SAI TRAINING
2nd & 3rd Saturdays of each month
from 11am to 12pm
(Free for members, $10 @ class for non-members)
2nd & 3rd Saturdays of each month
from 11am to 12pm
(Free for members, $10 @ class for non-members)
History of the Sai
During the Japanese occupation of Okinawa some 375
years ago, invading warlords prohibited the use of
ordinary weapons such as the sword or spear. So the
Okinawans turned to karate and kobu-do (Martial Arts
Weapons) for protection. Some kobu-do weapons
were farm implements which the ingenious farmers
converted into effective protective devices. For
instance, the sai (short sword) was dragged through
the soil by one peasant, while another would plant
seed in the resulting furrow. If approached by a
marauding samurai, the sai doubled as a weapon with
which the peasant could counter a sword attack.
Usually the peasant employed two sai, one for each
hand, and concealed a third inside his "obi" (wide
belt), which even a proficient sai artist may have found
cumbersome when engaging in battle with a talented
swordsman. Thus the third sai was actually used to
throw at the warrior. This maneuver was often the key
to winning the encounter.
Rigid training and skill are required to manipulate the
saiin techniques which parallel the movements of
karate. Practitioners of the sai develop excellent
flexibility in the use of their hands and can often
handle the weapon with the dexterity of a majorette
twirling a baton.
(From "Sai-Karate Weapon of Self-Defense" by Fumio
Demura)
During the Japanese occupation of Okinawa some 375
years ago, invading warlords prohibited the use of
ordinary weapons such as the sword or spear. So the
Okinawans turned to karate and kobu-do (Martial Arts
Weapons) for protection. Some kobu-do weapons
were farm implements which the ingenious farmers
converted into effective protective devices. For
instance, the sai (short sword) was dragged through
the soil by one peasant, while another would plant
seed in the resulting furrow. If approached by a
marauding samurai, the sai doubled as a weapon with
which the peasant could counter a sword attack.
Usually the peasant employed two sai, one for each
hand, and concealed a third inside his "obi" (wide
belt), which even a proficient sai artist may have found
cumbersome when engaging in battle with a talented
swordsman. Thus the third sai was actually used to
throw at the warrior. This maneuver was often the key
to winning the encounter.
Rigid training and skill are required to manipulate the
saiin techniques which parallel the movements of
karate. Practitioners of the sai develop excellent
flexibility in the use of their hands and can often
handle the weapon with the dexterity of a majorette
twirling a baton.
(From "Sai-Karate Weapon of Self-Defense" by Fumio
Demura)
