For Real Defence, Profession, Acting, Recreation or just fun & fitness!
On this page
You will find the many reason for training in Weaponry including for defence, professional, fun, recreation and fitness..
Introduction
Although Australian Cinema may not be making Chinese Movies, Chinese & Indian Cinema are using Australia for Movie Making. Long before the Matrix there was Mr Nice Guy (Jacky Chan & Richard Norton) and many others that drew on Australian Martial Art talent to fill the martial art scenes. And it is not MMA or Karate or even TKD they used but Kung Fu!
Why Kung Fu? Kung Fu may be one of the oldest forms of formalised and still existing martial arts, home in the most populous country in the world, united under one government for over 2000 years. In this time it developed the most variations and forms making it undoubtable the richest martial art in the world. And like so, the historical weapons developed of this time may have a variety greater than any other 10 cultures put together.
In movies you require excellent, unique and interesting forms of display. This can not be offered by the McDonald's Martial Art of your local corner dojo. When the casting agents search for talent, they choose kung fu and kung fu weapons (as in Star Wars with Jonathan Rosenbaum).
People with Weapons Hurt People
You can not learn how to defend against Weapons in a 4 hour or weekend seminar; and if you really want to learn Weaponry defence you need to understand how the Weapon can be used. It is easy for you to see if the person teaching has any idea about teaching defence. They will generally need to teach you offence first so that you can appreciate what will happen and so that you are able to work with your partner to learn and practice defence. This is actually the ironical part of self-defence; "if you do not know how you can be attacked, it is almost impossible to defend successfully"!
At the Shaolin Academy you first learn how to handle 4 basic Weapons. This ensures that you are safe and comfortable handling Weapons and that you have learned not to poke out someone eye, whilst you are handling a Weapon. Now, this is the first and most important point as exemplified by US statistics and guns whereby you are more likely to Kill or Injure yourself or someone you know accidental than you are to be able to use the Weapon for self defence.
You need to learn to use a Weapon, before you can learn to defend against the Weapon!
The first 5 levels of Traditional Chinese Weaponry deals with teaching you how to be safe, conformable and accurate in handling, maintaining and using a Weapon. You also learn Weaponry sparring, accuracy, and different handling styles. When completed you will be safe and ready to follow one of the advanced Weaponry Skills streams.
1 - Weapon Defence Journeyman
There are 4 levels of learning, each successively more involved and difficult culminating with Bare Hand Knife Defence;
Bare Hand Defence against Long Weapons (Staff, Spear, Pitchfork, etc)
Bare Hand Defence against Medium Weapons (Base Ball/Cricket Bat, Car Club)
Bare Hand Defence against Incidental Weapons (Bottle, Chain, Chair, etc)
Bare Hand Defence against Sharp Weapons (Knife)
.
You will learn, using Shaolin Kung Fu to manage such attacks in different ways:
Avoid & Escape
Delay, Distract & Escape (if anyone is with you)
Debilitate
Disarm & Control
Dealing with real situations, that are life threatening is the most difficult of streams and requires a high degree of Kung Fu training. To follow this stream you need to have completed the 1st 5 Weaponry Levels and the first 5 levels in Shaolin 5 Animal Kung Fu or equivalent.
2 - Weapon Action Actor
Weapons are tools. Traditionally tools of self defence but as with anything, if you do not adapt to the needs of the time, tools will become obsolete. Using Weapons for entertainment is really a very honorable of using Weapons to earn money, without anyone being killed. In this segment you will need to become an Australian Stunt person, Registered and Accredited through the Stunt Academy.
After achieving Red Sash, you will focus on 5 different traditional Weapons; Broad Sword, Two Handed Sword, Knife, Butterfly Knives and one of your choice. You will develop a practical and visually stunning routine for each Weapon to demonstrate against an opponent and once without an opponent. Once you have completed this, you need to compete and achieve a placing in a National Martial Art Circuit or equivalent. On completion of the 5th Weapon, you demonstrate your skills at an open grading and will be promoted to 1st Degree Black Sash in Weapon Work.
3 - The Weapons Professional (Fitness Coaching & Weapon Instructor)
Using Weapons for Health and Fitness is much more interesting than using balls, hoops or such. To achieve this level, you need to complete the Kung Fu Instructor in Training Program whilst completing the 1st 5 levels of the Weaponry Curriculum. You will also need to complete the 1st 5 levels of the Shaolin 5 Animal Kung Fu curriculum in support of teaching Weapons for Health and Fitness. On completion of these three items you will become a Weapons Instructor Double Red Sash and are able to teach both the Weaponry to Red Sash and Animal Kung Fu to Red Sash.
4 - Weapon Champion
More and more competitions around the world are focusing on Weaponry Events including sparring, form work and show. To achieve this level you will need to complete the 1st 5 levels in Shaolin Weaponry and then make a State level placing in Weaponry Forms, Weaponry Sparring and Weaponry Demonstration.
5 - Weapon Mastery
This is the path to take if you wish to become a true Weapons Master & Teacher. After completing your Weaponry Red Sash, you follow each and every path above;
Weapons Defence Journeyman (1st Degree Black Sash)
The Weapons Professional (2nd Degree Black Sash)
Weapons Champion National Level (3rd Degree Black Sash)
Weapons Action Actor (4th Degree Black Sash)
Weapons for War (5th Degree Black Sash, 1st Master Level)
All these can be achieved in any order (except the Mastership) and can be worked on concurrently. Often though, to achieve true results, you want to focus on an item for 6 months before multitasking.
Summary
It all may seem so much and so varied; yet, if you look at a modern Master of Weaponry then you need to incorporate the true modern uses of Weaponry as a tool for life not an instrument for death. The basic 5 levels will teach you how to use 'objects' for self defence and protection. No one in their right mind should be teaching Weapons for death and destruction, we have enough of that. But Weaponry for Health and Fitness, Weaponry for Fun and Games (Recreations, Competitions), Weaponry for Appreciation (History and Skill) and Weaponry as a Tool (for Movies, TV and Shows) is a much better attitude to traditional & Ancient Weaponry. Weaponry for life not death!
Below you will find some of the great Weaponry Forms we have recorded so far.
