
They were particularly popularized by classic Asian martial art movies. The nunchaku (also known as nunchucks) is probably the most well-known Karate weapon. Use foam versions if there is a possibility to get one. Training Karate with weapons could be very useful in self-defense, but you should be careful when performing with any of them. But, they were all based on the same principles and movement patterns. Each weapon comes with different techniques and kata to learn and were used in different ways. Kobudo WeaponsĪs we stated, Okinawan people used many different objects as weapons.
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But, you should have professional tutoring to avoid injury with the weapons.Ĭheck out our article about kobudo if you want to read more about it. The weapons were of all kinds: bo, sai, nunchaku, surujin, and kama, to name a few. That resulted in the birth of Okinawa Kobudo. They started implementing everyday objects into their training, such as pepper mill handles (tonfa) or wooden sticks (hanbo).

Also, the movements are often esthetic in nature and can seem irrational when picturing them being used in battle, but it was all about teaching focus, discipline, and form.Īs people of Okinawa couldn’t have any weapons by law, they developed barehanded techniques such as Karate first, using ancient Chinese arts as a background. They are often very close to Buddhism and Zen teaching, which stand for peacefulness and calm of the mind. The mental, almost religious character of the old martial arts is very highlighted.

They often included very dangerous techniques and handling of weaponry requiring a lot of skill. They were taught and learned for mental and physical conditioning, and firstly, for self-defense. Old martial arts weren’t taught for competitive purposes. The goal is to win a match, bout, or any other sort of competition. Even Karate today is a competitive sport. It was developed in the same area as well, and practitioners often learned both at the same time.Īs for the “old martial arts”, they had a different purpose and meaning from modern martial arts. That is the type commonly associated with Karate and resembles the Karate movement the most. Okinawan Kobudo would, therefore, only be one of the types of Kobudo.

In translation, Kobudo means “old martial arts”. Also, horsemanship techniques fall under the term as well. Kobudo is a general, collective term for all Japanese arts that involve weapons and armor. While they are often used as synonyms, there is a difference between Kobudo as a general term and Okinawan Kobudo. But, before we get into all the weapons you can practice within this form of Karate, you should know how the sister martial art came to be and what is it all about. It’s mostly things they could make on their own, or objects of different purpose used as weapons. The weapons used in Kobudo are traditional Okinawan weapons.

While it did develop as a sister martial art to Karate, Kobudo is considered a separate martial art that uses similar techniques, origins, and training approach, but implements all sorts of weapons in its arsenal. However, Karate translates to “empty hand”, which already makes it clear that it doesn’t use weapons. Q: How important is the mastery of bo techniques in karate?
