Been awhile. Plenty to say, just not enough time to say it.
Anyhow, just got back from a nice morning of Kobudo class. And for a brief few weeks this time each year the weather is perfect. 70 and sunny. No bugs and a soft breeze. Makes for a long class sometimes.
We spent some time going through some Bo disarms. The setup: one guy has a Bo (would apply to any 5-6 foot pole arm weapon) and the other guy gets a hand or hands on it.
For the guy who had the Bo, this is potentially a big problem. Worst case, the formerly unarmed opponent gets a dominant grip and takes the weapon.
For the unarmed guy, the strategy is to close in fast and hard to negate the weapon's advantage. Establish a grip on the weapon to take it out of the fight (mostly) and begin a beatdown at close range. Though it is difficult to do while trying to control a long weapon. Unlike single handed weapons you can't really dominate the grappling over the weapon with a single hand. Not for more than a split second.
So, backing up and looking at the bigger picture here. From my research the Bo and Sai were pretty much a police (armed palace guard)tool. They would have been used much like police today use various methods of non-lethal force such as mag lights, nightsticks, and handcuffs, etc.
It seems likely that a common opponent in the golden age of Chinese and Okinawan Kobudo would be an unarmed person. Same as today, but without the same likely-hood of pocket knives and guns. Not that armed opponents are unlikely but the odds suggest a Bo vs. empty hand encounter. Probably. Same with Sai. Always researching this but so far, that's what I have. If we assume this is true or even possible then Bo katas would be built for use primarily on an unarmed opponent? What is the worst-case in this engagement for the guy with the Bo? OK, let's train that and see if it fits into our kata. And then it gets interesting.
Shiho Nuke, one of the first and most basic Bo kata in our system, is FULL of techniques for two guys grappling over control of a single Bo. the sequence seems to also follow a strategy. Basicly, get a good grip, turn/twist/peel away from Uke and either 1. strike and takedown or 2. get free and smash repeatedly. Sounds right. Seems to work in our small group sample. Oh, and looks like the kata.
The next step is to carry this into other weapons. The Sai being the next logical step since the historical application is similar. I've always had some questions about the kata for this weapon also. Sure it can be used against a Bo. Yep, I can block and trap his stick as I smash with the other hand. But is this what it was meant for? You ever look at a kata and wonder "What could that movement possibly be doing and why would you want to move like that?" Or in the case of Sai kata, "Why would you open the Sai and do something only to flip it 'closed' again?" Afterall, a big part of the advantage of the Sai is having it open and using the extended range to do greater damage at a greater distance. It's bothered me for years. In weapon sparring (we put on hockey gloves, helmets and any other padding we think will help and go at it full speed and 3/4 power) I have rarely ever wanted to 'close' the Sai. Those things are just too much more effective with the points forward. Then I disarmed the other guy and discovered the whole fight changed around me. Just like the example above, the unarmed guy's best bet is to get in and control the weapon(s). He is not a threat at more than an arms range and he is actually where I want him if he stays there. Now the dual personality of the Sai comes into play. It is made for up close grappling, poking and hooking as much as it is for smashing when deployed at length. This will take some more kata research but it's a project that seems worthwhile. More to come.
