All 5 Intermediate Weapon Courses

The Intermediate Weapons training program from Kung Fu Living

“Kung Fu – a passion pursued with discipline and a discipline pursued with passion.”

Kung Fu Living is a complete system that incorporates the most efficient techniques with modern teaching methods and takes advantage of the most recent developments in the neuroscience of skill acquisition.

Double Sticks

While the Escrima stick has a particular heritage of techniques and has developed into a tournament style in itself.  Please note the techniques taught here are for real life scenarios and not for simple point scoring in a sport.  This difference will be evident to those with previous stick training as tournament techniques often involve delivering multiple fast, but light strikes that may not bring a real fight to a speedy resolution.

• The stick blocks, most often needed in real conflicts, used to create deflecting force
• The full set of strikes used in stick fighting and how to maximise their power
• How to step with the greatest speed and tactical effect
• The fastest double stick continuous striking techniques to overwhelm your opponent
• Tactical application of ambidextrous techniques to utilise optimal timing and targeting
• Use of the stick thrust for anatomically precise targeting and winning strategy
• The overall strategy for finishing any real fight in the shortest possible time for your safety

Double Tanto

As a complete system for real life combat it includes many weapons and Tanto is perhaps the most obviously relevant to most people’s lives because a knife is the weapon most likely available, we all tend to have a draw full of them in our kitchen.  It is also the weapon an assailant is most likely to have.

While the Tanto is a specific shape and is derived from a traditional Japanese dagger the techniques you will learn will of course work for any knife.

• The primary deflecting blocks, most often needed in real conflicts
• The primary sweeping cuts with an understanding of their relative tactical strengths
• How to step with the greatest speed and tactical effect
• How to deliver a counter stab that is aimed at ending a confrontation with the greatest speed
• Tactical use of attacking your opponent’s knife arm and how to utilise optimal timing and targeting
• How to adapt your strategy and techniques to incorporate the use of two tantos for maximum effectiveness
• The overall strategy for finishing any real fight in the shortest possible time for your safety

Double Nunchuck

The nunchaku is most widely used in martial arts as a training weapon, since it allows the development of quicker mind / body coordination and teaches 3 dimensional movements and patterns that also appear in unarmed kung fu combinations.

The two sections of the weapon are commonly made out of wood, while the link is a cord or a metal chain.  Modern-day nunchaku can be made from metal, plastic or fiberglass and bear in mind that possession of them is illegal in some countries, except for use in martial arts schools.  Foam or plastic Nunchucks are generally available for safer training and we indeed recommend that you learn with them.

The exact origin of nunchaku is unclear, it is often suggested that they were adapted by Okinawan farmers from a non-weapon rice-flail implement for threshing rice.  It is very common that a farming community, who are under military dictatorship and forbidden from carrying weapons, will adapt their agricultural hand tools to use as weapons.

Though I’m told there are police officers who use nunchucks instead of side-handled batons, it is unlikely that you will have need of these skills to defend yourself in a real confrontation.  That shouldn’t stop you from learning and enjoying these skills.  Nunchucks are simply fun in the way that people enjoy juggling, but the improved coordination and neurological patterns developed will undoubtedly overflow to your other martial arts practice and other areas of life.

• How to bounce the nunchucks off your body for fast changes of direction
• Fast stepping and change of direction synchronized with complex spinning and striking techniques
• Spinning and figure-eights in vertical and horizontal planes
• How to effectively use symmetrical double strikes

Sai

The Sai are a traditional Okinawan martial arts weapon consisting of one straight pointed prong, sometimes round, sometimes octagonal in section, with two sharp forward-pointing quillions.

They are not widely used in martial arts training but are very versatile, practical weapons with great flexibility for both defensive and offensive tactics.

Relatively cheap to make by being a simple iron or steel construction, they require no long forging process like good quality swords and are therefore likely to have been the weapon of commoners or peasants, a probability upheld by the fact that they can be easily carried.  Hard plastic Sai are generally available for safer training and we indeed recommend that you learn with them.

The exact origin of the Sai are debatable but very likely originated in Okinawa.

Metal Sai are a relatively cheap weapon and are therefore easily available and once you have learned with the training Sai.  Please be familiar with your own local law regarding the ownership of weapons.

• Sai single and double blocks often used to cover and defend larger areas of the body
• A figure 8 continuous attack sequence that includes stabbing and striking techniques.  Used to overwhelm opponents.
• How to use the weight of the metal Sai to generate power and force in every strike
• Grip switches to allow you to change strategies and how you use the weapon
• How to step with the greatest speed and tactical effect
• Disarming techniques using the unique shape of the Sai and it’s quillions
• Use of the accurate thrust for anatomically precise targeting and winning strategy
• The overall strategy for finishing any real fight in the shortest possible time for your safety

Jo Staff

As a complete system for real life combat it includes many weapons and the Jo Staff is one of the most obviously relevant to most people’s lives because a stick is a weapon often available, a longer walking stick or broom pole works perfectly well with these techniques.

While the Jo Staff has a particular heritage of techniques, it has developed, in some circles as a performance art or circus act, brilliant for what it is but no longer a martial art.  Please note the techniques taught here are for real life scenarios and not for display purposes, no matter how visually pleasing.  This difference will be evident to those with previous Jo Staff training as performance techniques often involve spinning and throwing, even juggling that, while being highly skilled, may not bring a real fight to a speedy resolution.

• The staff blocks, most often needed in real conflicts, used to create deflecting force
• The full set of strikes used in staff fighting and how to maximise their power
• The optimum redirecting blocks used tactically to open up your opponent for your counter strike
• Tactical application of ambidextrous techniques to utilise optimal timing and targeting
• Use of the staff thrust for anatomically precise targeting and winning strategy
• The overall strategy for finishing any real fight in the shortest possible time for your safety

You will need:

Some space, depending on the height of your ceiling, you might need to practice outside.

Two foam practice nunchucks, Tantos, Sticks, Sai and a Jo Staff we recommend you DO NOT learn these forms with real weapons.

These forms are short enough to be remembered (this is martial arts, not memory training), and should be practiced until they can be done without thinking.

The program is set out for you to train every day using several short videos.  Adding to your skills in easy to follow steps, you will build superb skills that will become second nature.

Some videos are called Repeat Drills, these are of simple techniques that you need to learn so that you can do them without thinking.  Once you press play, they will simply repeat continuously until you hit stop.  This will enable you to practice each movement many times with a constant visual reference to help you get it right.  You don’t want to practice until you get it right, you want to practice until you can’t get it wrong.

It is tempting to rush ahead, but you will find that to learn these skills thoroughly, it is best that you master each part as you go even if that means repeating the same day several times.  Excellence takes patience and determination.  Remember “Kung Fu” means “mastery through discipline.”