MASTERY WITH A WEAPON

 by Phillip Starr

Over the years, many people have asked me about how they might become highly skilled with a particular weapon, ranging from a simple staff to a variety of swords, knives, halberds, and so on. Many of them were more than a little incredulous when I told them the secret to mastering a particular weapon.

Of course, learning and acquiring skill with the basic techniques and form is essential but there's more to it than that. The crux of the problem is that most people, although they may have trained with a given weapon for some time, still have the feeling of “self” and “the weapon” as being separate things and to truly master a weapon you must make it a part of your “self.” Many of you have probably heard this statement before.

So here's what my teacher told me...”If you really want to acquire a high level of skill with a certain weapon, you must carry it around with you for AT LEAST one hour every day.” That's right...no matter what you have to do, you must hang onto that weapon (yes, you can switch hands if need be) for at least a full hour. Every day for a minimum of 100 days. This is one of the rare cases in martial arts where more is actually better (more than an hour and/or more than 100 days).

It's really awkward at first and you'll have to be extra careful that you don't damage your spouse's favorite piece of furniture OR your spouse him/her self (or the children, if you have any)! In time, it gets easier as you acquire better and better control of the object in your hand(s).

At first, you'll “play” with it a bit (BE CAREFUL!) and develop agility with it. In time, you'll notice that you don't even think (or feel) about the weapon as a foreign object that you're holding; it becomes a part of your body! You learn to control it as easily and naturally as you do your arms or legs, without having to “think” about it at all. It has become a natural part of your body.

At this stage, you'll notice that practicing the form with your weapon becomes very easy to do. Your skill with the weapon increases considerably. So if you're really serious about mastering a certain weapon, give this method a whirl!