weapons

[yat_chum]

The Weapons of Wing Chun Kuen

By Robert Chu & Rene Ritchie

(First published in Inside Kung-Fu, 99/07)

Ever mysterious, often misunderstood, the weapons of wing chun kuen have remained elusive over the generations for several reasons. It has been hard to find qualified instruction, and it has been even harder to find qualified instructors willing to give in depth instruction. Some instructors who did not themselves know the weapons, or did not wish to share them if they did, were careful to "protect the rice bowl" and keep them out of reach of students. Others, for the same reasons, chose to invent their own methods and/or forms, to pass along the weapons, but only superficially, to further "fill the rice bowl". Still others knew the weapons were simple and could be given away easily, but required a firm foundation in wing chun boxing to be truly effective, thus were very careful in choosing to whom they would impart the knowledge.

For those who possess a high degree of skill in the empty hands, and obtain good instruction, the weapons can solidify the simple concepts and motions of the system and open a practitioner to the limitless applications of wing chun kuen.

The Wing Chun Weapons

The main weapons of wing chun consist of the long pole and the double knives (some branches retain other weapons as well, such as darts, straight sword, Kwan knife, etc. but these are not common and as such, will not be dealt with here). These weapons are by no means unique in the martial arts, but what makes them unique in wing chun are the same basic combat principles that make the boxing unique. These include joining with the weapons/bridges, cutting off the offense, destroying the balance/structure of the opponent, delivering attack(s), and sticking/staying to determine follow ups.

In application wing chun weapons strike the opponent to finish. If this is not possible, striking the attacking weapon and moving on to finish is favored. With weapons, due to the longer ranges possible, sometimes conditions may make achieving this difficult and there may have no choice but to defend first and then move in quickly to continue.

As stated before, wing chun weapons require a high level of skill in the empty hand methods. If someone is not proficient in wing chun boxing, it is readily apparent in the weapons. Even when skimming magazines and books or watching videos, many can be seen to be thrown off balance by the weight of the weaponry. This is because practitioners often have not yet mastered the use of body structure and mechanics using power from the ground up before they pick up the weapons and as such, must resort to swinging them about with the shoulders and arms. A key indication is simply viewing the use of the kua (pelvis). Movements should be completed with an emphasis on the body to transfer force to the weapon.

Some have said that the weapons of wing chun, that the weapons of all Chinese martial arts in fact, are archaic and "dead". The truth is, weapons are as alive as the hand that holds them and the mind that directs them. Given good instruction and hard training, wing chun weapons can be very much alive.

Once properly developed, weapons training also serves to further refine empty handed skills, making a practitioner formidable even if he or she is not armed with a pole or double knives.

[Dvivid]

Actually, these classical weapons are like any classical art. Why play French Horn or Xylophone either? Isn't electric guitar more popular now?

Dr Yang talks a lot about that aspect of weapons training in these videos. Lots of preview videos on the page:

http://www.ymaa.com/publishing/dvd/weapons-collection

[Saeldur]

Why study weapons that you couldn't cary with you on the street? Shouldn't you study weapons like knifes, ropes, sticks, benchs,coin throwing,chop stikes, or study how to use common objects you find ever were as weapons. When are you going to find a katana out on the street?

It's better to study weapons for your self protection even if it can't carry in the street at least you know how to used it.