EVERYONE LOVES WEAPONS….

… But how does it translate into your everyday training?

One of the many things that I write about in the blog is the adaptability and completeness of the Fang Shen Do martial art system.  As previously reported, one of the FSF mantras is

Whatever your needs, whatever your goals – we can help. 

It must be noted in the above statement, that you will note we said “we can help”; the real responsibility, and therefore the pride in accomplishment, belongs to the individual student.  They are the ones who exhibit the discipline and dedication to train, they are the ones that push themselves in each training session – the real victory belongs to the person who emerges from each training session a little better than they were when they walked in….

As I noted before, our goal as an instructor is to help the student achieve this feeling of success.  Students will come to us for many different reasons. 

Some may be looking for the best self-defence system to make sure that both they and their loved ones are protected in an unpredictable society;
 … others will be looking to compete in either the ring or the octagon and have heard about the incredible success of our training program and fight team;
….others may be looking to get into better shape to improve the quality of their lives and have read about our award winning workouts and are looking to challenge themselves physically in a fun atmosphere;
…. still others may be aware of the incredible benefits that martial art gives to young students and how the training will benefit them in the years to come as they develop the skills of respect, dedication, perseverance and confidence.

It would be easy to continue the above, but I think you get the point – whatever your reasons, whatever your goals – we can help. 

One of the reasons that Fang Shen Do can offer this ability to assist some many others in reaching their goals is the way that we (as school owners) were/are trained.  Both Sijo and Sibok go to great lengths to ensure that the Fang Shen Do system is taught properly and that all instructors are fully trained in all aspects of the system, be it trapping, closing, grappling or …weapons. Which, in a roundabout way, has brought me to my title.  As we currently do not live in feudal Japan in the 16^th century, how will training with weapons benefit you today?

I am glad you asked that question, my friend….

If we look at the four scenarios provided above (and there are many more), I can report with certainly that weapons training can help all of them:

For the people looking for self defense - understanding and learning to use the weapons will familiarize themselves on how the weapon may be applied.  This will be critical in learning how to defend themselves against it as well as the familiarity will reduce the fear / hesitation that could be deadly in a self defense scenario. 

For the people looking to enter competition, training with the weapons will develop the critical attributes of speed, distancing and footwork.  As the weapon moves faster than the hand, by training with weapons (in conjunction with the fighter training) the fighters start to see and react faster.  In addition, the coordination drills help them develop their off side (right or left) as well as their dominate side, making them more of a threat.   

For the people looking to get into shape, training with the weapons will help develop focus, coordination and speed.  These attributes provide a foundation and become critical when undertaking the advance workouts.

For the junior students, training with the weapons provides focus, control and respect.  In addition, the weapons training is also a symbol of achievement as the students have to reach a certain level at the school before they are allowed to train with the weapons. 

I am especially excited for our next testing day as, in addition to all the sash tests, we will be testing our first junior student for Level One Weapons Certification.

If you have any questions about our Fang Shen Do school or how we can help you, feel free to contact me personally at sifuscotthill@icloud.com

Stay Solid,  

Sifu Scott

Posted in: Personal Development