Weapons
martial tai chi
Martial arts weapons training is used:
To exhibit total control of one's body while expanding the energetic field and the "power" of the mind
To benefit health
For personal self-defense
To achieve higher perception and reaction time
To learn moral values such as patience, perseverance, and humility
The Martial Arts have evolved and developed throughout the world over the course of 5,000 years. This evolution began with bare hand styles, but soon encompassed various weapons in the different styles. Just as fighting techniques were improved, weapons advanced from the most primitive stone and wood to advanced instruments made of strong yet light alloys with increasingly specific function.
Many Martial artists, having reached a certain level of proficiency with unarmed combat, choose to expand their knowledge to include the use of weapons. Traditional weapons vary greatly but most fall intothe following basic categories: long, short, very short, soft, and projectiles.