When'd you start with weapons?

tessone · Green Belt

I'm curious--when do the various arts start their students on weapons? I know that in Kuk Sool Won, I've never seen anyone below brown-black touch a staff or sword, but a friend of mine who started Aikido this term was handed a sword almost immediately.

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Chris Tessone
White Belt, Kuk Sool Won

[ This Message was edited by: tessone on 2002-04-28 21:26 ]

Pacificshore · Black Belt

We start our weapons training at the intermediate level which is at purple belt. However, other styles may start them earlier or much later. I've seen it done both ways.

tessone · Green Belt

What art do you study?

I think it makes sense that only the advanced students (the black belts) work with weapons. I have enough to think about just trying to study weaponless techniques and forms with needing to worry about sword kata and defenses against knife attacks.

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Chris Tessone
Brown Belt, Kuk Sool Won

YODA · Black Belt

Our students start with weapons at the 1st class - and use them at every class after that

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YODA
2nd Degree Black Belt : Doce Pares Eskrima www.docepares.co.uk
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Bon · Black Belt

I did basic stick fighting from the start.

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Tobias_Reece · Brown Belt

I teach weapons as a seperate MA (Okinawan Kobudo), so theorectically you can be a total beginner when you first pick up a staff.

We have a range of kobudo students - ranging from a 2nd dan in TKD and a 2nd dan in Shukokai, to a girl who has been training in karate for about 1 1/2 months.

You do have an advantage if you 'know' karate, but basically........I decide whether I think you are competant enough to start.

Right, I think thats a good enough babble..

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Pacificshore · Black Belt

Tessone,

I study Kempo Karate. In regards to learning weapons. Like Tobias Reece does it he trains weapons separately from everything else. This is how I learn them and teach them as well.

Most our weapons are the traditional kobudo type weapons, sais, nunchucks, bo, etc. As such we have katas for each weapon. What has helped me in my training is video taping myself doing a kata whether it's a weapon/or weaponless kata. I then prepare my own notes, and mark in there the stress points of the kata. For example, fast here, slow with breath there, hip rotation for power, whipping motion, etc.

As far as your level of training and experience when it comes to weapons training, take it slow until you get comfortable with whatever weapon you start out with. Just food for thought!!

ronryu · Orange Belt

In shi-to ryu kobudo is incorprated into the system . We usually start people with the bo around rokyu (blue belt) and progress from there to tonfa nunchaku sai and kama the later is not taught till around Shodan .
The reason some Akido schools will hand some one a boken early in the teaching is becaus it si a sword realated art . Most of the techniques are from Kenjutsu.

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SaiFightsMS · KF VIP

Personally I had been training in karate for about 9 months to a year before I began kobudo training. In my school weapons are taught as a seperate class and students must be of 8th kyu rank to start and have sensei's permission. We start with the bo and rotate sai, nunchaku and tonfa every year.

searcher · Blue Belt

I try to start my students with weapons only after they have shown that they understand how to use their body as a weapon. This may vary from student to student. I see it that why would I hand a gun to a child that cannot use the bathroom by themself. If a student shows control over their own body they are then ready, but I do not force them to study a weapon. Some students have no desire to learn, but if a student shows a unique gift with a weapon I will encourage them to pursue it further and I offer personal instruction.

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