Traditional weapons used in Okinawan kobudo This article is going to be a bit controversial, but I feel that it is an important topic that is too often neglected. As traditional martial artists, we often learn how to handle classical weapons–swords, bo, tonfa, sai, kama, etc. This is seen as a normal part of training, and a way to enhance […]
Over the weekend, I had an opportunity to train with the Phoenix Society of Historical Swordsmanship, which is a HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) club that specializes in Italian styles of swordsmanship, as well as Spanish rapier. The club is run by Richard Marsden, who is also the President of the HEMA Alliance. They were a good group of people, […]
Nishiuchi Sensei demonstrating tonfa Most karateka practice at least a little bit of kobudo, or they have seen it done by their sensei or dojo-mates. I will admit that I am far from an expert on kobudo–years ago, I passed a proficiency test with the bo, and nearly passed a proficiency test for sai (failed the “impractical weapon manipulation” requirement), […]
