Wing chun and Tonfas

[Ish]

Do any of you wing chun guys/gals know how to use tonfas WELL?

Do you think i would be able to learn how to use them without breaking any of the wing chun principals?

Any info about books etc would be great.

[Tom Kagan]

More than a few years back, Mr. V.A. Thomas, a student of Mr. Lee Moy Shan, wrote an article for Inside Kung Fu about applying Ving Tsun principles with a Tonfa. I don't remember the date, but you could probably find the article in your local library without too much trouble.

On a related note, the New York City Police Department is ending its trial program of equipping officers with a Tonfa. They have decided to keep the straight baton (sometimes called a "night stick" due to it being a mandatory carry item for night patrol - a baton is optional during the day).

The NYPD has reached the conclusion that the extra training required to reach a satisfactory level of proficiency with a tonfa compared with a straight baton is wasted effort. Their conclusion holds that a tonfa's marginal advantage over a straight baton in the very few cases where a tonfa holds any advantage at all is not of consequence. An officer's training time would be better spent elsewhere. However, I don't believe the NYPD plans to bar officers from carrying a tonfa as long as an officer can show continued competence with the tool.

[Ish]

Thanks a lot Tom, i'll see what i can find out on the internet and check at the library at the weekend.

Does anyone know if any wing chunners have written any tonfa books cos the only ones i can find are karate books.