subject: Three Incredible Martial Arts Weapons Training Methods! [print this page] In all the martial arts weapons history, of all the martial arts styles I have studied, the three training methods I am about to share with you are the best. They are simple, don't require much in the way of equipment, and increase your sixth sense perceptions. They do require that you move into a different way of thinking.
I played with the tonfa, and the sickles, and all that sort of thing, and I realized something: a weapon is a line. Nun chucks have a hinge, tonfas have handles, even a gun projects on a straight line. Even a sword, appearing curved, is a straight line moving in a circle.
Understanding this, I developed two specific drills: one was thrusting, and the other was cutting. Yes, there is always using a handle to butt, or some other odd technique, but everything should revolve around these two things: poking and slicing. Thus I came up with two specific methods of training.
One method involved hanging a tire from a tree limb, and cut it so it turns in one direction, and then cut it again so it rotates in another direction. If tire begins to swing, I cut it so that the swing is halted, and the turning is begun again. You will find that using a martial arts sword in this particular manner requires some finesse.
The second drill I developed using self defense weapons had to do with the straight thrust. I hung a six inch circle from a tree and practiced thrusting a pole through the center, making sure not to touch any sides of the circle. I wanted to make my thrust straight and true, and not have it deflected by any extra contact.
I took a year's vacation and practiced these two strikes, hour after hour, day after day. It was a rigorous and intense martial arts training time, but it really worked. I could feel my muscles become solid and thick, and my strikes were becoming effortless, and then I developed my third training method.
I climbed into my car and poked the key into the slot. I blinked, and suddenly saw the similarity to a sword thrust, so I closed my eyes and practiced putting the key in without the benefit of eyes. Then I fastened a key to the end of a pole, attached a lock to a wall, and practiced inserting the key without using my eyes.
This was a logical development of my method, and a logical development of my physical into the spiritual and ethereal realms. Doing this trains one to appreciate the space that surrounds oneself, as opposed to having to use the eyes. I totally recommend these martial arts weapons training methods if you want to make your martial art go far beyond the normal martial arts.
