Never a dull moment: Butterfly swords break out at Wing Chun Kung Fu in Lakeland
By Bill Kemp
Posted Jul 16, 2018 at 6:39 PM
Updated Jul 17, 2018 at 7:24 AM
LAKELAND — Butterflies may be harmless, but butterfly swords “can ruin your day.”
The 11- to 14-inch Bart Chum Dao swords, dubbed butterfly swords through the centuries because of the way a pair folds and their appearance displayed on walls, are being taught as part of the daily training workouts at Sifu Och Wing Chun Kung Fu in Lakeland.
Butterfly swords come in pairs, hold a dull edge, and have curved brass guards — one surrounding the bottom of the handle and a second protruding perilously to a point along the spine of the blade.
“The swords were originally from the Buddhist monks, so only the top curve was sharpened. These were not swords they used to kill people. They were Buddhist and didn’t believe in killing anyone. But they would break bones, tear limbs and really ruin your day,” explained Sifu Justin Och, 39, a black and gold sash fifth degree master instructor and owner of the dojo.
“The handle of the sword can be used just like brass knuckles in close range. The back of the sword is also butted out if you want to hit with the back of it,” said Och, who has been involved in martial arts since his grandmother enrolled him Kenpo Karate at age 7.
“The cool thing about these swords is because there are two of them, you can block and attack simultaneously and you can smack other weapons off.”
Sifu Och Wing Chun Kung Fu, founded in 2007, currently has 193 students — 265 counting the after-school program — teaches butterfly sword fighting to students once they grasp the fundamentals of Wing Chun and reach an intermediate level of combat in the discipline.
“The swords are really an extension of your hands. You need really good wrist power and they can get kind of heavy at times even though they weigh about 1 ½ pounds each,” said Garrett Brumfield, 42, who teaches and trains at Sifu Och’s Tampa dojo.
“The swords make a workout very interesting and your arms can get very tired. You would not have them with you in a real-life situation but if you had two sticks, you could use the same movements. We also train with a long pole and that can be translated to a broom if it was available.”
Sarah Lister, 22, just started working with the swords a month ago. She holds a second-degree black belt from Kenney Karate, where she trained for 10 years. She moved over to Wing Chun three years ago and now also holds a green-white sash belt.
“The swords are definitely different, a lot heavier and deadlier than anything I have used before. They give me a feeling of responsibility,” Lister said. “The easiest part is translating the Wing Chun into the swords adn the most difficult part is learning not to cut yourself. It’s slow at first but the speed picks up as you go.”
Och said Wing Chun, a close-up blend of attacking and defending kung fu, was developed by five Chinese monks 350 to 400 years ago and the swords soon followed.
“It is made to have some of the best of the best of Southern Shaolin Kung Fu systems. If is like the Southern Shaolin’s system of mixed martial arts.
“Monks were attacked on their way into town to sell their goods or on the way back. They were being murdered, beaten, battered and bruised. This new system could be learned in three to five years if you trained it all day, and then you could use it in a very bad situation.”
Och said monks could conceal the swords very easily in their clothing and have them ready for combat in seconds. Additionally, the swords were useful for cleaning fish and other daily activities.
“The swords use same movements and techniques that Wing Chun does, which is to block and attack simultaneously,” said Och.
A pair of butterfly swords retail anywhere from $225 to $500, but you get what you pay for.
“The cheapest pair I have ever seen was $150, but you will usually get a warning not to use them for real practice. They are only for display purposes,” Och said.
“We have some made custom here. I have a gentleman, who is a blacksmith over in Europe, and he designs the swords from scratch for us.”
Och also studied Shotokan karate as a youth but eventually switched to Wing Chun after getting in a bad fight while exiting a bus. He described himself as that “geeky-looking kid” and was picked on a lot as a teenager.
“I started looking for something a little bit more realistic for self-defense. The other forms were great for me as a kid but they weren’t really teaching me anything realistic for self-defense when I got into those bad situations. That is what brought me to Wing Chun in 1999,” Och said.
Och finished the Wing Chun system under four different lineages. He is now the regional director the World Wing Chun Athletic Association and has traveled to 14 different countries, training with masters and grand masters.
Bill Kemp can be contacted at
Bill.Kemp@theledger.com; follow him on Twitter @BillKempSports