I have figured out the Bo, and I'm am semi proficent with the Tonfa, any sugesstions as to what I should train with next. (I know I misspelt words, so don't bother)
Arnis Sticks/Katana/Chinese Broadsword seems like a logical progression...but it all depends on you, of course Take up what feels natural...
Woah! Nice pic of a stick - but the accompanying text is WAY off base... Made of bamboo? A bamboo stick wouln't last a session - they are rattan. 3 foot long? 24-28" is the norm. Three variations of the techniques (Arnis, Escrima and Kali). ???? This is like saying there are three variations of Cinese MA - Kung Fu, Gung Fu and Chuan Fa
The pic looks more like a stick made from rattan to me judging from the burn patterns. Personally I like a hardwood stick, but the lighter rattan ones are good if you're nursing an injury. I have NEVER seen a 3ft long arnis stick! All the ones I've seen [and there have been quite a few!] are in the 22-24" region. Even in the Modern Arnis bible I have, the sticks are about 24" long.. Splinter - I was interested in your statement " I have figured out the bo..". What does this mean? I would ask your instructor what you should study next, after all they know what your syllabus should cover.
Well considering you seem to be working a Japanese style (I'm guessing Okinawan too) and have already done a pole (Bo) and double weapon (tonfa) you could do: Kama or Katana - Bladed Nunchuka or Manrikigusari - sectioned or flexible Giving you a well rounded knowledge of weapons. Keep working with the tonfa It's one of my favorites.
O.K. here the ugly truth comes out. Currently I have no FMA teacher, I have studied Tae Kwon Do, for three years, but sience I hava moved within the year I have had no instructor. And for the line I havew figured out the Bo. I meant that I have mastered the basic strikes under the training of an instructor, and have nailed a few spins, but I'm still working on mastering the weapn as a whole. As well, due to the nature of these weapons, I beleve weapons were held over our noses by my old instructor as a carrot to keep us hooked and not become bored with training in TKD.
some useless trivia on rattan sticks used on FMA.. There are actually several varieties of rattan used for sticks. The best are either close node (the nodes are plainly visible on the stick) or the thinner but denser variety. I've heard of the former and it's a bit hard to find, as is close node rattan, but in general it doesn't have as many nodes are the close nodes variety but it takes a lot more punishment than the regular rattan sticks and is almost as tough as close node. Always buy unskinned rattan. Removing the skin from rattan makes it more brittle and will not last as long as the unskinned ones. But the skinned sticks are whiter and generally look better so they can be used for demos. as for length, that will vary. You can measure it according to the distance from the center of your palm to your armpit (on the same side) but since FMA is quite popular abroad, there have been sticks longer than 24", all the way to 32" for taller people. in sparring, thinner sticks hurt more than thicker ones. they can be swung faster and the smaller surface area at the point of contact mean that it can tear skin. so be careful with thinner sticks.
Dude, get yourself some mandarin duck razors................they are amazing!!! and remember, time you can enjoy wasting is never wasted time.
If you enjoy tonfa, get sai, similar feel / tecnique but pointy and metal. Very nice. Else you can't beat nunchucks. If you do buy sai, try to buy them from somewhere you can handle them. Hook the short forked section over your thumb and hold your index finger down the handle so the main prong runs down your forearm. They should be so long that the point extends about an inch past your elbow. Good luck
Thank You all. And remember that the elf prince called Legolas has had a name change, now he is Legolam
The hanbo/tanjo and canes are 3 feet long. Arnis/Escrima/Kali sticks are from 24-28 inches long usually (And they will go to 32 inches sometimes.) It's really hard to wield 3 feet long sticks like escrima sticks. Too cumbersome to dual wield but they'll make you arms stronger. The whole point to the kali sticks is getting in close. By the way, What's the correct way to wield a tonfa? I find them odd weapons. I read somewhere the intended use is along the forearms with the short end out so forearm blocks become easier to bear. The hand techniques and strikes are supposed to be easy to adapt as you use thrusting blows. But I see some people wield with them long end out and use hooking strike and whip them across a horizontal plane. What's the correct way?
About the Tonfa, I was tought to use them both ways, and is there really a "correct" way to use a weapon. During a competition for weapon katas, mabey, but in a fight no
Splinter, In regards to your original post, I think Kali / Escrima / Arnis seems like a good choice. You can learn great stick techniques and since you seem to be interested in kobudo weapons, the stick techniques will cross over nicely to the tan - Bo (short stick) so you actualy learn two weapons for the price of one. I suggest Kali over traditional tan- Bo techniques because in my opinion I feel kali techniques are much more sophisticated and battle tested more recently than traditional Okinawan and Japanese styles, and I have done both. Also in keeping with tradition I would suggest the nunchaku. Here again you get two for the price of one. Okinawa kobudo uses nunchaku in many of there systems. Philipino Kali / Arnis / Escrima uses Tabak Toyok (nunchaku) in many of there systems not to mention it is a very dynamic weapon and very complex in the advanced stages especialy when it comes to double nunchaku. When you learn to use independent movement on each side using double nunchaku it is absolutly mind boggeling and a great challenge for the mind, body and spirit. By the way, most kali stick techniques also relate to sword (bladed) techniques. If you want to get a good look at mixed weapons sparring, invest about $30.00 and buy a video titled STICK vs OTHER WEAPONS.vol.#6. It is put out by the DOG BROTHERS and PANTHER video. DOG BROTHERS is a group of extreme real contact stickfighters in CA. On this video you will see real contact fights with weapons such as the Bo staff, Boken sword, Bull whip, nunchaku, philipino stick, Topado, Tonfa, Knife etc. Check out there web site at www.dogbrothers.com You can als...site. p.s. I hope this helps. DOGFIGHTER
