Only learn the tonfa?

[Kneppy18]

Quick question:

Is it possible to just learn a weapon art? I am probably going to become a police officer once I graduate college and during that, I will be learning the baton. A police baton is basically a tonfa. I would like to learn the art behind it and not just the police use for it. I'm a student of Bujinkan Ninjutsu but I would like to suplement the skills I learn from that with the tonfa. Any ideas on how to do this?

Thanks for your help,

-Aaron Knepp

[Sochin]

Shouldn't be too hard unless the Okinawan stylists near you want you to take the whole "course".

Police use and traditional use are quite different, different enough so if you can find a police manual for its use, you'll do alright even without an instructor. Probably. Maybe. Who knows?? :)

If you want a good book on the subject, get Fumio Demura's book, I like his stuff a lot.

good luck,

[n2shotokai]

I am far from an expert on tonfa, but I was told the police baton / tonfa is very different. The handle is split with a swivel in the middle of the handle. Spin the baton by holding only the upper part of the hand and thumb. Brake with the bottom half of the hand.

[fuwafuwausagi]

Having trained LEOs on and off for years I'll offer the opinion that you are far better off not learning the martial arts way of utilizing a baton or tonfa at all. That is not to say the martial arts method is not effective, rather that employing a baton or tonfa ballisticly as martial artists are taught is a reflex use of the weapon that will probably get you suspended. There are standard courses on the weapons taught specifically for LEOs. I strongly urge you to utilize only generally accepted practices and refrain from using the weapon in the classical sense. The Japanese jutte and its applications is a fine tool to work with.

TFB

[Shikiyanaka]

I know Hama Higa no Tunfa and it would definetely get you through all stages of "Diablo II"; for use in the "civilized" world, however, it would surely give you a lawsuit.