Chinese Martial Arts Weapons

By Matthew Proctor

Martial arts weapons come in all shapes and sizes. Their origins fall in cultures and regions spanning the globe; generally, where man exists so too do martial arts weapons. These weapons are the implements of man's early wars, they come from a time before firearms were readily available for purchase at the local department store, and they come from a time before the department store.

When most think of the definition of martial arts weapon a few things are brought to mind. The first would be a martial artist. Usually one thinks of a Chinese Monk or Bruce Lee type character when thinking of the martial arts. After all, even though martial art forms come from a vast variety of cultures and backgrounds the term has taken on an Eastern root. It is believed that the Ancient Chinese were the first martial artists and this is why we think of them before anyone else when discussing martial arts weapons.

Chinese martial artists use a variety of weapon types but there are a few famous ones that stand out above the rest. The Shaolin monks prefer using a variety of bladed weapons like the straight sword or single headed spear. They also were keen to use the nunchakus, two blunt short sticks attached in the middle by a strong rope or chain. The meteor hammer is one of the more exotic weapons of the Shaolin monks. It is a rope of chain with two heavy steel balls attached to either end that can be whipped at an opponent by controlling and manipulating momentum.

The cartoon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a great example for Chinese martial arts weapons. The turtle characters each wield a different weapon and they are all from the ancient Chinese. There is the straight sword of Leonardo, though occasionally it can be called a Katana, the Bo staff of Donatello, the nunchakus of Michelangelo, and the Sai of Rafeal. Their master splinter named the turtles after old European painters but trained them in the weapons of the ancient Chinese and Japanese.

Most of the weapons were originally farming implements. The Chinese and Japanese developed their martial arts forms in secret while working the fields for the tyrannical governments. The nunchakus were originally used to till crops and the Oar was used for paddling boats. These weapons could be played off as farming implements until it was time to attack and this was a helpful advantage in over throwing ancient governments.

Check out more articles for more useful information about martial arts weapons and a further study of the importance of chinese martial arts weapons.

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For more resources on martial arts weapons, see www.bestmartialartsource.com.