Weapon Training

[Azure]

Well first up, since this is my first post I’d like to say hi to everyone. I’ve been reading the forum for a while and it looks like there is a lot of experience and knowledge here I can benefit from.

My main reason for this post: I have been training in Wing Tsun for a while now and am enjoying the classes and training this style offers. However I have seen some weapon forms demonstrated using traditional Chinese weapons and they captured my imagination. The dexterity and skill with which they manipulated there weapons was amazing. As a result I’m looking for a way to train in using these and I thought this would be a good place to get some information. I was wondering if there were any weapon focused styles out there that you could recommend?

I’m not necessarily looking for ‘realistic’ styles such as Escrima, Wing Tsun is pretty no-nonsense and I know it culminates in the Long Pole and Double Knife forms, however that is most likely 10-20 years away, 6th Practitioner sure takes a while. I’m looking for something that is quite flashy yet technically challenging. Don’t get me wrong- I’m willing to train seriously and put in a lot of effort however I would be doing it for the art rather than application.

I realize that a lot of arts have empty hand components and I’m defiantly willing to put in effort here, however I don’t really want to have to train for many years before I see my first weapon.

Any suggestions would be great and thanks in advance for your input.

[Chang Style Novice]

My taichi dao will sit, stay, lie down, and play dead. I haven't been able to make it heel, shake, or come yet.

I apologize for this post.

[Gav]

Novice,

I cannot claim to understand your reply above. (Or, for that matter, your signature.) But, I love it anyway, and I couldn't say why.

Gav

(in other forums my smileyface is green)

[252aCtUa|*]

wushu geek!

[norther practitioner]

http://store.yahoo.com/martialartsmart/tck.html

Try here, there are weapons master kits...... videos plus the weapon. I would suggest getting some training as far as the style from a real teacher, however the videos are a good way to supplement this training. Ala, take some classes if at all possible in Northern Shaolin to learn proper technique and stances if you were to want to get the shaolin straight sword kit.

[HuangKaiVun]

10-20 years to learn Pole and Double Swords?

Wow, that's a long time.

I'm no Wing Chun man, but I'd have no compunction about getting a training video in those methods and learning the techniques.

In fact, I have Joseph Wayne Smith's 3-volume set on Futshan Pai Wing Chun (starring Felix Leong). I found that book very useful in showing me what those methods were.

It's my tendency to not wait for things, to sample stuff even if my sifu refuses me. My experience in life is that doing so invariably helps me gain true competence faster and at a higher level than even sometimes my teachers had comprehended.

[TaoBoy]

How about modern wushu?

Flashy? ..Check..
Technical? ..Check..
Serious training? ..Check..

[friday]

hmmmm

Pak Hok Pai
depending on which lineage u train in has many weapons forms. 18 i think.
ive seen quite a few of them and know some myself.

they look good (not as flashy as most wu shu forms tho')
are practical

they include:

monks spade and cresent moon staff
single headed staff
double headed staff
butterfly knives,
dan dao
seung dao (double broadswords)
gim
kwan do
hook swords
knife
spear
san jit gwun (three section stick)
seung jit gwun

and a few more...

[PHILBERT]

Chang Style Novice, love the signature, I remember when Ralek first said that, I was laughing so hard at how he said it. Maybe it would be funnier if I knew what scoot meant?

[Azure]

Thanks a lot for the feedback, strangly I find even Chang Style Novice's post reasuring, I think. At any rate I'll check out all the options you suggested.

Thanks again =)

[dedalus]

Some of the advanced (level 2) Wing Lam forms (available as single videos or weapons kits) look good. You might like to consider the staff or the spear... they're not not exactly exotic weapons, but they're spectacular to watch and cheap to buy. The staff forms are generally not too difficult to pick up, whereas the spear can be quite complicated even though it holds many movements in common with the staff. Its also convenient to be able learn both with the one weapon (just mark one end to remind you where the tip should be).

The Chen taiji spear is, I think, the most awesome weapon set out there. Not only does it look fantastic, but it is also functional. There are also some excellent materials on this form (called the pear-flower spear), in particular a video by Ren Guang-yi, a senior lineage holder in the Chen system (you can buy the video or see clips from it here: http://www.kungfu4u.com/ren_guang-yi.htm).

There is also a very well made instructional VCD on the Chen spear by Chen Zhenglei (look here: http://www.chinafrominside.com/ma/store.html). Beware that this is a difficult form!

The other spear form that is quite nice is the Six Harmonies Spear from Wing Lam, which you will find at www.wle.com It's a bit less demanding than the Chen spear.

If you want to learn in person, you're unlikely to find a Chen stylist who would be willing to teach you the spear. You could, however, find a wushu coach as someone else suggested.

Funny how Felix Leong's name popped up there - I used to train under him, and in fact he taught wushu as a sideline to traditional wing chun (it did indeed help many of us to sate that myseterious craving for the theatrical stuff).

Good luck in finding something you'll enjoy!