Kung Fu staff (Gùn)
The staff is the most commonly used long weapon in Kung Fu. It doesn’t have a blade (like swords) or a sharp tip (like spears), but its length offers a long range distance for striking and keeping the opponent away. The simplicity of its shape makes it a weapon easily suitable in everyday life. Every object with a long stick can become a staff (a broom, a curtain rod, …). Staff is a must for those who want to learn Chinese martial arts. In our association we learn how to handle the staff with rotation techniques and different Taolu (choreographies). We also cover applications with a partner to learn how to hit and to block with a staff.
Nunchaku (Er Jié Gùn)
Nunchaku (er jie gùn) is made of 2 short (usually wooden) sticks linked by a piece of rope. It became very popular after Bruce Lee introduced it in his movies. Nunchaku offers a shorter range distance for striking than the long staff but its flexibility (via the rope) makes it a very useful and powerful weapon. Practicing Nunchaku sharpens the skills of Chinese martial arts fighters. It allows working on reflexes, blocks, combat distance, dodging and all the skills necessary for a good fighter.
Fan (Shān)
The fan is one of the many “weapons” used in Qi Gong and allows a better focus of the mind. Very aesthetic, it requires flexibility, finesse and agility. Its open and harmonious movements, combined with varied stances, increase the flow of energy throughout the body’s meridians (channels for the circulation of the Qi, our inner energy) and its various organs. The opening and closing of the fan requires good agility of the wrist; such movements stimulate the numerous acupuncture points and meridians located in the wrist area (heart, lungs …). Mastering the fan choreography requires that you make the fan “an extension of your own body”.
Sword (jian)
The sword (jian) is one of the weapons used in Chinese martial arts and Qi Gong. Made of a double-edged blade with a sharp tip, it requires dexterity and practice to be used as a fearsome weapon in close combat. This is probably the most aesthetic weapon of Chinese martial arts, and also the most subtle. In Qi Gong and Taiji Quan, the sword has to progressively become an extension of the arm and should be used with softness and precision, to allow a better focus of the mind.