Wen Hsiu Quan

It is very easy for caution to turn into a hindrance, preventing us from acting. While it is important to keep one's guard up, to be aware of risks and dangers, one should not be pre-occupied with that. The best way to avoid getting hit is to keep your opponent on the defensive. You will also realise that you have an unhealthy pre-occupation with negative aspects if your fears and concerns prevent you from having a happy and fulfilling life and career.

I have bought these new tonfas today. The tonfa is one of those weapons originally used on the Ryukyu Islands (of which Okinawa is one) in the martial arts known to us as Kobudo and Kobujutsu. To me, these weapons are synonym with traditional Karate, which I regard as an unarmed form of  Kobudo. If you really want to know why I say this you can email me at boshoffm3@gmail.com for the explanation. This double weapon makes an effective shield with blocking techniques that can be taken directly from karate. Its attacks include thrusts and swinging slashes when the handles are used as pivots. Pommels on the handle and short end allow for even more short range attacks (not seen in the video). Tonfas today, unlike the traditional version, are made in the fashion of the modern night stick, meaning that the extra handle allows it to be used as a baton. Police training handbooks usually contain arresting and immobilising techniques that can be executed with the night stic...

When I saw Hinata's ordeal in Naruto I was reminded of a student in our dojo. The Sensei told him to be more aggressive and not to duck or turn his back on his opponent. After a while of quitting our club he went on to study Jeet Kune Do and when he sparred again he actually surprised his former classmates with spinning techniques and slipping and ducking techniques. Being overly timid is as much a problem as being over aggressive in martial arts. A lot of fighting sports coaches urge their students to be pumped up with aggression. That mental attitude may come in handy if your sole occupation in life is going to be cage fighting. True Martial Arts strive to cultivate a state of mindless awareness and being able to act without hesitation when needed to. An aggressive fighter will always lose against a fighter like that.

While I do recommend a good weight training program it is very obvious that martial arts provide an excellent cardiovascular workout. It is also an excellent way to release tension. A common denominator to most styles is kickboxing. The techniques of karate, taekwondo and kung fu can all be adapted into a sparring form that employs fists and feet. While I do recommend sparring with more advanced techniques at a later stage kick boxing is usually the safest way to start free sparring.

Known to some as a part of the Okinawan Karate arsenal and to others as the Chinese two-sectional staff this is yet another weapon which is not extremely effective, but that can with the appropriate skill, surprise and incapacitate adversaries. Be sure to have attacks ready and available for when you do have the room to use the waepon to its fullest potential or when you are in a close quarter situation or confined space that does not allow for flailing movements. The attacks are not swinging attacks, but rather whipping attacks with the force thereof concentrated on the point of impact. Should the force not be concentrated like this the result is usually the user hitting himself. 

The Chinese sword is said to be mainly a stabbing weapon. It springy, supple blade remainds me a lot of the rotor blades of a helicopter, though. And I have seen slicing attacks being dealt with it. In attack and defence the is a weapon requires speed and accuracy. Like most Chinese weapons- the jian is useless in the hands of an unskilled user. 

Swords in the Chinese and Japanese systems can be classified in two categories, cutting swords and stabbing swords. Although slicing as well as stabbing attacks are performed with both the design of the sword determines the preferred form of attack. A strong curved blade like the Chinese "Tao" knife (actually it is a sword, but the Chinese insist on calling it a knife) and the Japanese Katana makes it suited for cutting attacks. Having learnt to sink my chi into descending blows as used in Hsing-Yi Quan ( a form of Wudang Kung Fu) I incorprate these descending attacks into my katana form too.