I have a variety of bloggers I read. They always get me thinking because of the post as a whole and sometimes excerpts that inspire me to post as well as think, contemplate, and consider ... things. Today I read a post on the kobudo weapon "sai." I like sai and at one time I practiced it along with the bo, kama, nunchaku, and tuifa (tonfaa). I practiced them for the art aspects. You know the history, customs, etc. that they represent.
Kobudo have a purpose yet in my training and practice they DO NOT have street or combat applications. If you are interested in that view point then I recommend the book, "Becoming a Complete Martial Artist," by Tristan Sutrisno Sensei with Marc MacYoung and Dianna Gordon. [p.s. the views expressed here are NOT from the book, just this one quote/paragraph which is not exacting.]
Back on topic, the following are "excerpts" from a post I wrote of above. These were particular "rules" out of about fifteen that caught my eye and caused me pause. They just didn't fit my view on the weapon or any kobudo weapon. Here they are:
- Don't touch another person's sai. [this seems obvious yet I understand the some newbies will be interested so may go over and with out thinking pick up someone else's sai to look at them closely. Rude, yes, but not a real big cause for concern. I don't even feel that it is of any real danger to the person who's curiosity was peaked but understand caution is the better choice.]
- Look at where you are striking with the sai. [I had to laugh with this one yet have to agree even tho it seems logical to me. Instructors are not one's who should allow for "assumptions" so in that light I would add that although this seems obvious many dojo and practitioners do not "look or see" before they do something. I see it occur in kata and fundamentally basic upper and lower techniques. I watch folks turn into a direction and apply technique with out first "looking" even a subtle look. If I teach sai then I teach chakugan or "To set eyes on the opponent." [yes, I know in some situations you have to go on instinct cause you get blindsided, etc. yet ... ]
- Don't step over sai. [This is ridiculous to me. This is something someone from somewhere adapted to kobudo. I believe that in sword arts of Japan that this particular rule is set and has important reasoning behind it as an art and a combative system. Someone observed this in a sword art dojo and said to themselves, "this is cool," then put it into the training regimen to impress and be cool. Poppy Cock! Even as a tripping hazard type rule sai should not be laying about the dojo floor willy nilly as that has a inference as to the dojo etiquette, etc.]
- Generally, don't place sai on the floor. [Ok, lets get obvious here. Some dojo are set up with no tables and no wall hooks to hang kobudo weaponry so it goes somewhere. Now, in my dojo's you placed your weaponry on the floor and up against a wall. It is out of the way and leaves the dojo main training area open and free from obstacles. It just didn't make sense to me but then again it may be due to instructing children, etc.]
This next one is the most egregious in my view:
- If a stranger or visitor brings "naked" sai (not in a case) to the dojo, it gives the appearance of a challenge. [People can be stupid. They may not have the funds to get a case and spent their hard earned money to get the best sai possible. To assume that anyone coming into a dojo with a "naked sai" is coming to challenge is ludicrous in my eyes. This sounds a lot like some movie about Samurai or some Bruce Lee "Fists of Fury" type hold over that made it into legend and dojo all over the country. I am not the end all and know all karate-ka but all my studies do not present any data or info that this type of thing occurred historically. Even those stories from Japan as to Samurai, etc. are taking a lot of leeway with dramatization to sell books, magazines, and movies tickets.]
Ok, maybe I am being a bit picky yet it seems clear that some things occur because they get inserted into things like martial systems because of outside influences that are not valid or of any historical value. To me there is so much more we can do and accomplish by returning to the roots at each level and discovering more from our new level and view of things.
p.s. If you be the author of the post I extracted from this is just an exercise in theories, etc. and not meant to besmirch you, your practice, your dojo, or anything else. It was just particular fodder for me to launch a tirade on monkey brain crud from my end. ;-)
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