Obscure Weapons of the FMA

[JohnJ]

While authentic, there are several weapons in our arts that would likely be described as the more obscure. Some that come to mind are: whip, rope / scarf, yo-yo, blow-gun, foot darts etc.

I am not fond of any of these simply because I don't find them to be functional enough. If I had to choose, the rope/scarf seems to offer the most practicality but even then, I would find it difficult to use effectively in a real situation. Unless of course, the ends had some weight to it. Then, it can be used as a flexible weapon simply for striking and keeping your opponent at a distance.

I know many practitioners train with some of the items I've listed. My question is for those of you who do...which weapon do you train in and what are the functional aspects gained from them?

[lhommedieu]

As I've mentioned in some posts made throughout the last couple of years, I like practicing with the ananangkil because it forces you to use your legs and waist to generate speed and power. The bangkaw that I learned is similarly a heavy weapon that links up the shoulders for speed and power generation.

Three weapons that I would like to practice this summer are the 7 foot bullwhip (closer to 10 feet with the fall and popper), the throwing knife, and the chain (cadena). The whip is used in my system to build relaxed power, the throwing knife is used to build focus and acuracy, and the chain is used for wrist strength.

Best,

Steve Lamade

[arnisador]

Three weapons that I would like to practice this summer are the 7 foot bullwhip (closer to 10 feet with the fall and popper), the throwing knife, and the chain (cadena).

I would like to play with the first two; the chain holds less interest for me. I have heard it said that in the FMA there are four weapons classes: Impact, Edged, Flexible, and Projectile. In Modern Arnis we do not spend much time on the last two. I have no desire to become an expert in those areas, but would like to have a bit more experience. I have also heard it suggested that the wrist movements involved in using the whip provides good training for knife-throwing. Maybe after the summer we can engage in some whip boxing (http://fmatalk.com/showthread.php?t=585)! :D

Back to the original post, there are many unusually-shaped blades that I already consider exotic. The rope/scarf/chain is rarely seen but there is clearly a tradition of it. I have heard of sipa/sikaran practitioners using foot-held blades, including sharpened coins. For me, the kermabit is as exotic as I've gotten!