CONSIDERATIONS IN CHOOSING A WEAPON
A spear is a light weapon suitable for a lady
Question
When choosing a weapon to practice with and dedicate to, is there some things to consider to attain the best results, for example the size of the practitioner and the weapon, the weight, the applications and the training?
Can one use the skills he learned at the Dragon Strength course with weapons? What would be the best choice of weaponry?
Is it possible to apply Dim Mark with a weapon? How could this benefit the practitioner?
Sifu Nessa Kahila
Answer
Yes, the factors you have mentioned are some of the factors to consider when choosing a weapon to practice with and dedicate to. Other important factors include personal liking, the teacher’s knowledge and ability, availability of resources, and benefits in daily living.
Firstly, a practitioner should choose a weapon that he likes. Then he has to find a competent teacher willing to teach him this weapon.
Suppose he is small-size and he has chosen a crescent-moon spear. Obviously if the weapon is too heavy, it is unsuitable for him.
Nevertheless, there may be different weights for the same weapon. The weight must not be too light that it defeats the purpose of the weapon, nor too heavy that he cannot practice.
The crescent-moon spear is a long weapon. He must ensure that he has sufficient space to learn and practice it.
He should also consider availability of resources. Does his teacher know much about the weapon besides being able to teach it? Are there other students practicing the same weapon whom he can share knowledge and experiences? Is he able to obtain more information about the weapon from books, videos and other sources?
It is also helpful to consider whether knowing the weapon gives him any practical benefits in his daily life – a factor many students may be unaware of.
The crescent-moon spear is a long weapon, so he may use the skill learnt from his weapon training to keep unwelcomed people at bay. If these unwelcomed people come too close, he may use the skill of training the spear-head as a dagger, which is one of the properties of this weapon, to deal with them at close quarters.
The lessons from the Dragon Strength course are very versatile. One can use the skills learnt at the course for everything, of course, including with any weapon. This means you can choose any weapon you like.
Suppose, for this example, you have chosen a sword. The energy flow learnt at the Dragon Strength course can make you very fast and agile, which are excellent qualities for using a sword.
Now you choose a long, heavy weapon, as a comparison. The development of internal force using any one of the numerous methods learnt from the Dragon Strength course, will enable you to handle the heavy weapon which you may be unable to do so without the internal force.
Yes, when one has the skill and knowledge, he can apply dim mark with a weapon. Normally it is not necessary to do so, because it does not need much force to cause serious damage with a weapon. In other words, even when an exponent does not have much internal force, a cut with a sabre or a thrust with a spear can injure an opponent seriously enough, unlike in unarmed combat where such hits without internal force may not cause much harm.
However, if for any reason, a skilful exponent wishes to apply dim mark with a weapon on an opponent, he can do so. Usually the weapon used does not have sharp edges nor is pointed, like a staff or a rod. However, if the weapon is sharp or pointed, the exponent has to use a blunt part, like the tip of the handle or the end of the shaft.
The benefit for the practitioner in apply dim mark with a weapon on an opponent is similar to in unarmed combat. The practitioner does not want to hurt the opponent permanent, but to disable him temporarily so that he cannot continue to fight. The opponent can then seek remedial treatment after the combat to revert back to normal life. It is a compassionate way of fighting.
A staff is a very suitable weapon for dim mark
This answer is taken from Special Weapon Course: 10 Questions to Grandmaster Wong of the Shaolin Wahnam Institute Discussion Forum.
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