PLASTIC SWORDS AND TOY GUNS

 by Phillip Starr

Remember when you were a kid and you used to engage in sword fights with plastic or rubber swords? Ever play at being a cowboy or a soldier and strut around with your toy gun as you fought for truth and justice? It was a lot of fun. And at the end of the day, we all went home for dinner. Is this what you're doing with your martial arts training? I sure hope not. Dinner is great but are you playing with toy weapons? Or are you building the real thing?

In another article, I wrote about generating enormous striking power through the proper application of certain laws of physics, which necessarily involves some specialized body mechanics and structural adjustments. It is entirely possible for a human to generate over a ton of striking force if the technique is correctly executed. This isn't something that can be achieved after a few weeks or even months of regular practice; it require a lot of training over time (the meaning of kung-fu ) but it can be done. With some moderate training, a first-grade black belt should be able to generate at least 200-300 lbs. of force (per square inch) if the technique is done properly.

But.

Is your (bodily) weapon capable of withstanding that kind of force? Are you swinging a plastic sword or one made of high-quality steel? You know perfectly well what'll happen if you whack a solid target with a plastic sword and the same thing will happen to your hand (or foot). Trust me on that.

Karate, taekwondo, and kung-fu depend on the use of various bodily weapons. In order for these weapons to be of any real use, they must be strengthened and tempered. Now, I m not suggesting that you consider developing massive callouses or anything like that; such things aren't really necessary. But the body's weapons absolutely MUST be tempered. After a lifetime of training, I have found that the best piece of equipment for this is the striking post, especially the Okinawan-styled post (which can also be found in some kung-fu styles and the original form of taekwondo). Hitting a heavy bag is nice, but it is of little use in tempering the body's weapons - and if you want to truly strengthen them, don t wear bag gloves. Ever.

Consider, what s the difference between getting hit with 5 lbs. of chicken feathers and 5 lbs. of lead? They have the same weight, yes? So, why does one shatter bones and the other cause you to swear off KFC for a month? The answer is DENSITY. The density of lead is considerably greater than feathers.

A properly built striking post that is used in the correct manner with good technique (this is asking a lot, I know) will, over time, increase the density of the bones in the hands (and feet, if you build a post that you can kick) and strengthen the joints involved. The bones become as hard as steel. Yes, the flesh will toughen to some degree but excessive callousing is unnecessary. A light tap with such a weapon can drop a man easily. It's akin to being caressed by a ballpeen hammer.

The joints absolutely MUST be strengthened to withstand the reaction force of your blows. A punch or kick is only as strong as it s weakest link, which is the joints. One weak spot can unravel most of your striking power.

If we re going to practice REAL martial arts instead of the fantasy version, we must build and learn to use REAL weapons. Let the children play with the plastic swords.