i have a set of arnis that are 1" in size. i find that they are kinda uncomfortable, especially after 20 repeats of a form. would a 3/4" set of arnis be better?
Is it uncomfortable because your arms are getting tired? Seems to me doing a form 20 times should do that to you. Why would you give up on the conditioning aspect of your forms practice to avoid discomfort? I do alot of carenza with overweight weapons (1 inch nylon rod, rebar) it really gives you emphasis on torso generation of power rather than just "arm punching." Watch your elbows/wrists if you do that though. Lamont
no, its my hands. i got a blister after that. i just thought 3/4" arnis would be a bit more comfortable. but i guess i can just condition w/ the 1". well, i train w/ regular arnis.
it's not IF you get blisters, that's par for the course. it's where on your hand you get blisters. when you learn to play the guitar, you'll get blisters on your fingertips. same with arnis/ escrima/ kali. sometimes beginners use a loose grip to compensate for the inflexibilty of their wrists. you end up with "twirling" blisters on the part of your hand in between your thumb and your pointer finger. sometimes you "over grip" or choke the baston because of the fear of the impact against another baston (usually done in high impact pairs drills), the blisters there are in your palm. etc. etc. it's natural. ask your guro to help you. btw, the proper term is "baston". arnis is the art.
I agree with shootoodog, its part of the training. As one of my instructors once said, if you've got no blisters (especially if your new at it), you probably are not "training". That does not mean you should want it though. one good thing about using larger and heavier sticks is that when you use the lighter sticks (which is used during sparring), you become way faster! just my thoughts.
Hi I think that blistering varies depending on the system, so something like Doce Pares that has a lot of twirling and abaniko can give a newbie lots of sore hands, but something like serrada causes less of a problem. I think that the diameter and weight of sticks is fairly personal - best thing to do is try a few different ones and see which you like best. Be careful with using sticks that are too heavy, especially when you are starting out, to avoid carpal tunnel problems. Jon
Serrada the stick is shorter bringing the balance closer to the hand. Try twirling both or make quick fast moves with both lengths of stick and see how they feel. Length changes the balance of the stick itself but it doesn't matter as long as you can control the strike as to where it strikes, once hit you're hit.