weapons

[BigMotor]

As others have said, Taekwondo doesn't traditionally have any weapons. It's the way of hands and feet, not the way of swords and sticks. But many TKD schools do teach some weapon or weapons, such as bo staff, nunchaku, short stick, knife, or sais. Some schools teach their weapon(s) only to black belts, to help retain black belt students. Other schools teach them to all students at some color belt level(s). Other schools have a totally separate weapons class open to everybody, often for an extra charge.

My TKD school did not teach weapons, but one instructor, would bring his staff and practice with it. It was a big heavy stick, and I am sure that it was a potent means of hurting a thug.
Me personally, I carry a walking stick--a Jo--made of aluminum tubing. I don't see any sense in using nothing but my hands and feet. Since that may not be enough to win the fight, on the street.

 

[gorilla2]

We don’t teach weapons many schools do...it is something that impresses the parents which helps with retention...not all kids like to spar...it is Taekwondo if you want to call it that...we don’t...

 

[Porong]

well do you think a tonfa could be effectiveley used as a tkd defensive weapon? thoughts please thank you.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

well do you think a tonfa could be effectiveley used as a tkd defensive weapon? thoughts please thank you.

A tonfa is a karate weapon not a tkd weapon.

Correction: kobudo, not karate.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

well do you think a tonfa could be effectiveley used as a tkd defensive weapon? thoughts please thank you.

But to answer your question, assuming you have one on you when you need it for self defense, yes it can be effective.

 

[Dirty Dog]

well do you think a tonfa could be effectiveley used as a tkd defensive weapon? thoughts please thank you.

Tae Kwon Do is a 100% unarmed system. There are exactly zero TKD weapons.

 

[isshinryuronin]

At my school we have eskrima sticks, nunchucks, bo staff, sword, and knife.

I've also introduced lightsabers.

This is not meant to sound picky, but in the interests of proper karate grammar... "nunchucks" is better than "chucks", but more correctly called nunchaku. Next, "bo staff" is redundant since "bo" already refers to a staff. Most common in karate is the roku (6 ft) bo.

Technically speak, karate doesn’t have weapons either. Karate means “empty hand.” Kobudo is the Okinawan weapons art, not karate. Many karate schools incorporate weapons, but they’re technically not the same thing. Furthermore, I don’t think the founders of the major karate schools - Shotokan, Goju Ryu, Shorin Ryu, etc. taught weapons.

It's true that while some (mostly Okinawan) karate schools/styles incorporate a few weapons, there are schools with a separate, and usually very comprehensive, kobudo curriculum. Historically, the earliest karate practitioners were warriors and well versed in weapons. There is a strong link between karate-do and kobu-do.

Matsumura, "creator" of the Shuri-te branch of karate, for example, studied Jingen-ryu, mostly a swordsmanship school in Satsuma, Japan. Kyan Chotoku, master of Shorin-ryu and teacher of Isshin-ryu creator, Shimabuku Tatsuo, studied the bo style of Tokumine. One of Goju-ryu creator, Miyagi Chojun's top students was Kamiya Jinsei. He may have taught the bo kata Shishi no kun to Taira Shinken, who became known as the top weapons master of Okinawa. Taira may have learned Urashi bo from another giant of karate, Mabuni Kenwa, creator of Shito-ryu. Shimabuku learned his weapons mostly from Taira and incorporated them into his style of Isshin-ryu.

TMA weapons use the same biomechanic principles as empty hand karate and their weight helps train and strengthen the body. Besides that, they're fun and keeps things interesting.

 

[skribs]

This is not meant to sound picky, but in the interests of proper karate grammar... "nunchucks" is better than "chucks", but more correctly called nunchaku. Next, "bo staff" is redundant since "bo" already refers to a staff. Most common in karate is the roku (6 ft) bo.

This is not meant to sound picky, but...I don't take karate

 

[Gerry Seymour]

This is not meant to sound picky, but in the interests of proper karate grammar... "nunchucks" is better than "chucks", but more correctly called nunchaku. Next, "bo staff" is redundant since "bo" already refers to a staff. Most common in karate is the roku (6 ft) bo.

Thanks for sharing that. I always thought the term "bo" specifically referred to the approximately 6-ft. version. I assume hanbo refers to something roughly half the size of the most common bo (roku bo).

Is "jo" a complete term for a 5-ft.-ish staff, to your knowledge?

 

[isshinryuronin]

Thanks for sharing that. I always thought the term "bo" specifically referred to the approximately 6-ft. version. I assume hanbo refers to something roughly half the size of the most common bo (roku bo).

Is "jo" a complete term for a 5-ft.-ish staff, to your knowledge?

Generally, you are right. The 6 ft roku bo is the most common Okinawan weapon, so just saying "bo" commonly refers to the 6 ft version, unless otherwise specified; at least in my experience. The other sizes are not often taught.

"Han" is Japanese for half, so han bo is about 3 ft. The "jo" is more 4 ft, I believe, and I don't know if it's the full name of the weapon or if it is "jo bo". (I've always just called it a "jo").

 

[skribs]

@isshinryuronin
We also have a student named Bo. So "Bo staff" is used to differentiate the two.

 

[isshinryuronin]

@isshinryuronin
We also have a student named Bo. So "Bo staff" is used to differentiate the two.

I tell students to be sure to grip the bo tightly. I can see how this might cause a problem at your school, and especially for the student in question. !!!

 

[Gerry Seymour]

@isshinryuronin
We also have a student named Bo. So "Bo staff" is used to differentiate the two.

Parrying with Bo is entirely different from parrying with bo.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I tell students to be sure to grip the bo tightly. I can see how this might cause a problem at your school, and especially for the student in question. !!!

Or might not, as the case may be.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Parrying with Bo is entirely different from parrying with bo.

Somehow, this reminds me of the best staff lesson I ever learned. I was attending a seminar (anybody remember when we used to do that?) and they were covering some jo technique. On an overhead frontal block (jo 45 degrees vertical, in front of forehead), I was very focused on form. I looked perfect. Then the instructor walked up and shoved my jo, hitting me on the head with my own staff. No words were said. None were needed.

 

[oftheherd1]

Oh I'm nowhere near good enough to compete.

It was funny, though. I overheard two teenage girls, a purple belt (young teen) and a white belt (older teen) talking. All I heard was the white belt say "no...I don't think we're going to learn how to use Batarangs in here."

That's when I said "but we do have a class with lightsabers."

I think I have mentioned before that in the Hapkido I studied, we learned sword and short stick. That was mostly to learn defenses against the sword. Between 2nd Dan and 3rd Dan we learned a lot of defense and offense with the short stick.

 

[WaterGal]

Generally, you are right. The 6 ft roku bo is the most common Okinawan weapon, so just saying "bo" commonly refers to the 6 ft version, unless otherwise specified; at least in my experience. The other sizes are not often taught.

"Han" is Japanese for half, so han bo is about 3 ft. The "jo" is more 4 ft, I believe, and I don't know if it's the full name of the weapon or if it is "jo bo". (I've always just called it a "jo").

Out of curiousity, do you know why the roku bo is called that? Roku means six, but AFAIK Japan doesn't use the imperial system of measurement (inches, feet, etc), so it seems odd to me that they'd call it the "six staff".

 

[isshinryuronin]

Out of curiousity, do you know why the roku bo is called that? Roku means six, but AFAIK Japan doesn't use the imperial system of measurement (inches, feet, etc), so it seems odd to me that they'd call it the "six staff".

The western "foot" is similar to the old Japanese "shaku" that was based on the span of a hand. During the Meiji Restoration, in the latter 1860's, Western customs were adopted, including presumably measurement. Sometime before the end of the century, the shaku was changed to 2 hand spans and was standardized as 1/3 meter, or about one foot. When Japan adopted the metric system, it seems that the traditional martial art terminology was retained. So, technically, the roku bo is not six feet, but six shaku. *

* While the above is based mostly on historical fact, part of it is from my own conjecture and belief to fill in gaps in the historical record. I believe it is accurate enough for our purposes.