100 Kobudo Kata Challenge -or- Train like a T-Rex

Today, March 29th, was the '100 Kobudo Kata Challenge', a worldwide event where martial artists would practice Okinawan weapons at the same time. Our dojo did not register or buy the T-shirt, but we did work our kobudo forms on this day.

Some thought went into the difference between our karate (empty hands) training and how we work with weapons in our hands. Shotokan Karate uses low, deep stances and long, full strikes. We do not hit our opponent, we hit through our opponent. Our arms extend as far from the body as our countersunk hips will allow.

Kobudo, for the most part, works on a different premise: keep your hands as close to the body as possible. Use your torso as the fulcrum around which your weapon rotates. Tight, close-handed grip rotates faster than hands farther apart. Let the length of the weapon cover the distance for you. In other words, work like a Tyrannosaurus Rex. This concept is obvious for long 2-handed weapons like bo, jo and eku, but it also applies to short 1-handed weapons like sai, tonfa, and nunchaku. True, you extend your arms for strikes, but the spins, flips, and turns should emanate from your torso. This gives added power from torque while keeping your hands/weapons close to the body for protection.

Want to be a ferocious kobudo-ka? Want to be one of the most feared predators of your time? Train like a T-Rex.