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View Full Version : Escrima, Bo, and/or Jo Included?



Tristan
5th December 2003, 16:56
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First of all, I apologize if this post would be better in another forum, but my question will direct me to said forum (I'd imagine). Anyway, I was wondering if any style incorporates Escrima sticks, Bos, and Jos into a regular weaponless form? Those 3 weapons (Escrima especially) have been tantalizing me for some time.

It also seems to me that they are the most likely weapons you could find in a time of need. As in, someone at a bar is causing trouble and you happen to have a poolstick in your hand. Poor substitute for a bo, surely, but you get the jist, I think.

Also, I was also wondering about physical limitations. I was interested in Iaido awhile back, but there is no school close to me and I have a past knee injury that prevents me from sitting in seiza. The knee problem is something that isn't going to go away, so I'm hoping to find a style that could fit within these criteria.

Any help/suggestions/comments are greatly appreciated.
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Mitch Saret
6th December 2003, 20:38
We regularly take weapons inlcuding the stick weapons as well as nunchaku, sai, kama, etc., and incorporate them into our empty hand forms. As a requirement for 2nd dan we have to take our weapon of choice and plug it into any 4 of the 8 kata we worked up to shodan. We are a kempo/jujutsu and we use the pinan series and the naihanchi series up to shodan.

CEB
6th December 2003, 23:42
I don't know anythng about escrima. Some okinawa kobudo practice Nitan Bo ( 2 short sticks about 2 feet long). Matsumura Kempo is one Okinawian school that does this. There are others also.

How do karate people insert the a weapon of their chioce into their empty hand forms?

USKA guys used to do this I guess they still do. They called it Shuri weapon theory it was invented one night in a conversation at a bar between a couple of Mr. Trias' black belts.

Do you just grab a weapon and figure the most logical way of manipulating the weapon or does someone in your system have a fundemental grounding in a kobudo method somewhere. I've seen a lot of karate guys with nunchakun that have had no instruction in kobudo. Sometimes its interesting and even neat looking. :) The USKA guys had a set theory of how to manipulate the weapon at what part of the kata but there was still room for artistic license. The principles were not the most sound in some cases but I guess it has some value nonetheless. It was a form of dexterity practice if nothing else.

edg176
7th December 2003, 09:40
Short answer--not really.
Long answer:
Most eskrima/FMA schools concentrate on single handed sticks, although there are some I've seen that use bo or jo length weapons.
Two I can think of off of the top of my head are the Kabaroan system and Visayan Eskrima, as taught by Master Sonny Umpad.

When someone says that they teach "eskrima sticks" I'm a little confused. The art changes as the weapon changes. Yes, the common weapon is between 19-26 inches long, but fixating on learning "the eskrima stick" is not helpful. FMA are flexible. Sticks, swords, knives, cell phones, taser, whatever, the skilled eskrimador is defined by his training methods and fighting concepts. Not the stick.

Tristan
7th December 2003, 14:09
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Thank you, everyone, for your replies. I have been browsing the forum and searching various sites and Aikido seems to be the best fit for me. Obviously I won't know until I begin, but I like the theory/base of Aikido. Also, I have noticed Aikidoka talking some about Jo and Bokken latter in their training. And I've also located a school not far from my home. Again, thank you for your time. :)
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MarkF
8th December 2003, 10:21
Any help/suggestions/comments are greatly appreciated.


Keep using that cue stick. They don't ask if you want to play pool, they ask if you want to play some "stick." Sometimes, they really mean it.

I don't think it's a poor substitute for a bo, in fact it could be your best friend. Of course, that only counts if you hang around in bars with q sticks around. Two sticks and you really have something.

I use all sorts and lengths of sticks and other assorted "weapons at your disposal" in my judo dojo. There are even kata for them, or parts of kata anyway.

Cut one way down and you have a crude tanto bokken. That works, too, especially if you put some chalk on it (dark color preferably). The unarmed moves of judo or jujutsu work just fine with a weapon in your hand if you can't close the ranks on your out-of-control drunk. It's nice to have beautifully carved and weighted bokken and all, but they generally have another purpose. Call them sticks, and they are whatever you need them to be.

I know Mitch, the Wonder-weapon knows what I mean (you do know what I mean, don't you, Mitch?) Once inside you can drop the sticks and do some damage to the floor using your pool drunk's body.;)


Mark

BC
8th December 2003, 20:36
In my opinion, most weapons training in aikido is not very functional from a self-defense perspective. It is more for a training tool.

That said, if you are still going to take up aikido, you can't go wrong by checking out Aikido of Harvard, in Harvard, IL. It's only about 15 miles from Lake Geneva. Their website is:

http://www.aikidoharvard.org

There are some Filipino martial arts schools in Chicago, but they might be a little to far away for you. When I used to train in Ed Parker's American kenpo, our school also cross-trained in kali. There might be some kenpo schools in you neck of the woods.

Good luck!

Tristan
9th December 2003, 06:22
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As a matter of fact, Aikido of Harvard run by Sensei Terry Leonard, is exaclty the school I was refering to. I have yet to obtain a vehicle, although I expect to have one by the new year. Anyway, I was going to email him soon to see if he is accepting new students and to see if I could sit in on a class, perhaps.

And about the weapons training: It's more of a romantic notion. I more or less wanted to learn some weapons just for the sake of learning them and connecting to history and what not. I knew that most weapons are impractical these days, to say the least.

It's just that, as I've read about Aikido, it actually fits into my personality as well as anything could. I mean this in as far as Aikidoka seem to try to find passive solutions to problems if at all possible. However, if violence ends up as the unavoidable result, Aikido makes sure you are not the submissive one in a violent conflict.

Actually, it seems you are submissive in that you receive the attackers ki and 're-arrange' it to your needs. Hmmm, it seems I've been reading more than I originally thought! ;)
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