WEAPON TRAINING IN DAILY LIFE AND MARTIAL DEVELOPMENT
Continuous flying kicks of a sabre
Question 6
What are the benefits and advantages in daily life of training classical weapons?
What does training weapons add to one's martial development, especially in contrast to other arts and sports that do not include weapons?
Sifu Andy Cusick
Answer
Weapon training is an important part of kungfu training. Besides maintaining kungfu tradition, there are also benefits and advantages in daily life.
Weapon training, especially with a sword, makes practitioners agile. The improvement in agility is not only physical but also intellectual. Being agile physically and intellectually is certainly a benefit and an advantage in daily life.
Weapon training, especially using a heavy weapon, increases internal force or muscular strength, or both. An improvement in force or strength is beneficial and advantagous in daily life.
Weapon training, especially in weapon combat and with any weapons, enhances a practitioner’s alertness and carefulness, much more than in unarmed combat. It is no fun to be hit by a weapon, even a blunt one. Being more alert and more careful is a benefit and an advantage in daily life.
Weapon training, especially when a practitioner learns to capture an opponent’s weapon, increases the practitioner’s confidence, more so than in unarmed combat. Increased confidence is a benefit and an advantage in daily life, even when he never has to deal with any opponents with weapons.
The Weapon training also adds to one’s martial development, especially in contrast to other arts and sports that do not include weapons.
A martial artist may learn about tactics and strategies in unarmed combat, but when weapons are used, the outcome of the combat becomes more urgent, which deepens the understanding of the martial artist about martial art philosophy. Other arts and sports that do not include weapons do not have this benefit and advantage.
Not only the philosophical knowledge but also the practical skills are enhanced when weapons are used in combat. If an opponent’s punch or kick is coming at you, and you fail to defend against the attack, you will be hit. If an opponent’s weapon is coming at you, and you fail to defend against the attack, your injury will be worse. Hence there is more urgency to defend yourself well, which will improve your skills in your martial art development.
On the other hand, when you attack your sparring partners with a weapon, unless you belong to a group who do not care for the well-being of their sparring partners, you will be extra careful. This will not only increase your care but also your compassion in your martial art development.
Certain skills and abilities are emphasized in weapon training, more than in unarmed combat. If you train a heavy weapon, for example, you learn to use the weight of your weapon to your advantage. If you use a light weapon, you learn to avoid the full force of your opponent’s weapon. Such skills and abilities are transferable to unarmed combat. Arts and sports that do not include weapon training do not have this facility for the martial art development of their practitioners.
In the coming Special Weapon Course, course participants will experience these benefits and advantages in their martial art development as well as in their daily life.
Sifu Kevin Barry demonstrating the Wudang Sword
This answer is taken from Special Weapon Course: 10 Questions to Grandmaster Wong of the Shaolin Wahnam Institute Discussion Forum.
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