Wing Chun is most well known of its use of hands in close range combat or self defense. However Wing Chun also employs the use of two weapons designed to be extensions of the hands and Wing Chun principles:
The Butterfly Knives / Eight Slashing Knives , or in Cantonese, Baat Jaam Do
The Dragon Pole/ Six and Half-Point Pole, or in Cantonese, Luk Dim Boon Gwan
Yesterday, the Traditional Wing Chun Academy Tokyo under Sifu Ki Innis held its first weapons seminar on these two traditional weapons.
The Butterfly Swords are designed to defend against long weapon attack and return an attack as quickly as possible using Wing Chun principles. Returned attacks are used to inflict nicking, slashing, stabbing injuries the opponent, not to kill or maim with single blows. Carrying weapons is hardly practical today but principles can be extended to billy clubs, tonfa, or short sticks. Footwork the employs the primary line of defense and the weapons give the advantage of an extension to the limbs.
The Dragon Pole uses true Wing Chun principles as its intent is to make or find openings, keep the opponent's weapon off the centerline and exploit his/her balance. Traditional Dragon Poles measure as long as 13 feet, but in practicality a simple 6 foot staff or even a shorter staff like weapon can be used.
Hopefully no one in their lifetime will encounter someone who means them harm with a weapon but it's good to know some simple basic principles of where to look and what to do in such a situation. "Better to have and not need and need and not have."
"Nothing should be learned in isolation and simply from a book or online. This is meant to be a compliment to what you learning from a certified or at least qualified instructor. Seek out and gain guided instruction from an experienced teacher." - Sifu Ki Innis
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