapons