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In
Shaolin kung fu, any object can be used as a weapon. The primary consideration is to use
that object as an extension of your body. This means that you can apply
the same types of techniques and strategies of barehand fighting for weapons (and vice versa).
Throughout
the development of kung fu many types of weapons have emerged.
These range from weapons intentionally designed for war, to everyday objects that were
hand. Some Chinese dynasties, notably the Ching (Qing) forbad commoners to possess
weapons, so it was necessary to adapt ordinary objects for defence
Typical weapons of warfare include swords, spears and halberds. However, weapons
such as the horsebench, trident, and sickle began life as simple
farming tools. Farming tools made excellent weapons as they were either
very strong, very sharp or both - and were unlikely to be confiscated by the authorities.
Weapons such as the umbrella (made famous by Wong Fei Hong) and the walking cane were
good weapons for city-life.
Practical Self-Defense Weapons
A
lthough some may criticise the relevance of training such archaic weapons,
there is a very good reason why such weapon training continues.
Every weapon (Shaolin or otherwise) has characteristics that will give it an advantage over
other weapons. Once an association is made between a weapon's physical properties and its
advantages, a practictioner can learn to use other objects with
similar physical properties as if it were the trained weapon.
For
example, the 7 section whip is a flexible weapon
that can be made hard or soft. The skills gained from its training are not just limited to other
7 section whips, but also applicable to other soft weapons. In the modern environment, skills
learnt from the 'archaic' 7 section whip
can be adapted to common items such as a sash, belt or even a towel.
Techniques learnt for the staff and spear can also be applied to common items,
such as a broom stick or snooker cue; while sword techniques can be adapted
for short weapons, including the cane, short stick and umbrella. Skills learnt
for the horsebench can be adapted for chairs or stools for fighting.
The weapons below represent a sample of the countless weapons in the
traditional Shaolin arsenal.
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