Traditional Weapon Training

The Bo (Staff)

 The Bo is one of the oldest martial weapons, and to many the most versatile.

The Bo is the main stay of RyuKyu Kobudo having more kata than any other weapon.

The Bo or Roku Shaku Bo as it is more precisely known (a shaku is a unit of measurement almost a foot long), is the predominant kind of Bo used and attracts the most interest by practitioners.

Its length is 6ft, or as is sometimes customary, cut to the height of the user. The wood used is usually Red Oak or White Oak and the Bo is tapered from the tip ends to facilitate better focus of power when impacting a target with a thrust. The weight is dependent on the wood used and is a critical factor for students, too heavy and the techniques become clumsy, too light and there is not enough power.

The weapon itself is an derivation of the water-bucket staff, or tenbin, used since ancient times on Okinawa. The practitioner is taught to hold the weapon initially divisible by thirds and then openly encouraged to develop a more flexible holding style allowing full use of the weapons potential distance. Real Bo-jutsu is fluid with a continuous flowing technique.

It is not accurate to perform Bo kata the same way as Karate kata. Striking with the Bo should be more reminiscent of cutting with a sword, rather than the often static techniques of Karate basics.

The Sai

 The Sai has become, to many, the virtual symbol of Okinawan Kobudo. The weapon is metal and of the truncheon class with its length dependent upon the forearm of the user. When held it should be about 3cm longer than the forearm and generally Sai are used in pairs.

Advanced Sai uses 3, with one held in the belt behind ready for, and used for throwing. The tang is of the Korean classification and the pommel is variant to round, square or multi angled types much dependant on the emphasis of the makers usage.

The efficient use of the weapon is much reliant on the dexterity of the practitioner with his thumbs, which the tang is balanced and rotated on along with the loosening and tightening of the grip from the small finger for striking and consolidating power. The early use of the weapon makes the user appear stiff and robotic but as the training advances the flow and unity with body movement becomes ever more apparent. Sai is the practice of 'Shuto' in empty hand and emphasizes the need for 'Koshi no Chikara' (Hip power) and 'Suri Ashi' (sliding movement). The importance of body movement and good footwork is ever more apparent as the weapon is of a smaller classification than Bo.

Advanced practitioners must learn to throw the Sai, a difficult requirement in view of the weight.