martial arts weapons 04 by Articles Exposed

Published Date: 01/02/08

I have always had a weakness for martial arts weapons. I don't really know when it started. I think it was when I was a kid. My parents used to take us to New York. We would go to the Art museum, and I would always be drawn instantly to the arms and armor room. I would get to look at martial arts weapons from the Middle Ages. They were amazing. I loved the plate mail, the long swords, the broadswords ? all of it.

It wasn't until I was a teenager that I was introduced to Chinese martial arts weapons. Martial art weapons from the East are much different than traditional European arms and armor. The difference lies in the philosophy behind them. While medieval martial art weapons rely on brute force to overcome an opponent, Eastern martial arts supplies rely on increasing strength, speed, and dexterity. In other words, bigger isn't always better. Often, the smaller quicker weapon wins in this philosophy.

My parents did not understand my obsession with martial arts weapons. You see, they were pacifists. In their view, possessing a martial arts weapon was almost as bad as possessing a gun. Sure, you can't do quite as much damage with a katana as you can with an AK-47, but nonetheless they both symbolize the same thing. To them, martial arts weapons were symbols of violence as much as a handgun was. I, however, have always seen things differently.

You see, I have always been drawn to the martial arts. Martial arts weapons, of course, have a certain violent purpose. They are obviously designed to hurt and kill. Nonetheless, through understanding violence, we can overcome it. That is the philosophy behind the martial arts nowadays. There is no doubt that there was a time when the martial arts weapon was used chiefly to kill enemies. Nowadays, however, it is used to train us to overcome violence.

My parents did not allow me to have martial arts weapons for the first several years of my training. They enrolled me in a kung fu course because I was completely obsessed with it. They figured that it would be good exercise for me, and maybe it would exhaust my interest in martial arts weapons. It did nothing of the kind. In fact, I became much more interested in weapons martial arts as I advanced in my training. Nowadays, I am an expert in martial arts weapon training. They have long since accepted it, and they are proud of me.

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