Is weapons training a waste of time?

Question

whats the point, if you were to use your sword skills on the streets youd be in prison for life. Why spend the countless hours mastering an art that your forbidden to use.

Answer 1

Self enlightenment. Preserving history. Enjoyment of learning and practicing. Hobby. Competition. Workout.

No, I don't see it as a waste of time.

What's the point of shooting a gun at a gun range? If you were to use your gun skills on the streets, you'd be in prison for life.

Answer 2

Well I get this a lot from my students. Particularly the junior students.

My reply to then is that by learning weapons you learn several important things in order of importance:

1, Distancing.... You get a good feel of distancing and eye hand coordination.

2, Defense.... You will understand the principals of weapons and learn how to defend against them.

3, The Limits of certain weapons... You will understand why sometimes a weapon is a liability in an untrained hand.

4, It is a lot of fun to explore the different traditional and historic weapons.

5, Weapons such as swords or sticks have many things in common with things that you might find handy in a defense situation.

As an aside I think it is counterproductive to thumbs down an answer you don't agree with unless it is clearly ill intentioned, rude, or incredibly stupid. A well thought out attempt to answer from ones own experience and point of view is always helpful it not what I agree with. So I will Thumbs up every answer I think is a truthful and responsive answer I happen to see get a thumbs down.

Answer 3

No. First off, It keeps tradition alive. Second, it helps your grip strength, and helps make your movements without weapons more fluid. Third, If you've been training with a staff or sword, and are assaulted, you may find a stick or a pipe on the street. When you pick it up, that's when your weapon's training will come in handy.

Answer 4

Sword training is relatively useless.  I see it as being helpful ONLY if you are attacked by Shaolin Monks at a Feudal Japan-themed costume party.

But there are other weapons you can train with that are much more practical.  

Escrima / stick fighting - if you roll up a newspaper really tight and tape it it's a heck of a weapon.  It's undetectable, and totally legal.  Philipino fighters aren't allowed to carry fighting sticks, but they CAN and do carry newspapers...they are hard enough to break small bones, redirect punches, and damage nerves using stick fighting principles/technique.

Knife training is good too.  You are legally allowed to carry a knife in America.  May as well know how to use it.  Plus using a blade to cut someone's hands isn't considered deadly force, but it will sure end a fight fast.

Walking stick / jo staff - another legal weapon that isn't considered lethal.  This is as close to sword training as I would get, as some of the techniques are similar.  But you strike differently (you don't pull the staff in a slicing motion) and you can grip completely differently, so it's a separate discipline from swordsmaship.

My opinion is that all weapon training is not useless...just very limited in practical application.  It's great for balance, footwork, and focus, but not really for fighting - above instances excluded.

Answer 5

If your intention is to use the skills you are studying, on the street, you do not understand the Martial Arts at all.

Answer 6

if you can prove that you have killed someone in self defence then you havent broken the law, you can also us weapons in the same way as other weapons on the street, e.g. u could use a staff like a sword and it would still be quite effective

Answer 7

As far as blade weapons go, knife training can be highly useful for self defense. Swords and other types of weapons are great as hobbies or historical recreations. I think learning to sword fight by a professional would be fun as well.

Fire arms training is a very good idea. For safety reasons and to improve your overall skills are worth the money to be professionally trained. If you are going to use a firearm for home defense or target shooting you need to know what you are doing so you're not a danger to yourself or others.

Answer 8

weapon training is very useful for self-defense, while you'll probably never be attacked by a swordsmen you can find things like crowbars, broomsticks, whatever on the streets. Sword training can be transfered into crowbars and other things, and Bo staffs and long spears can be transfered into broom sticks or poles. And if you live in a state that allows it, you can carry things like nun chucks around if you have a concealed weapons license.

Answer 9

for self defense only.