Friday, February 03, 2006

Weapons Training

 


In Burin School we do training with a variety of weapons. The most popular weapons are the shaolin staff, the fan (taiji and shaolin), and the sword. However Sugihara Sensei is experienced with dozens of weapon forms and is more than willing to work with people on a weapon they are interested in.

I personally have been learning the Taijiquan sword. This is the first time for me to work with a weapon. Although not too heavy, it takes some time to get used to moving a weapon, mostly recognising how to block, cut and stab. The most difficult part however has been the stances. In order to ensure that ones body is relaxed and stable (which is central to taijiquan as a martial art) when using a weapon we need a lower stance. The difference this has made to my lower body strength is amazing! The taijiquan staff on the otherhand is around 3 metres in length and very thick, so the postures are even lower than that of the sword. I am lookiing forward to learning it later.

Not only do we learn weapons, but it is also possible to buy them in our store. Come over and take a look! Posted by Picasa