Kendo Equipment

If you decide to do kendo, you need kendo equipment. But what should you buy? If you have never seen kendo, you probably have some trouble with where to start. Here is what you need.

- wooden sword or bokuto (bokken),
- bamboo sword or shinai,
- training suits (top and bottom, and
- a set of armour or bogu).

Top wear is called keikogi and bottom is called hakama.

However, at the very beginning, we don't really need all the kendo equipment.

At the very beginning, probably you need only a shinai or bokuto.

Bokuto or Bokken Kodachi (Shorter Sword) Tachi (Longer Sword)

Shinai

Ideally, we should have a shinai, bokuto, keikogi and hakama at the very beginning. They are the starter kit of kendo.

So some senseis want us to buy the starter kit at the very beginning. If you go to a dojo, you should follow what your sensei says.

Traditionally we should have keikogi and hakama on when we are at dojo so that we can have a different mind set.

I personally think that we only need bokuto to start with. And gradually add keikogi and hakama and shinai.

The reason that I personally think that beginners don't need everything at the very beginning is that it is overwhelming to beginners.

If beginners are happy to buy everything at the very beginning, I have no problem with that. It is better because they are committed.

Kendo equipment is pricey anyway, so I just don't scare new comers away because of the price they have to pay for everything at the beginning.

We will definitely need a shinai when we start working with a partner since we have to actually hit. We do not want to hit anything with bokuto.

Why? We will destroy either bokuto or an object/person you hit with the bokuto, or both.

**Must Know how to Choose a Shinai**

Not at the beginning. But don't you want to have a shinai that does not break easily?

Besides when you become more and more advanced, you know your striking habits. So you want to buy a shinai that fits your habits.

You may start preferring one kind of shinai to another such as the position of the balance.

**Must Learn How to Maintain Shinai**

Kendo is the safest martial art if we take good care of our shinai. If your shinai is in bad shape, i.e. broken, there is a possibility that you will hurt your training partner.

Knowing how to maintain your shinai is vital for you and your partner. Knowing shinai adjustment is very useful when you need to make a shinai shorter. Keikogi & Hakama (top and bottom) We do not have to get nervous about these at the beginning of our kendo history. We just have to be careful with those martial arts shops that sell some funny weird keikogi and hakama. Since kendo is not very well-known, people don't know what keikogi and hakama should look like. That is why we should be very careful when buying kendo equipment off the Internet. Don't go for the cheapest but "REASONABLE" price. Navy Blue or White Keikogi and Hakama? Thoese kendo equipment seems less important than bogu but they can cause some troubles. Stick to the tradition and majority. That is the safest when you start anything new. Go for navy blue keikogi and hakama. Not White. If you wear navy blue keikogi and hakama you will cause no troubles. But if you wear white ones then some people will not like the way you look. It is because some people think that the white keikogi and hakama are for "special" use while others promote them since we can see it right away whenthey get dirty. Some think white keikogi and hakama are for female even though it is not true. Women tend to wear white ones and cause lesstrouble by wearing the white ones as men. That is all. When I was a kid, I started training with keikogi with a pattern called the musashi pattern. I think this is for kids. I am saying it through my experience but I have never seen Japanese adults wearing a keikogi with the musashi pattern. If you are an adult beginner, buy navy blue keikogi and hakama. You cannot go wrong with them. Kids up to 10 years old can still wear a keikogi with the musashi pattern. Again I am talking through my experience here. Why up to 10 years old? It is because that age was when I said good bye to the musashi pattern and started wearing a navy blue keikogi and hakama. Cotton VS Polyester Nowadays, we have a keikogi called a jersey keikogi. The material used is the same or similar to the polyester of normal athletic training wear. This keikogi has been popular in Japan especially for summer. We should have cotton keikogi and hakama. However, the color will come off as you wash. It is OK to wear color-faded keikogi and hakama at training but not at tournament or grading because kendo sees elegance as an important part of human development. Thus, even though it is OK to wear color-faded keikogi and hakama at training, they should not be too washed off or worn out. We have to look clean and neat. Cotton ones are pricey. So I suggest buying polyester ones especially at the beginning. When We do Not Wear the Polyester Ones 3rd dan and above can also wear polyester ones but we have to know when NOT to wear them. It is like daily life. When you go to a formal party, you know you should be formal. You would not wear a T-shirt and jeans. If you hold a dan, you do not want to wear polyester ones at - tournament- grading- when you go and train at different dojo- when you host a training session with other dojo At special occasion, we had better avoid wearing polyester ones. When you become the 1st dan or shodan, you probably want to add cotton keikogi and hakama to your clothing selection. [[How to Avoid Losing Color Coming soon]] A Set of Kendo Armour or Bogu Men Kote Do Tare We call a set of armour bogu in Japanese. Bogu means protectors. These kendo equipment includes a mask or men, hand guards or kote, body protector or do and thigh protectors or tare. Needless to say, they are all important since we have to protect our body well. Therefore, we want to choose good bogu. However, at the beginning of your kendo life, it is not necessary to buy US$5,000 bogu at all. Once we get better, we move on to a better set of bogu gradually. I know many people want to buy a fancy kendo equipment. Again I say, Stick to the tradition. For example, you should not buy a shiny do with a cool drawing on it. Sure, these kendo equipment look cool but they are not for beginners. What is important when we buy a bogu at the beginning is the size. We do not want to have a bogu too big or too small. If it is too big, it does not protect you well. If it is too small, it does not protect you well. The size has to be right for you. Every bogu shop tells you how to measure. When you order your kendo equipment such as bogu, keikogi and hakama, you should follow their instructions on how to measure your size.

Benefits of Kendo

Before we talk about the benefits of kendo, I want you to know about a bit of kendo history. If you know go ahead and skip this part.

But without know kendo history, it is hard to grasp the benefits of kendo.

Kendo is the way of the sword. It is derived from samurai swordsmanship. Kendo was a part of samurai training system.

Why Do We Use bamboo swords and armour?

Samurai used to train with wooden swords or bokuto. Needless to say, they often hurt themselves during training or even they killed their training partner because of the training with bokuto.

And the bamboo sword was invented. Apparently Kamiizumi Isenokami Nobutsuna invented the first shinai-like training stick called hikihada in the early 16th century. It was made by bamboo like modern shinai but with more pieces and wrapped with leather.

Bogu (modern armour) was not invented until the late 18th century. Bogu was not common back then and many kenjutsu schools did not use bogu either.

The purpose was the same. With bamboo swords and these bogu, they could train kenjutsu very hard without hurting or killing their training partners.

Now kenjutsu remains in Iaido (the way of drawing sword) and a training method of kenjutsu turned into kendo.

Yet kendo is still the way of the sword

Many people think that kendo is dangerous and vicious. That reaction is normal for people who see kendo first time. Two people shouting and hitting each other with bamboo sticks. Who does not think it is not vicious!

A part of this site's missions is to resolve this misunderstanding. We must tell other people that kendo is not brutal.

Benefits of Kendo

Even though kendo was a part of the training of kenjutsu, it was and still is the way of the sword. Kendo carries the principles of samurai swordsmanship as stated in the Concept of Kendo.

That is the beauty of kendo.

How the heck do we better ourselves through samurai swordsmanship when we don't carry any swords around, you might want to ask.

What is the point of learning kendo? What is the beauty of kendo?

Following are some benefits of kendo:

- By actually training with others we train our body and mental state of our mind and learn samurai swordsmanship. What a great benefit!

Kendo and Health certainly go well together.

- kendo does not require big muscles. Kendo does not choose us. It does not matter if you are small, tall, big or small. Size does not matter!

Yes. Kendo is a good exercise for your physical health, and also samurai swordsmanship or philosophy is quite helpful to our daily life.

- Learning samurai philosophies that is more like morality and how to deal with your life

You may have heard about Gorin no Sho: The Book of Five Rings by Musashi Miyamoto. People still read the book even now and world-wide.

That is one example that samurai philosophies can still be applied to our life.

It is up to us how we interpret the philosophies and how we apply them to our daily life. Doesn't that fascinate you??

Kendo is not about hitting. It is about being hit and learning your weaknesses. It may sound strange to you now but you will know what I am talking about once you get there :)

Etiquette and Manners in Kendo

Whenever or wherever you train kendo, you should follow certain etiquette and manners.

In kendo, we have certain rules such as what to do or what not to do in a dojo rules such as what to do or what not to do in a dojo (training place).

What are these etiquette and manners (reigi-saho)? They are basically to "show respect".

Do you remember that kendo is the way of the sword? We pursue the way. We may have to start from what the way is so that we are on the same page.

How do you show your respect in your culture?

In Japanese culture, we bow. We bow a lot actually. We surely bow to show our respect to others.

If you know a bit of Japanese culture, that is great. You know how to bow. But do you know that we have two different bows and that how much we lower our head differs?

You can apply your knowledge to kendo. If you don't know anything about Japanese culture, don't worry. Once you learn kendo reigi-saho, you can now apply them to Japanese culture as well.

Of course, there are very unique rules in kendo because it is derived from Samurai swordsmanship. These unique rules do not apply to the modern Japanese society any more.

The way we treat our sword is an example. We don't carry a sword anymore in our daily life. But once you step into the dojo, we have rules about how to treat our swords.

Oh, I should tell you this too. Our dojo is not a mere training place. Dojo is a place where we pursue the way. So please understand what dojo is too. We even have who sits where in the dojo.

I try to explain history or philosophies behind reigi-saho, but there will be some things that I cannot explain. It is simply because that is the way it is.

These traditions, customs and rituals surely had (still have?) meanings but somewhere between now and then, we lost the meanings.

If you are not in Japan, these rules are very odd or even prohibited to perform. If so, please do not upset. We all have different cultures.

Kendo is still on the way to becoming truly internationalized. I am sure that one day we can come up with some solution for the problems you may have.

The Main Wushu Styles

There is a huge number of wushu styles, but these is the main styles in the comepition:

* Barehanded
o 長拳 Changquan (Long Fist)
o 南拳 Nanquan (Southern Fist)
o 太極拳 Taijiquan (Taiji Fist)

* Short Weapons
o 刀 Dao (single-edged sword)
o 劍 Jian (double-edged sword)
o 太極劍 Taijijian (Taiji double-edged sword)
o 南刀 Nandao (Southern single-edged sword)

* Long Weapons
o 棍 Gun (Staff)
o 槍 Qiang (Spear)
o 南棍 Nangun (Southern cudgel)

styles in details :

Changquan refers to long-range extended wushu styles like Chaquan (查拳), Huaquan (華拳), Hongquan (洪拳; "flood fist"), and Shaolinquan (少林拳), but this wushu form is a modernized style derived from movements of these and other traditional styles. Changquan is the most widely-seen of the wushu forms, and includes whirling, running, leaping, and acrobatics. Changquan is difficult to perform, requiring great flexibility and athleticism, and is often practised from a young age.

Nanquan refers to wushu styles originating in south China (i.e., south of the Yangtze River, including Hongjiaquan (洪家拳), Cailifoquan (蔡李佛拳), and Yongchunquan (詠春拳). Many are known for vigorous, athletic movements with very stable, low stances and intricate hand movements. This wushu form is a modern style derived from movements of these and other traditional southern styles. Nanquan typically requires less flexibility and has fewer acrobatics than Changquan, but it also requires greater leg stability and power generation through leg and hip coordination. This event was created in 1960.

Taijiquan is a wushu style famous for slow, relaxed movements, and often seen as an exercise method for the elderly. This wushu form is a modern recompilation based on the Yang (楊) style of Taijiquan, but also including movements of the Chen (陳), Wu (吳), Wu (武), and Sun (孫) styles.

Dao refers to any curved, one-sided sword/blade, but this wushu form is a Changquan method of using a medium-sized willow-leaf-shaped dao (柳葉刀).

Jian refers to any double-edged straight sword/blade, but this wushu form is a Changquan method of using the jian.

Gun refers to a long staff (wooden, not made of bamboo as it will split) as tall as the wrist of a person standing with his/her arms stretched upwards, but this wushu form is a Changquan method of using the gun.

Qiang refers to a flexible spear with red hair attached to the spearhead, but this wushu form is a Changquan method of using the qiang.

Taijijian is an event using the jian based on traditional Taijiquan jian methods.

Nandao is a weapon that appears to be based on the butterfly swords of Yongchunquan, but has been lengthened and changed so that only one is used (as opposed to a pair). This event is a Nanquan method, and was created in 1992.

Nangun is a Nanquan method of using the gun (Chinese word meaning staff, not to be confused with handgun). This event was created in 1992.

Other routines
The majority of routines used in the sport are new, modernized recompilations of traditional routines. However, routines taken directly from traditional styles, including the styles that are not part of standard events, may be performed in competition, especially in China. These routines generally do not garner as many points as their modern counterparts, and are performed in events separate from the compulsory routine events. Among these, the more commonly seen routines include:

* Baguazhang (八卦掌) - Eight-Trigrams Palm
* Bajiquan (八極拳) - Eight Extremes Fist/Boxing
* Chaquan (查拳) - Cha Fist/Boxing
* Chuojiao (戳腳) - Poking Feet
* Ditangquan (地躺拳) - Ground-Prone Fist/Boxing
* Fanziquan (翻子拳) - Overturning Fist/Boxing
* Houquan (猴拳) - Monkey Fist/Boxing
* Huaquan (華拳) - Hua Fist/Boxing
* Paochui (炮捶) - Cannon Punch
* Piguaquan (劈掛拳) - Chop-Hitch Fist/Boxing
* Shequan (蛇拳) - Snake Fist/Boxing
* Tantui (弹腿）- Spring Leg
* Tanglanghushi (螳螂虎势) - Praying Mantis and Tiger Style
* Tanglanquan (螳螂拳) - Praying Mantis Fist/Boxing
* Tongbeiquan (通背拳) - Through-the-Back Fist/Boxing
* Wing Chun (Yongchunquan) - Eternal Spring
* Xingyiquan (形意拳) - Shape-Intent Fist/Boxing
* Yingzhaoquan (鷹爪拳) - Eagle Claw Fist/Boxing
* Zuiquan (醉酒拳) - Drunken Fist/Boxing

Similarly, there is also a traditional weapons category, which often includes the following:

* Changsuijian (長穗劍) - Long-Tasseled Sword
* Shuangshoujian (雙手劍) - Two-Handed Sword
* Jiujiebian (九節鞭) - Nine Section Whip
* Sanjiegun (三節棍) - Three Section Staff
* Shengbiao (繩鏢) - Rope Dart
* Dadao (大刀) - Great Sword
* Pudao (撲刀) - Pu Sword
* Emeici (峨嵋刺) - Emei Daggers
* Shuangdao (雙刀) - Double Broadsword
* Shuangjian (雙劍) - Double Sword
* Shuangbian (雙鞭) - Double Nine Section Whips
* Shuanggou (雙鈎) - Double Hooksword

Wushu

Kung fu and wushu are popular terms that have become synonymous with Chinese martial arts. However, the Chinese terms kung fu (Chinese: 功夫 pinyin: gōngfū) and wushu (traditional Chinese: 武術; simplified Chinese: 武术; pinyin: wǔshù) have very different meanings. Wushu can describe greatly varying martial arts traditions. Kung fu can be used in a context without any martial arts whatsoever. Colloquially, kung fu (or gung fu) alludes to any individual accomplishment or cultivated skill obtained by long and hard work. In contrast, wushu is a more precise term that refers to general martial activities. The term wushu has also become the name for a modern sport similar to gymnastics, involving the performance of adapted Chinese bare-handed and weapons forms (tàolù 套路) judged to a set of contemporary aesthetic criteria for points.

History

The origins of Chinese martial arts can be traced over 6,000 years ago to self-defense needs, hunting activities and military training in ancient China. Hand-to-hand combat and weapons practice were important components in the training of Chinese soldiers. From this beginning, Chinese martial arts proceeded to incorporate different philosophies and ideas into its practice—expanding its purpose from self-defense to health maintenance and finally as method of self-cultivation. Conversely, the influence of martial arts ideals in civilian society can be found in poetry, fiction, and film. Chinese martial arts are now an integral element of Chinese culture.
According to legend, the reign of the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi, traditional date of ascension to the throne 2698 BCE) introduced the earliest forms of martial arts to China.[4] The Yellow Emperor is described as a famous general who, before becoming China’s leader, wrote lengthy treatises on medicine, astrology and the martial arts. He allegedly developed the practice of jiao di or horn-butting and utilized it in war.



Shǒubó (手搏) kung fu, practiced during the Shang dynasty (1766–1066 BCE), and Xiang Bo (similar to Sanda) from the 600s BCE, are just two examples of ancient Chinese kung fu. In 509 BCE, Confucius suggested to Duke Ding of Lu that people practice the literary arts as well as the martial arts; thus, kung fu began to be practised by ordinary citizens external to the military and religious sects (pre-dating Shaolin by over 1,000 years). A combat wrestling system called juélì or jiǎolì (角力) is mentioned in the Classic of Rites (1st c. BCE).This combat system included techniques such as strikes, throws, joint manipulation, and pressure point attacks. Jiao li became a sport during the Qin Dynasty (221–207 BCE). The Han History Bibliographies record that, by the Former Han (206 BCE – 8 CE), there was a distinction between no-holds-barred weaponless fighting, which it calls shǒubó (手搏), for which "how-to" manuals had already been written, and sportive wrestling, then known as juélì or jiǎolì (角力). Wrestling is also documented in the Shǐ Jì, Records of the Grand Historian, written by Sima Qian (ca. 100 BCE).

A hand-to-hand combat theory, including the integration of notions of "hard" and "soft" techniques, is expounded in the story of the Maiden of Yue in the Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue (5th c. BCE).
In the Tang Dynasty, descriptions of sword dances were immortalized in poems by Li Bai. In the Song and Yuan dynasties, xiangpu (the earliest form of sumo) contests were sponsored by the imperial courts. The modern concepts of wushu were fully developed by the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Martial arts are also mentioned in Chinese philosophy. Passages in the Zhuangzi (庄子), a Daoist text, pertain to the psychology and practice of martial arts. Zhuangzi, its eponymous author, is believed to have lived in the 4th century BCE. The Tao Te Ching, often credited to Lao Zi, is another Daoist text that contains principles applicable to martial arts. According to one of the classic texts of Confucianism, Zhou Li (周禮/周礼), Archery and charioteering were part of the "six arts" (traditional Chinese: 六藝; simplified Chinese: 六艺; pinyin: liu yi, including rites, music, calligraphy and mathematics) of the Zhou Dynasty (1122–256 BCE). The Art of War ( 孫子兵法), written during the 6th century BCE by Sun Tzu ( 孫子), deals directly with military warfare but contains ideas that are used in the Chinese martial arts. Those examples shows the ideas associated with Chinese martial arts changed with the evolving Chinese society and over time acquired a philosophical basis.

Taoist practitioners have been practicing Tao Yin, physical exercises similar to Qigong that was one of the progenitors to Tai Chi Chuan, at least since as early as 500 BCE. In 39–92 CE, "Six Chapters of Hand Fighting", were included in the Han Shu (history of the Former Han Dynasty) written by Pan Ku. Also, the noted physician, Hua Tuo, composed the "Five Animals Play"—tiger, deer, monkey, bear, and bird, around 220 BCE. Taoist philosophy and their approach to health and exercise might have influenced to certain extent the Chinese martial arts.
With regards to the Shaolin style of martial arts, the oldest evidence of Shaolin participation in combat is a style from 728 CE that attests to two occasions: a defense of the Shaolin Monastery from bandits around 610 CE, and their subsequent role in the defeat of Wang Shichong at the Battle of Hulao in 621 CE From the 8th to the 15th centuries, there are no extant documents that provide evidence of Shaolin participation in combat। However, between the 16th and 17th centuries there are at least forty extant sources which provided evidence that, not only did monks of Shaolin practice martial arts, but martial practice had become such an integral element of Shaolin monastic life that the monks felt the need to justify it by creating new Buddhist lore.[13] References of martial arts practice in Shaolin appear in various literary genres of the late Ming: the epitaphs of Shaolin warrior monks, martial-arts manuals, military encyclopedias, historical writings, travelogues, fiction, and even poetry. However these sources do not point out to any specific style originated in Shaolin. These sources, in contrast to those from the Tang period, refer to Shaolin methods of armed combat. This include the forte of Shaolin monks and for which they had become famous — the staff (Gun, pronounced as juen).The Ming General Qi Jiguang included description of Shaolin Quan fa (Pinyin quánfǎ or Wade-Giles ch'üan2 fa3, 拳法 "fist principles") and staff techniques in his book, Ji Xiao Xin Shu (紀效新書) that title can be translated as "New Book Recording Effective Techniques". When this book spread to East Asia, it had a great influence on the development of martial arts in regions such as Okinawa and Korea.


The fighting styles that are practiced today were developed over the centuries, after having incorporated forms that came into existence later. Some of these include Bagua, Drunken Boxing, Eagle Claw, Five Animals, Hsing I, Hung Gar, Lau Gar, Monkey, Tiger, Bak Mei Pai, Praying Mantis, Fujian White Crane, Wing Chun and Tai Chi Chuan.
The present view of Chinese martial arts are strongly influenced by the events of the Republican Period (1912–1949). In the transition period between the fall of the Qing Dynasty as well as the turmoils of the Japanese invasion and the Chinese Civil War, Chinese martial arts became more accessible to the general public as many martial artists were encouraged to openly teach their art. At that time, some considered martial arts as a means to promote national pride and build a strong nation. As a result, many martial arts training manuals (拳谱) were published, a training academy was created, 2 National examinations were organized as well as demonstration teams travelled overseas [15] and numerous martial arts associations were formed throughout China and in various oversea Chinese communities. The Central Guoshu Academy (Zhongyang Guoshuguan, 中央國術館/中央国术馆) established by the National Government in 1928[16] and the Jing Wu Athletic Association (精武體育會/精武体育会) founded by Huo Yuanjia in 1910 are examples of organizations that promoted a systematic approach for training in Chinese martial arts. A series of provincial and national competitions were organized by the Republican government starting in 1932 to promote Chinese martial arts. In 1936, at the 11th Olympic Games in Berlin, a group of Chinese martial artists demonstrated their art to an international audience for the first time. Eventually, those events lead to the popular view of martial arts as a sport.


Chinese martial arts started to spread internationally with the end of the Chinese Civil War and the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949. Many well known martial art practitioners chose to escape from the PRC's rule and migrate to Taiwan, Hong Kong,[20] and other parts of the world. Those masters started to teach within the overseas Chinese communities but eventually they expanded their teachings to include people from other cultures.
Within China, the practice of traditional martial arts was discouraged during the turbulent years of the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1969–1976). Like many other aspects of traditional Chinese life, martial arts was subjected to a radical transformation by the People's Republic of China in order to align it with Maoist revolutionary doctrine. The PRC promoted the committee-regulated sport of Wushu as a replacement to independent schools of martial arts. This new competition sport was disassociated from what was seen as the potentially subversive self-defense aspects and family lineages of Chinese martial arts. Rhetorically, they also encouraged the use of the term "Kuoshu" (or Guoshu meaning "the arts of the nation"), rather than the colloquial term gongfu, in an effort to more closely associate Chinese martial arts with national pride rather than individual accomplishment. In 1958, the government established the All-China Wushu Association as an umbrella organization to regulate martial arts training. The Chinese State Commission for Physical Culture and Sports took the lead in creating standardized forms for most of the major arts. During this period, a national Wushu system that included standard forms, teaching curriculum, and instructor grading was established. Wushu was introduced at both the high school and university level. The suppression of traditional teaching was relaxed during the Era of Reconstruction (1976–1989), as Communist ideology became more accommodating to alternative viewpoints.[ In 1979, the State Commission for Physical Culture and Sports created a special task force to reevaluate the teaching and practice of Wushu. In 1986, the Chinese National Research Institute of Wushu was established as the central authority for the research and administration of Wushu activities in the People's Republic of China.[ Changing government policies and attitudes towards sports in general lead to the closing of the State Sports Commission (the central sports authority) in 1998. This closure is viewed as an attempt to partially de-politicize organized sports and move Chinese sport policies towards a more market-driven approach. As a result of these changing sociological factors within China, both traditional styles and modern Wushu approaches are being promoted by the Chinese government.

The Sabre in Wushu

Sabre is called the marshal of all weapons.

It is one of the most used weapons in Chinese Wushu. According to the shape and size, it is divided into short-hiked sabre, twin short-hilted sabre, sabre, nine-ring sabre (named as nine rings on the handle), broad sword, long-bladed short-hilted sabre and others.

Sabre play is vigorous and quick in defence and offence so it is likened to the "fierce tiger." The main techniques of sabre play include chopping, hacking, cutting, pricking, lifting, poking, winding, blocking, pushing, and knocking. When you have sabre practice, the cooperation between the sabre and the hands is very important and both hands must closely coordinate with each other, so as to maintain balance. Sabre play calls for rigorous training and constant practice. The sabre and the body must also be consistent. "Make sure that sabre is always around your body, and your hands, feet, shoulders, and arms turn together with the sabre."

The main routines of sabre play include Panlong (coil dragon), Bagua (eight-diagrams), Qinglong (green dragon), Miao Sabre, Nine-Ring Sabre, Liuhe (six-combination), Shaolin Twin sabres, Tai Chi, Yexing (night-travel), Meihua (plum blossom), Drunkard sabre and Monkey sabre. In addition, the combination of sabre with other weapons forms many more routines. For example, the play with sabre in one hand and staff in another is called "sabre play with staff," a favorite exercise for Wushu enthusiasts.

Sabre play demonstrates hardness and powerful-ness, but not always. In defence and dodging actions, suppleness is needed.

The Sword in Wushu

The sword is called the "gentleman of all weapons."
It is the most widely used of all weapons and its influence goes beyond the field of Wushu. Every school of Wushu uses the sword as the basic weapon for rigorous training.

Sword play in China was first seen in sacrificial offerings to gods or ancestors. In the Spring and Autumn Period and during the Warring States 2,000 years ago, sword play became a common practice in society. After years of refinement, it is now one of the major competitive events in Wushu competition today.

Sword play is brisk, agile, elegant, easy, graceful and natural in action. The movements are flexible, as well as variable. Attention is paid to both motion and stillness. Hardness and suppleness supplement each other. So sword play is likened to the "flying phoenix.".

There are many techniques in sword play. The main techniques include hitting, piercing, pointing, lifting, jumping and leaping, hanging, chopping, floating, poking, sweeping, wrestling, blocking and wiping. These actions, combined with body movements and footsteps, form various routines of sword play.

There are varied styles of sword play routines, handed down from ancient times. The popular ones include Tai Chi, Wudang, Bodhi-dharma, Longxing, Sancai, Qing-ping, Baxian (Eight-Immortals), Mantis, Lianhuan, Drunkard and Xingyi. The Chinese Physical Culture and Sports Commission has also worked out new routines for competition and physical exercises.

It is said that the Chinese sword play, although a simple form of play with hand weapons, has deep ideological connotations. From emperors, high-ranking military officers and ministers to common people, experts and scholars, the wearing of swords shows them to be a refined person signifying they are cultured and familiar with the arts. The skill and theory of sword play was perfected and eventually formed the distinctive "Sword Culture" in China.