AngryHobbit
Senior Master
This is somewhat belated - a discovery I made on Monday before my POUND class, of all the places. Bear with me.... @gpseymour has been putting me through my paces with the weapons kata he devised, including the rattan stick kata with both single and double-stick. To improve my versatility with this particular type of weapon, he had me practice the kata with something heavier - an equivalent of a police baton.
Well... while I was waiting for the POUND class to begin, I got to wondering - what would happen if I tried the same kata with the lighter sticks... like the POUND sticks. POUND sticks are about half the length of the rattan fighting sticks - they are essentially drumsticks made of light, durable, industrial-grade fiberglass (that is not to say they don't feel like they weigh a ton each by the end of the class).
I gave them a spin with the double-stick kata and the effect was startling. It took me at least four tries to control my momentum and keep myself from falling over because I was still compensating for a heavier weapon. I had to mind what every part of my arm was doing - shoulder to wrist. I didn't have enough time to coordinate my feet with the rest of it all - just ran out of time. Very educational.
Note to self - vary your weapons. By all means, perfect the exercise with the standard weapon, but try it with other options too - longer, shorter, bigger or smaller in diameter, lighter, heavier, etc. A stick is just about one of the most easily accessible weapons in real-life situations, but it helps to know how effectively you can use it if it's not standard weight and size.
Well... while I was waiting for the POUND class to begin, I got to wondering - what would happen if I tried the same kata with the lighter sticks... like the POUND sticks. POUND sticks are about half the length of the rattan fighting sticks - they are essentially drumsticks made of light, durable, industrial-grade fiberglass (that is not to say they don't feel like they weigh a ton each by the end of the class).
I gave them a spin with the double-stick kata and the effect was startling. It took me at least four tries to control my momentum and keep myself from falling over because I was still compensating for a heavier weapon. I had to mind what every part of my arm was doing - shoulder to wrist. I didn't have enough time to coordinate my feet with the rest of it all - just ran out of time. Very educational.
Note to self - vary your weapons. By all means, perfect the exercise with the standard weapon, but try it with other options too - longer, shorter, bigger or smaller in diameter, lighter, heavier, etc. A stick is just about one of the most easily accessible weapons in real-life situations, but it helps to know how effectively you can use it if it's not standard weight and size.