How to make a Kobudo choice?

RW · Green Belt

How would you choose your weapon?

Some people choose the Bo because it can transition so well into a real life situation: Any broomstick or thin pipe can be a bo. However, as far as weapons go, it's sort of weak, even a baseball would do more damage, let alone a "real" weapon.

Some people choose swords and Kama and the life, but they don't really translate well in real life, it's not like one can walk around with a sword or sharpened Kama on the street. Many martial artists don't ever get to train with a sharpened weapon (sword, kama or any weapon really), and even if they do, the only scenario where they could use it is for home defense, point at which they might even have a gun instead.

Sais seem to make sense, but I don't know how legal they are to own (despite them not being sharp). How well does a Sai transition into other everyday life objects? (e.g. bo is like a broom stick)

Any thoughts?

Spodo Komodo · Blue Belt

If your criteria for choosing a weapon are all based on modern day efficiency then kobudo probably isn't for you. The Indonesian/Malaysian/Philippino knife and stick arts all have far more everyday applicability than Okinawan koryu kobudo. However the thing with Okinawan kobudo is that it extends, enhances and enriches the open hand arts that have their roots in Okinawa. Similarly most of the pacific weapon arts have an unarmed art that works well in conjunction.

Kobudo doesn't just teach how to use a weapon, it teaches a transfer of skills from one art to another. A bo isn't just a broom handle, it is an arm extension. Nunchaku are instruments for striking but they are also a vice-like grip, a lever and a very solid addition to a spearhand thrust. Learning kobudo without an open-hand art is like learning the shapes of an alphabet without the sounds. The bo is often the first weapon on a syllabus, not because it is the most readily available but because the transfer of open-hand skills is by far the most easily understandable. Most Karate kata can be done effectively with a bo, with a minimum or even no adaptation. For this reason I would always encourage someone to start with a bo and then try something else when they have a grip on the basics. It isn't like someone has to choose one weapon for life, even my Iaido teacher has a side interest in the jutte and sword arts can be pretty all-consuming.

Bulltahr · Brown Belt

Depends on the criteria, do you want to cut/slash? or bash and poke???

I think probably Jo may be acceptable to carry around in public if that is what you wanted to do, maybe kn the guise of a cane/walking stick.

I believe Sai are derived from a gardening implement, but someone more knowledgeable than I would know for sure.
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JR 137 · Black Belt

I think pretty much all the traditional kobudo weapons themselves aren't a good choice if you're looking for practical self defense training for a lot of the reasons stated previously.

Broom handles and pool cues move differently than bos and jos do. Try them out if you haven't done so. They're not nearly as strong either, having not been designed to be a weapon. Not that they couldn't be effective or shouldn't be a desperation weapon or last resort.

If you need a weapon that's truly under the radar, find something in everyday life and train with it. Practice hitting a punching bag or tree or the like with it.

Some systems use canes. Probably the most practical non-knife weapon out there. Escrima too.

Why study kobudo if there's no reasonable practical use for the weapon(s)? They get you moving in ways you wouldn't normally move. Footwork, dexterity, evasion and the like all get trained different ways unarmed kumite can't, thereby increasing your skills across the board IMO. The hand-eye coordination developed by nanchaku training is huge.

Kobudo training is a lot of fun, gets you moving and thinking in different ways, and increases your MA skills. How do you choose which one to use or what order to learn them? Whatever your system does is a good start.

I haven't used too many, but my favorite is the Bo. It's easy to get basic proficiency of it, but mastery of can be has hard as any other weapon. It just feels natural in my hands.

RW · Green Belt

Thanks for your replies guys, they add a lot of perspective.

I think my school transitions from Bo to Broadsword apparently, though I've also seen sai in higher belts too

bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

RW · Green Belt

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