Soke and I have both
noticed a spike in interest into the Ryukyu Kobudo Weapons, specifically
the bo. As such, I was prompted to explain the idea of weapons
within Karate-Do, the Way of the Empty Hand.
Any weapon, from a whip to
a sword, from a bo to a pistol, is just an extension of the person using
that weapon. Each requires enough practice to know the tool as you
know yourself.
I cannot count the times I
have seen someone hit themselves in the leg swinging a bo. I've
even seen a few self-inflicted headshots. Don't worry if you hit
yourself, it happens. I've hit myself with my bo more times that I
care to admit. Worry, however, if you are still hitting yourself
after six or eight months of dedicated practice with the weapon.
That means you have not made the weapon your own. There is a
difference between moving with a weapon, and moving your hands while
holding a weapon.
To more your hands while
simply holding a bo is dangerous, as you do not have absolute control of
where it is going. It requires thinking about where one end of the
bo is, where the other end is, and where each are going. You are
holding the staff, hoping you do not damage yourself in the process.
This stage is normal, everyone goes through it.
To move with a weapon,
however, is different. It is only done when your mind is at one
with the bo. This takes a while, so do not get discouraged.
In time, the weapon becomes part of you. You no longer hold it in
your hand. It is now as much a part of you as your fingers, as a
hammer to a skilled carpenter. You will grow in place of your
staccato drills a flow, an understanding. You will move faster,
swing harder, jab more precisely, and block on reflex; all the while
expending a great deal less energy.
You will come to see how
your stillness is the bo's stillness; and when you move, it moves
with you, no longer because of you. It will then stop being a
weapon in your hands. It is now a part of your hand, leaving it
once more, empty.
