It's a stick not a sword

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棍与刀：动作的问题

Today I’m addressing a critical topic that had been hardly approached by filipino martial arts enthusiasts and European stick fighters, namely the ortho-physio mechanics of joint movements of the wrist, elbow and shoulder. The habit of confusing the angles on the orthogonal plane created by the cutting lines typical of the brandishing of cutting weapons… compared with the angles [still on the orthogonal plane] typical of the percussion lines drawn by impact hand-held weapons [I mean: non throwing non pole blunt melee weapons i.e. rattan, kamagong, bahi sticks, thus excluding the frombolas, clubs and flails…] must induce many of us to reflect before completely drifting apart from each other.

This topic is not much debated in the discussion forums or in the gyms and the reason for this, according to my opinion, is both functional and strategic. Here goes the functional reasons:

(a) the stick is displayed in front of the students by certain instructors as if it were a scourge or a fan and not as a simulacrum of a steel weapon;

(b) some teachers are convinced that the ‘rattan’ is both a stick and a sword;

c) the baston is sometimes presented as an impact weapon, yet it is circled as if it were a sword.

Below I will outline the weakness of these teaching approaches by making a premise, then I will explain the strategic reasons for certain behaviors carried out by some teachers.

器材及其教学作用

练棍时，应区分器材本身与其教学角色。藤棍可用于学习可迁移的原理，但质量、握持及撞击方式与刀刃不同，因此迁移效果需要验证。

But let us check out the points and go back to the debate.

控制与动作记忆

首先是控制：轻棍速度快并不足以证明有效。还需观察结构、回收、振动和握柄方向。若练习模拟刀刃，刃口对齐应始终是明确标准。

其次是动作记忆。用棍走切割轨迹不会自动产生有效打击；轻藤棍的动作序列也无法单独再现较重武器的惯性。

目标、规则与对抗练习

目标也会改变练习方式。比赛、展示和技击研究可能采用不同规则与标准。应说明练习目的，并在相应情境中评估距离、时机、控制及动作质量。

在 Alessandro 的研究中，有对抗的练习用于验证选择与原理：距离管理、步法和应对时机。强度根据参与者经验、规则及护具调整。任何结果都不能成为让同伴承受可避免风险的理由。

功能上的区别

Now, after all this…where does the functional discrimination lie between the two methods? In my opinion it lies in the confusion of the joint movements of the mechanics of movements. You cannot brandish a stick… you can wave it, or at best you can can wield it ! A stick swooshes through the air, whilst a sword swings and cuts through the air. In other words: only a sword can be brandished!

Sorry folks, but “A stick is a stick… It is not a sword”.

Master Alessandro Fantini (all rights reserved)