Richard Matthews
"Situations alter cases, broken noses alter faces"
In Kenpo, a weapon without an cutting edge is a "Club", a weapon with a cutting or piercing function is known as a "Lance" and a firearm is known as a “Rod”.
A Club can be, according to the dictionary
“a blunt instrument or a heavy stick suitable for use as weapon".
This is significant, any heavy blunt object (heavy is relative) without a cutting or piercing function can be classed as a "Club”. So when exploring Club Set don’t become weapon fixated, it’s not just the training baton used in dojo that you should be developing.
Every day objects from your immediate environment are more likely to be adapted for use in a "real situation”, the kind of club or baton used for training will probably not be available.
It is an interesting exercise adapting environmental objects for self defence purposes.
Note :
If attacked (or you attack) with, say, a bottle, the characteristics of the weapon would change if the bottle were to become broken during the incident,it would go from being a blunt offensive weapon (club), to a piercing, potentially lethal weapon (lance), the action or response should be tailored accordingly.
Twirling and twiddling the club are helpful in the Dojo as manual dexterity or weapon familiarisation drills or for showmanship in competitions, these exercises should not be dismissed as "baton Twirling”,although in an actual arena of combat "The Club" should be thought of first and foremost as a weapon so twirling and twiddling have limited offensive or defensive value.
The Kenpo club is a blunt instrument with the potential power of a”violent storm" that can be instantly unleashed, of which the outcome (as with all combat situations) is never certain so personal awareness must be at its height when working in “storm conditions”.
STARTER QUESTION!
To be able to wield a club in a devastating storm like fashion it will take the skill and judgement that can only really be gained through realistic and intelligent practice.
So if you want to develop your club training “Ask yourself this Question”,
How do I really want to use the club?
(Below is my personal Club development answer)
My answers to “How do I really want to use the club?” was:
"I want to be able to use the club/s as I would use my natural weapons, at all ranges, in all dimensions and equally with both hands.
"I want to use the club/s to push, pull grab, hug, hold, lock, choke, strike and takedown".
"I want to make sure that all of my natural weapons are available at all times to back up the club/s or vice versa".
These were my answers at the start of my Club Set development stage,these "answers" became the base premise for that development; really the reader of this blog should re-ask the question to include their own needs.
Note:
Answering a question like this is only the start of a personal development program, no matter what the subject is!
TAILORING THE CLUB.
(this section is for information, so dont cut up your rattan canes)
Whether you begin by using a cut down broom handle or buy pre cut rattan canes, the baton can to be tailored to the needs of the practitioner.
Before you start hacking away at the house brush or butchering your Escrima sticks, take a moment to think what your needs may be.
I have collected clubs of various sizes, materials, weights and shapes to fulfil whatever training ideas that have arisen and I will probably collect a few more as new ideas or needs come along.The two recognised ways to measure the Clubs for Kenpo training that I have come across are;
1st) from the point of the extended fore finger to the tip of the elbow ( just out of interest this measurement is supposedly the biblical "Cubit"). Note ; this is the size of the club used in the series of photo's used in this blog.
2nd) Is the same as the first method plus a fist span.
When using this method of measurement the club can be gripped in the long or short held fashion, there is a protrusion at the "Butt" or "Tip" from either side of the "Fist" or the point of the elbow depending on grip. This protrusion can be used to effectively to penetrate or manipulate.
The club is now “ideally” sized for practising single and double Kenpo club routines.
The off cut (the smaller piece), if you are using bought and pre-cut rattan cane is usually just wider than the width of "a" fist when gripped in the palm of the hand.This off-cut makes a very versatile little weapon so don't discard it, because it can become an important tool to train with to further your understanding of “anything can become a weapon”.
By measuring, cutting and tailoring the club to your needs, it is no longer just a piece of purchased timber, it starts to become your club, your personalised weapon. Having said this, don’t become fixated with just one style of weapon.
I use any sized club as well as various other objects (flails, chains, pick axe handles, small axes, metal pipe, thick electric cable, various sized knives and rocks!) to further develop ideas using The Set as my base or point of reference.
Note; even though I have mentioned above a list of objects that I train with it, try to think of them as just that "objects" and do not develop any un healthy fascination for them, when working with a Weapons Set IT SHOULD BE LOOKED ON AS A SET OF CHALLENGING EXERCISES TO DEVELOP THE HARMONIOUS INTERACTION OF THE WEAPON AND BODY.
Note:
Having shared all the above info about tailoring the Club, please realise that this is what I did while trying to work “solely” within the parameters of the Kenpo system. These days I usually just practice with standard 26inch Rattan Canes, why because of availability and a “loosely evolved international recognised standard size”.
STRIKING / MANIPULATING.
When considering the Club to maximise your efforts when striking it is a good idea to consider the principles of Surface Concentration and Penetration. A quick reminder of these two important rules
SURFACE CONCENTRATION.
Usually (if the forces exerted are the same), the smaller the area struck, the less the external damage, but, the greater the internal effect and vice versa.
DEPTH PENETRATION
Refers to the extension of power beyond the surface area of contact when striking with a weapon, man made or not.
These two above factors play an important role in attacking Anatomical Weak Points e.g. Nerve Centres, whether you are armed or unarmed.
STRIKING
A Club can be, according to the dictionary
“a blunt instrument or a heavy stick suitable for use as weapon".
This is significant, any heavy blunt object (heavy is relative) without a cutting or piercing function can be classed as a "Club”. So when exploring Club Set don’t become weapon fixated, it’s not just the training baton used in dojo that you should be developing.
Every day objects from your immediate environment are more likely to be adapted for use in a "real situation”, the kind of club or baton used for training will probably not be available.
It is an interesting exercise adapting environmental objects for self defence purposes.
Note :
If attacked (or you attack) with, say, a bottle, the characteristics of the weapon would change if the bottle were to become broken during the incident,it would go from being a blunt offensive weapon (club), to a piercing, potentially lethal weapon (lance), the action or response should be tailored accordingly.
Twirling and twiddling the club are helpful in the Dojo as manual dexterity or weapon familiarisation drills or for showmanship in competitions, these exercises should not be dismissed as "baton Twirling”,although in an actual arena of combat "The Club" should be thought of first and foremost as a weapon so twirling and twiddling have limited offensive or defensive value.
The Kenpo club is a blunt instrument with the potential power of a”violent storm" that can be instantly unleashed, of which the outcome (as with all combat situations) is never certain so personal awareness must be at its height when working in “storm conditions”.
STARTER QUESTION!
To be able to wield a club in a devastating storm like fashion it will take the skill and judgement that can only really be gained through realistic and intelligent practice.
So if you want to develop your club training “Ask yourself this Question”,
How do I really want to use the club?
(Below is my personal Club development answer)
My answers to “How do I really want to use the club?” was:
"I want to be able to use the club/s as I would use my natural weapons, at all ranges, in all dimensions and equally with both hands.
"I want to use the club/s to push, pull grab, hug, hold, lock, choke, strike and takedown".
"I want to make sure that all of my natural weapons are available at all times to back up the club/s or vice versa".
These were my answers at the start of my Club Set development stage,these "answers" became the base premise for that development; really the reader of this blog should re-ask the question to include their own needs.
Note:
Answering a question like this is only the start of a personal development program, no matter what the subject is!
TAILORING THE CLUB.
(this section is for information, so dont cut up your rattan canes)
Whether you begin by using a cut down broom handle or buy pre cut rattan canes, the baton can to be tailored to the needs of the practitioner.
Before you start hacking away at the house brush or butchering your Escrima sticks, take a moment to think what your needs may be.
I have collected clubs of various sizes, materials, weights and shapes to fulfil whatever training ideas that have arisen and I will probably collect a few more as new ideas or needs come along.The two recognised ways to measure the Clubs for Kenpo training that I have come across are;
1st) from the point of the extended fore finger to the tip of the elbow ( just out of interest this measurement is supposedly the biblical "Cubit"). Note ; this is the size of the club used in the series of photo's used in this blog.
2nd) Is the same as the first method plus a fist span.
When using this method of measurement the club can be gripped in the long or short held fashion, there is a protrusion at the "Butt" or "Tip" from either side of the "Fist" or the point of the elbow depending on grip. This protrusion can be used to effectively to penetrate or manipulate.
The club is now “ideally” sized for practising single and double Kenpo club routines.
The off cut (the smaller piece), if you are using bought and pre-cut rattan cane is usually just wider than the width of "a" fist when gripped in the palm of the hand.This off-cut makes a very versatile little weapon so don't discard it, because it can become an important tool to train with to further your understanding of “anything can become a weapon”.
By measuring, cutting and tailoring the club to your needs, it is no longer just a piece of purchased timber, it starts to become your club, your personalised weapon. Having said this, don’t become fixated with just one style of weapon.
I use any sized club as well as various other objects (flails, chains, pick axe handles, small axes, metal pipe, thick electric cable, various sized knives and rocks!) to further develop ideas using The Set as my base or point of reference.
Note; even though I have mentioned above a list of objects that I train with it, try to think of them as just that "objects" and do not develop any un healthy fascination for them, when working with a Weapons Set IT SHOULD BE LOOKED ON AS A SET OF CHALLENGING EXERCISES TO DEVELOP THE HARMONIOUS INTERACTION OF THE WEAPON AND BODY.
Note:
Having shared all the above info about tailoring the Club, please realise that this is what I did while trying to work “solely” within the parameters of the Kenpo system. These days I usually just practice with standard 26inch Rattan Canes, why because of availability and a “loosely evolved international recognised standard size”.
STRIKING / MANIPULATING.
When considering the Club to maximise your efforts when striking it is a good idea to consider the principles of Surface Concentration and Penetration. A quick reminder of these two important rules
SURFACE CONCENTRATION.
Usually (if the forces exerted are the same), the smaller the area struck, the less the external damage, but, the greater the internal effect and vice versa.
DEPTH PENETRATION
Refers to the extension of power beyond the surface area of contact when striking with a weapon, man made or not.
These two above factors play an important role in attacking Anatomical Weak Points e.g. Nerve Centres, whether you are armed or unarmed.
STRIKING
By decreasing the area of contact the degree of penetration is increased, if all things are equal in the execution of the move .
To improve the clubs effectiveness when striking simply round off one or both ends of the club to a dull point (the nature of the weapon is that of a blunt instrument, so don't be tempted to sharpen it to a point so that the club becomes a piercing weapon, its one thing to aggressively poke somebody in the solar plexus with a blunt club and another thing to do it with a sharpened one, gaol time is one thing to consider)
The Butt or Tip of the Club (rounded off or not) is an ideal tool for striking the many vital points of anatomical weakness found on the human body.
Many books and charts now exist as references for "vital point" striking. My early referenceses are from the Ed Parker Kenpo charts and diagrams that exist in the Infinite Insights etc.
MANIPULATION.
To improve on the club as a manipulative weapon, I experimented by cutting down a pair of hexagonal nunchakus to make a set of short clubs. The angular shaft has an extra penetrative effect when rolling the club in wrist or elbow for joint locking techniques, Scraping and other Frictional applications are enhanced with this kind of Club.
The angular shaft goes some way to maximising your efforts when applying manipulations.
A squared stick with four right angled edges is extremely effective for striking or manipulating, because of the surface concentration principle, the right angles and corners add a piercing dimension to the object.
As a repeated reminder do not become weapon fixated, discard statements like "I can only use a rattan baton or a correctly measured Kenpo Club, because that’s what I train with" if you dont your ability to adapt will decrease, because in the unlikely event of ever being in a "real" self defence situation you probably won't have your neat tailored Kenpo club or Rattan cane on your person.
GRIPPING THE CLUB.
Finding the Grip.There are two basic Kenpo club grips, which are long held and short held or extended and inverted, also the less used but (in my opinion) just as relevant centre grip
These grips are a good starting point to become familiar with the club and to start developing manual dexterity as well as *manual ambidexterity when practising.
*important note
it is important to develop manual ambidexterity because your more coordinated hand may be injured, you may have acquired the weapon with your less coordinated hand or you may be carrying something valuable!
EXTENDED GRIP
To find the ideal starter position for the regular Long Held/Extended Grip, holding the club vertically, grip tip of the lower case (bottom) with the 1st hand (right or left), palm in, just using the thumb, index and fore finger of that hand, then grip directly next to it with the 2nd (right or left hand, so that fists are butted up to each other, with the "pinkie" of the 2nd hand touching the thumb and forefinger of the 1st hand, remove the 1st hand, now the 2nd hand will be positioned on the club to strike, pin, manipulate apply pressure, leverage amongst other things.
INVERTED GRIP
To find the ideal starter position for the Short Held /Inverted Grip, hold the club horizontally in front of you; grip the lower case (bottom) with the 1st hand (right or left) palm down, just using the thumb, index and fore finger of that hand, now with the 2nd hand grip alongside the 1st hand, the thumbs of the two fists should butt up to each other. Remove the 1st hand and adjust the position of the club so that it runs snugly up the inner forearm, with approximately "an inch to a fist" (depending on length of baton!) span of club protruding beyond the elbow when the arm is bent.
These two Grips are Basic starting positions and should be modified to the needs and conditions, of the practitioner.
Central GRIP
As a guide ,cross balance the club horizontally on your extended index finger (I find palm up easier) , move it until you find the centre, grab the club so that its centre lines up between your fore finger and ring finger.
Use these methods a couple of times, until you become familiar with the Clubs, then just trust your judgement.
OTHER GRIPS
Some other possibilities are,
Two hands holding one end of the Club,with palms down or one palm down, one palm up.
One hand holding the tip and one holding the butt,with palms down one palm down, one palm up.etc,etc
Experiment with different types of Grip as well as altering and adjusting your grip while performing a movement, yeh! Twiddling and Twirling.
USING THE GRIP.
The basic gripping action has numerous variations.How you grip the club depends how it comes into your possession. Some methods to consider are.A constant pressure with all the fingers and thumb of the gripping hand concentrating the grip in the index, forefinger and thumb area.
Constant pressure with all the fingers and thumb but with an extra exertion being applied with the little finger.... etc.,etc.
Note:
Which ever variation you choose to hold a club, the key factor is it must give you instant control over the weapon, without which effective use of the weapon will starts to diminish.
TRAINING TO RESPOND
(as opposed to just reacting!)
To stretch the principle of "Point Of Origin”, the position or location of the weapon may not be an ideal one when the action begins, but your response with the weapon must "be the most effective in the least possible time" e.g. avoiding wasteful angles, embellished moves, telegraphing of movements etc.
Applying a good grip in an instant can be a matter of urgency. If a club is used in an actual defence situation (not in the luxury environment of the Dojo) :
there will probably be very little if any warning,
no warm up period,
no neat little baton twirling drills to get you in the mood or to impress onlookers,
no on the spot instruction,
no assurance of outcome,
no confidence building moments,
but there will probably be a lot of adrenaline flying around.
As with all aspects of self defence "how you train is how you respond” and not necessarily the "way you fight" ! If you only train to "fight" then you are limiting your options, if this is you’re only premise then I suggest your broaden your outlook. Unless of course, your are into sports martial arts.
IMPORTANT EXPLANATION.
When training for an event you train for some thing that you know will happen at certain time and at a certain place. A Tournament or a Grading.
When training for self defence, you training for an event that you hope will not happen and if it does happen there will probably be no control of the time or place of the incident.
Your surviving such an event relies on a lot more than just being able "to Fight", please trust me on this.
So you must firstly be able to control the Club if it is to be used properly, a correct grip leads to good control so it is vitally important. The initial grip of the club will be a determining factor in your subsequent action as well as the outcome of the situation, practice and experiment with different types of grip and acquiring the club from various sources e.g.
From an opponent, by disarming them.
From a third party, by it being handed, thrown or rolled to you, learning to catch a thrown baton or picking it up from the floor while its moving or while you are moving and its not or its moving and you are moving can be an interesting excerise.
From the environment, aquiring things that are in the vicinity, this may mean modifying simple structures!
The Butt or Tip of the Club (rounded off or not) is an ideal tool for striking the many vital points of anatomical weakness found on the human body.
Many books and charts now exist as references for "vital point" striking. My early referenceses are from the Ed Parker Kenpo charts and diagrams that exist in the Infinite Insights etc.
MANIPULATION.
To improve on the club as a manipulative weapon, I experimented by cutting down a pair of hexagonal nunchakus to make a set of short clubs. The angular shaft has an extra penetrative effect when rolling the club in wrist or elbow for joint locking techniques, Scraping and other Frictional applications are enhanced with this kind of Club.
The angular shaft goes some way to maximising your efforts when applying manipulations.
A squared stick with four right angled edges is extremely effective for striking or manipulating, because of the surface concentration principle, the right angles and corners add a piercing dimension to the object.
As a repeated reminder do not become weapon fixated, discard statements like "I can only use a rattan baton or a correctly measured Kenpo Club, because that’s what I train with" if you dont your ability to adapt will decrease, because in the unlikely event of ever being in a "real" self defence situation you probably won't have your neat tailored Kenpo club or Rattan cane on your person.
GRIPPING THE CLUB.
Finding the Grip.There are two basic Kenpo club grips, which are long held and short held or extended and inverted, also the less used but (in my opinion) just as relevant centre grip
These grips are a good starting point to become familiar with the club and to start developing manual dexterity as well as *manual ambidexterity when practising.
*important note
it is important to develop manual ambidexterity because your more coordinated hand may be injured, you may have acquired the weapon with your less coordinated hand or you may be carrying something valuable!
EXTENDED GRIP
To find the ideal starter position for the regular Long Held/Extended Grip, holding the club vertically, grip tip of the lower case (bottom) with the 1st hand (right or left), palm in, just using the thumb, index and fore finger of that hand, then grip directly next to it with the 2nd (right or left hand, so that fists are butted up to each other, with the "pinkie" of the 2nd hand touching the thumb and forefinger of the 1st hand, remove the 1st hand, now the 2nd hand will be positioned on the club to strike, pin, manipulate apply pressure, leverage amongst other things.
INVERTED GRIP
To find the ideal starter position for the Short Held /Inverted Grip, hold the club horizontally in front of you; grip the lower case (bottom) with the 1st hand (right or left) palm down, just using the thumb, index and fore finger of that hand, now with the 2nd hand grip alongside the 1st hand, the thumbs of the two fists should butt up to each other. Remove the 1st hand and adjust the position of the club so that it runs snugly up the inner forearm, with approximately "an inch to a fist" (depending on length of baton!) span of club protruding beyond the elbow when the arm is bent.
These two Grips are Basic starting positions and should be modified to the needs and conditions, of the practitioner.
Central GRIP
As a guide ,cross balance the club horizontally on your extended index finger (I find palm up easier) , move it until you find the centre, grab the club so that its centre lines up between your fore finger and ring finger.
Use these methods a couple of times, until you become familiar with the Clubs, then just trust your judgement.
OTHER GRIPS
Some other possibilities are,
Two hands holding one end of the Club,with palms down or one palm down, one palm up.
One hand holding the tip and one holding the butt,with palms down one palm down, one palm up.etc,etc
Experiment with different types of Grip as well as altering and adjusting your grip while performing a movement, yeh! Twiddling and Twirling.
USING THE GRIP.
The basic gripping action has numerous variations.How you grip the club depends how it comes into your possession. Some methods to consider are.A constant pressure with all the fingers and thumb of the gripping hand concentrating the grip in the index, forefinger and thumb area.
Constant pressure with all the fingers and thumb but with an extra exertion being applied with the little finger.... etc.,etc.
Note:
Which ever variation you choose to hold a club, the key factor is it must give you instant control over the weapon, without which effective use of the weapon will starts to diminish.
TRAINING TO RESPOND
(as opposed to just reacting!)
To stretch the principle of "Point Of Origin”, the position or location of the weapon may not be an ideal one when the action begins, but your response with the weapon must "be the most effective in the least possible time" e.g. avoiding wasteful angles, embellished moves, telegraphing of movements etc.
Applying a good grip in an instant can be a matter of urgency. If a club is used in an actual defence situation (not in the luxury environment of the Dojo) :
there will probably be very little if any warning,
no warm up period,
no neat little baton twirling drills to get you in the mood or to impress onlookers,
no on the spot instruction,
no assurance of outcome,
no confidence building moments,
but there will probably be a lot of adrenaline flying around.
As with all aspects of self defence "how you train is how you respond” and not necessarily the "way you fight" ! If you only train to "fight" then you are limiting your options, if this is you’re only premise then I suggest your broaden your outlook. Unless of course, your are into sports martial arts.
IMPORTANT EXPLANATION.
When training for an event you train for some thing that you know will happen at certain time and at a certain place. A Tournament or a Grading.
When training for self defence, you training for an event that you hope will not happen and if it does happen there will probably be no control of the time or place of the incident.
Your surviving such an event relies on a lot more than just being able "to Fight", please trust me on this.
So you must firstly be able to control the Club if it is to be used properly, a correct grip leads to good control so it is vitally important. The initial grip of the club will be a determining factor in your subsequent action as well as the outcome of the situation, practice and experiment with different types of grip and acquiring the club from various sources e.g.
From an opponent, by disarming them.
From a third party, by it being handed, thrown or rolled to you, learning to catch a thrown baton or picking it up from the floor while its moving or while you are moving and its not or its moving and you are moving can be an interesting excerise.
From the environment, aquiring things that are in the vicinity, this may mean modifying simple structures!
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