# Chinese Martial Arts Weapons forum



## Blaze Dragon (Feb 23, 2014)

I'm actually surprised that there is not a CMA weapons forum. I mean after all there is great variety of weapons in Chinese martial arts, I see one for swords but not a general one for weapons. 

Since we are on it, what are some of your favorite weapons?

Me?
Qiang, Gun, Yanmaodao, miaodao, Jian, and Han Dynasty style Jian.

I have to say "short" gun,tie shan, and oo tzu kune are also very cool.


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## clfsean (Feb 23, 2014)

BlazeLeeDragon said:


> I'm actually surprised that there is not a CMA weapons forum. I mean after all there is great variety of weapons in Chinese martial arts, I see one for swords but not a general one for weapons.
> 
> Since we are on it, what are some of your favorite weapons?
> 
> ...



What is that in bold? That's possible two different dialects in there ... along with possibly as many Romanizations.

I'm playing stick & broadsword now... that's enough. Daggers are a side item. Might have Miao Dao coming this year. Not worried about since I have 3 section & butterfly knives in queue as a requisite.


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## Xue Sheng (Feb 23, 2014)

Jian, Dao, Long Pole.

Use to do three section staff, Guandao, short staff and even a bit (very little bit) Butterfly knives and I messed around with a 9 section whip but I realized that it was a great way to maim myself so I stopped


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## Blaze Dragon (Feb 23, 2014)

Xue Sheng said:


> Jian, Dao, Long Pole.
> 
> Use to do three section staff, Guandao, short staff and even a bit (very little bit) Butterfly knives and I messed around with a 9 section whip but I realized that it was a great way to maim myself so I stopped



lol "maim myself"  I've always tried to shy away from soft weapons that bend. I did learn the basic movements for Er Jie Gun (two section staff), but I'd rather not fight with them.

With your Guandao training did you use the big 85 solid metal one like General Guan or the lighter wooden shaft ones? My sifu brought a big solid metal one that weighted something like 30 or 40lbs (never weighted it) but it was a pain to swing around :S


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## Blaze Dragon (Feb 23, 2014)

clfsean said:


> What is that in bold? That's possible two different dialects in there ... along with possibly as many Romanizations.
> 
> I'm playing stick & broadsword now... that's enough. Daggers are a side item. Might have Miao Dao coming this year. Not worried about since I have 3 section & butterfly knives in queue as a requisite.



oo tzu kune are what we call our sun moon forks. We do a Pakua (bagua) form with them. I don't use them well, but they are really really cool  of course there are no videos up of Shaolin-Do guys using them but there is this video on youtube. same ones we use.

[video=youtube_share;ZA07nWIzVQw]http://youtu.be/ZA07nWIzVQw[/video]

Which broad sword are you playing with the typical Niuweidao (Ox Tail Saber)?


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## Xue Sheng (Feb 23, 2014)

BlazeLeeDragon said:


> lol "maim myself"  I've always tried to shy away from soft weapons that bend. I did learn the basic movements for Er Jie Gun, but I'd rather not fight with them.
> 
> With your Guandao training did you use the big 85 solid metal one like General Guan or the lighter wooden shaft ones? My sifu brought a big solid metal one that weighted something like 30 or 40lbs (never weighted it) but it was a pain to swing around :S



Wushu steel (aka the boing boing flap flap blade) first and a heavier metal one later. If I had a backyard that was rather private I would work with a Guandao but I don't and I have no other place to work with one so I stopped. And I rather liked the gandao.

My first shifu was actually pretty good with the nine section whip but he could only use the one he brought from China because he said the ones he bought here were way to light. Of course he told me this after he had just wrapped it around his neck and then unwrapping it during the form


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## Blaze Dragon (Feb 23, 2014)

Xue Sheng said:


> Wushu steel (aka the boing boing flap flap blade) first and a heavier metal one later. If I had a backyard that was rather private I would work with a Guandao but I don't and I have no other place to work with one so I stopped. And I rather liked the gandao.
> 
> My first shifu was actually pretty good with the nine section whip but he could only use the one he brought from China because he said the ones he bought here were way to light. Of course he told me this after he had just wrapped it around his neck and then unwrapping it during the form



Ah very cool  I have never tried spinning those. I've seen them in action but those and the rope dart are just a bit intimidating for me. I did try the rope dart. Tried as in held it when my sifu brought it in and tried one or two throws. I haven't touched it since lol. It always amazed me how they wrap there bodies up and then send it sailing out and it uncoils. Chain whip seems kinda smart though since it's so small, might make for a nice self defense weapon if it's not illegal to carry....probably is though :S

yeah the Guandao seem really neat, I only ever learned one form of it and I barely remember the movements. I felt like that one form depended a lot on momentum. Are there any parks you could take it to?


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## Xue Sheng (Feb 23, 2014)

BlazeLeeDragon said:


> Ah very cool  I have never tried spinning those. I've seen them in action but those and the rope dart are just a bit intimidating for me. I did try the rope dart. Tried as in held it when my sifu brought it in and tried one or two throws. I haven't touched it since lol. It always amazed me how they wrap there bodies up and then send it sailing out and it uncoils. Chain whip seems kinda smart though since it's so small, might make for a nice self defense weapon if it's not illegal to carry....probably is though :S
> 
> yeah the Guandao seem really neat, I only ever learned one form of it and I barely remember the movements. I felt like that one form depended a lot on momentum. Are there any parks you could take it to?



I decided numerous trips to the ER were not worth it so I did not pursue the 9 section whip further. I liked the Guandao did like it and it was rather cool but showing up in a park with a Guandao is not exactly a good idea. I also do not own one, I was using my first Shifus


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## clfsean (Feb 23, 2014)

BlazeLeeDragon said:


> oo tzu kune are what we call our sun moon forks. We do a Pakua (bagua) form with them. I don't use them well, but they are really really cool  of course there are no videos up of Shaolin-Do guys using them but there is this video on youtube. same ones we use.



Right ok... 



BlazeLeeDragon said:


> Which broad sword are you playing with the typical Niuweidao (Ox Tail Saber)?



Do is a do as long as it's a single edge blade & not anything past a single handed handle to me.


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## Blaze Dragon (Feb 23, 2014)

clfsean said:


> Right ok...
> 
> 
> 
> Do is a do as long as it's a single edge blade & not anything past a single handed handle to me.



Though I can understand one form of single handed dao can be done with any dao, don't you favor one style for it's ease of movement or what feels better to weild? weight? balance? length? etc?


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## colemcm (Feb 23, 2014)

I practice gim, staff, and niuweidao. I'm not very good with the dao, though, as my Sifu made sure to inform me before he passed away. Brutally honest until the end. lol


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## clfsean (Feb 23, 2014)

BlazeLeeDragon said:


> Though I can understand one form of single handed dao can be done with any dao, don't you favor one style for it's ease of movement or what feels better to weild? weight? balance? length? etc?



No. It fits me for a purpose or it's different for a different purpose. 

A small one is most likely a butterfly. Something about 24-28 inches is probably a broadsword. Something longer is something else. And so on so on .... 

To me it's not necessary really unless there are very specific techniques that have to be performed with a very specific blade shape... a do is a do.


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## Kung Fu Wang (Feb 23, 2014)

Dagger, Dao, Miao Dao, Jian, staff, pole, spear, Guan Dao. Miao Dao is my favor.


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## Xue Sheng (Feb 23, 2014)

I have thought about looking into a Dadao, but that is mostly just because I think they look cool, no other practical reason at all


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## colemcm (Feb 23, 2014)

That reminds me. I found a link to these while viewing some HEMA videos.






The techniques are presented well in them.


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## Blaze Dragon (Feb 24, 2014)

Xue Sheng said:


> I have thought about looking into a Dadao, but that is mostly just because I think they look cool, no other practical reason at all



Who said it had to be practical >: D

Yeah dadao looked pretty cool. A guy brought in one he got from hanwei, very nice little blade. I didn't care for (might be because I don't know how to use it..shhhhh) However the blade shortness and handle length threw me. 

Though interesting fact, Chinese military carried these in a few wars, even when they had rifles


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## Brian R. VanCise (Feb 24, 2014)

I have no Chinese martial weapon training but..... I think the jian is really, really cool!


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## clfsean (Feb 24, 2014)

BlazeLeeDragon said:


> Who said it had to be practical >: D
> 
> Yeah dadao looked pretty cool. A guy brought in one he got from hanwei, very nice little blade. I didn't care for (might be because I don't know how to use it..shhhhh) However the blade shortness and handle length threw me.
> 
> Though interesting fact, Chinese military carried these in a few wars, even when they had rifles



There was a battalion in the peasant division of the Chinese Army in WW2. The Big Blades. Go look them up.


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## Flying Crane (Feb 25, 2014)

jian, dao, double dao, butterfly swords (which I have also been able to translate into double tomahawks), staff, spear.  It's all good stuff.  When you start to understand that the same principles are being utilized from empty-hand to weapons, then it all fits into place and it becomes easier.  Still, that's a lot of stuff to practice and I'll be the first to admit that I don't have time to practice any of it enough.


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## Kung Fu Wang (Feb 25, 2014)

Xue Sheng said:


> I have thought about looking into a Dadao, but that is mostly just because I think they look cool, no other practical reason at all


A boxer challenged a TCMA girl and the TCMA girl accepted. During the fighting day, the boxer brought his boxing gloves







and the TCMA girl brought her Dadao.


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## Xue Sheng (Feb 25, 2014)

Kung Fu Wang said:


> A boxer challenged a TCMA girl and the TCMA girl accepted. During the fighting day, the boxer brought his boxing gloves
> 
> 
> 
> ...



:lfao:

Isn't that just like a boxer to bring gloves to a dadao fight


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## HammockRider (Feb 28, 2014)

I always wanted to learn the monk's spade, the melon hammers and the double axes.


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## blindsage (Feb 28, 2014)

I'm not a big weapons person, but as a Bagua guy I gotta say I love the deer horn knives, the Bagua big knife (also called dadao), and the Bagua needles.


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## Xue Sheng (Feb 28, 2014)

clfsean said:


> There was a battalion in the peasant division of the Chinese Army in WW2. The Big Blades. Go look them up.



Yes, yes they did

Chinese military Big Saber



> The Chinese Military Big-Saber &#22823;&#20992; (Da Dao) was made famous by the 29th Army of the Chinese Nationalist Army fighting against the Japanese invaders during the 1930s. Legend has it that it's so effective that heads could be cut off easily with ease.
> 
> The 29th Army fought and held their position for 7 days and 7 nights at Xifengkou, killing 3000 enemies. However, in the 500 elite soldiers of the &#22823;&#20992;&#38538; (Da Dao Dui) "Big-Saber Contingent", only 20 survived.
> 
> On 9th March 1933, &#37329;&#24681;&#24544; (Jin En-Zhong) was assigned the Northwest Army's "Big-Saber Contingent". Subsequently on June 1933, he published &#23526;&#29992;&#22823;&#20992;&#34899; (Shi yong Da Dao Shu), "Practical Big-Saber Techniques".


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## Marnetmar (Mar 11, 2014)

Gun and Jian guy here.


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## Ironcrane (Mar 13, 2014)

I've had only a tiny bit of training with the staff, and broadsword. But I have handled a lot of weapons before. My favorites were the spear, and the tiger hooks.


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