Thursday, October 16, 2008

Martial Arts Weapons


During our martial arts program, students are taught how to use 3 weapons, the bo, the escrima and nunchuks. My favorite is the escrima stick but Master Munchkin loves his nunchuku.

The Bo Staff (think Little John from Robin Hood)
These are 6 foot long and are hard to get in your car. The purpose of the bo staff is to increase the force that is delivered in a strike. It is used mainly in self-defense but, when combined with leg strikes and kicks, can become a lethal weapon. Most bo staffs are made of tapered wood or bamboo, but there are some that are made of metal.

Nunchaks (I called them Numchucks for at least 6 months - blush)
Nunchaku are basically two sticks connected at the end with a short chain or rope. While the nunchaku are some of the most popular martial arts weapons, they are also some of the most misunderstood. They are difficult to learn to wield and will often cause a variety of injuries to the beginner. Once they have been mastered, though, their extreme speed, flurrying motions and incredible striking force make them an extremely dangerous weapon.

Escrima sticks
Escrima sticks were developed to go hand in hand with Filipino Martial Arts, but are now used in a variety of martial arts. They are traditionally between 26” and 28” long and are made of rattan. Because the rattan is fire-hardened, it does not splinter easily and is capable of defending against blades, which makes it an excellent weapon.

I like these because, theoretically, you could use one in real life. If someone threatened you with a knife and there happened to be a sturdy stick or a pipe laying on the ground nearby, you could use it. I was doing a photoshoot in a park a few months ago and there were a few shady characters in the area. I happened to have my escrima in the car so I tucked it into my tote. Luckily, I didn't need it, but I felt better knowing it was there.


8 comments:

Alisa said...

How cool!

I was laughing at myself because I just bought new knitting needles today and I was wondering if they would work for nunchucks.

April said...

I called them numchucks for 38yrs, 6mnths, 8days, and a few hours. heh.

MrsMama said...

If you need any help turning normal household items into weapons, ask The Boy. They know these things....

idreamicanfly said...

Oooh, fun! Which martial art is teaching you these? I wanna play too, and we only learn sticks in Krav Maga. - Jo

MrsMama said...

Jo, you can read about the program on the website: www.pmaschools.com. Premier combines Karate, Kickboxing, Kali and Grappling.

idreamicanfly said...

Yikes. *Four* more martial arts? And here I was thinking one more would be truly ambitious. I really liked the looks of Escrima when they profiled it on The Human Weapon. Most of the moves can be done unarmed, but they really utilize stick fighting.

My Krav instructor mentions the utility of having a baseball bat in your car in case of... shall we call them "traffic incidents"? Maybe "crazy driver incidents". But, of course, you would have a glove and ball with you, too. Because, of course, you are on your way to play softball. :)

MrsMama said...

Hmm, love the baseball bat idea. :)

Skip the 4 martial arts and just invest in an Escrima instructional DVD or two. You'll pick it up in no time. Oh, buy 2 escrimas - they are pretty cheap - so you and your hubby can go at it together.

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