Not a definitive answer, but rather an interesting meditation on this occurs in the book: Iron and Silk by Mark Salzman
(
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/039...go.y=0&go=Go!).
Set up: Salzman is in China with a teacher. He's in a field with the sifu practicing a spear form. In the same field there are some girls practing a traditional dance with hankerchiefs:
From page 154
" Somehow this seemed a good time to ask a question that had been nagging me for some time. 'Teacher Hei, I have a question.' 'Mm?' 'Sometimes I get confused - I don't understand why I spend so much time learning wushu. I'm not a fighter - I've never been in a fight in my life - so what am I doing this for?'
Hei thought for a while, never taking his eyes off the dancers. Then he said, 'You don't have to be a fighter to enjoy wushu. If you were really training for combat, you wouldn't practice wushu. You would become a soldier.' He pointed to the spear I was holding. 'Look at this thing. Do you really think it has any practical use in this century? Can you carry it with you in case of attack and still fee like a respectiable man? It is a cultural artifact now, not a weapon. But should we throw away all out spears and all the skill developed for them? I don't think so. It would seem like a waste to me.'
'I guess I see what you mean, but sill, what reason can I give myself for all this effort.' Teacher Hei shrugged his shoulders and then answered, 'I don't know - why dance with hankerchiefs?' "
That passage has always stuck with me.
On the more practical end (and this may be my experience with the Filipino MA talking) learning each weapon is as much about learning the "spirit" and "concept" of each weapon as it is about learning technique. And that first type of learning came be applied to objects that share the same properties as the weapon you've learned.
Additionally weapons can teach you a lot about empty hand techniques. There may not always be a 1:1 match, but I've found that often there's a lot of shared technique between the two.
- Matt
