lady long fist

[Shaolin Dude]

can guys learn this form?

[Laughing Cow]

I think they should be able to.

Funny story:

At one stage I was doing practicing our Fan and other TJQ forms, when a chinese couple came over and asked me why I as a guy knew how to perform the Fan form.

I told them that it was common in my Dojo for everybody to learn it, after this I was told that in China it was considered a weapon/tool for women only.

Cheers.

[Brad]

Plus if anyone asks you why you're practicing a womens form just say you intend to be a teacher someday and that means you're going to have to teach girls too ;)

[Guile]

In the movies guys use fans, Look at the Onceupon a time in China? movies

[Robinf]

There are no sex specific weapons. One may be more popular with one sex than the other, but I doubt men were barred or even looked at funny for learning forms or weapons that appeal more to women, and vice versa.

[GLW]

It is really funny how in Modern China, the fan has become a women's thing.

Go back over a hundred years and it was a man thing.

Men would carry fans - it was hot. They would often have caligraphy on them and they were common gifts in martial circles from one man to another.

Then, there was a common rule in places like restaurants and other such public houses of no weapons....you may have to check them at the door or whatever.

Many martial types were not really comfortable being totally unarmed so they would 'sneak' a weapon in the form of a fan in. Those fans may have metal spines, or a fold out pike in the end for stabbing and such.

The fan was always a minor weapon but quite common.