We have used shinai before. (use older ones...) You can use the shinai to throw the lunge punch, when you do your arm break, you should be able to bend the shinai. You can actually bend them quite far if your break is string enough... and they snap back into place. You can also put the tip on the ground, with some pressure, then you can stomp through / drop you knee on top of, to get enough force to bend it. (we have some moves where you stomp down, with your leg across the other guys arm to break it... its fun to watch people try to bend the shinai with these moves the first time... most have to re-evaluate their structure when trying to get enough force to bend the shinai)
Yes. I have trained with Shinai before. For just over a year, during the same time i was training in Akido,
I trained in Kendo and had my own kit of armour / shinai.
A good whack from a shinai certainly does hurt, if caught on an none armoured area.
I can see how you could use the shinai to represent a leg, although i would imagine that even with the bambo being so super strong, that the bamboo would break if you were to kick through it to enough depth.
I was thinking of making an imitation leg made out of two solid pieces of wood, with a strong spring in between them, with a knee cup attached to the front.
Will have to think more about such a design.
Bruce Lee probably made something similar. Years ago, in the 70s / 80s, there was a book written by Guru Dan Inosanto, which showed photos and drawings of many of Bruce Lee's experimental training machines.
The book now however is quiet a rarity and It has been over 20 years since I read through that book.
Cant remember what was in it exactly.
Anyone else ever read that book.
