In 8 step, master Wei used something called a sun and moon ring, or moon and star, that slipped over the middle finger and jutted out at both ends… But I have heard this was a popluar weapon in china. but rarely hear about…
Tainan,
this Shu ming that you spoke about.. Is he the qigong master shuming from Beijing? I have a tape of him form my qigong teacher, that features him doing some incredible demonstrations at the park were he used to teach for free.. heavy set man with grey hair worn in a brushcut and always wore brown outfits…
CCY I agree with you about the addition of the hook swords , It would seem that the main mantis weapons came into the system from being either personel weapons or military weapons from an age when they were used as a major part of life
As for the “two-section” staff I assume it a long staff with a shorter staff attatched by a chain at one end?
Hey man. The two section staff is much like a nunchuku (sp?) but the difference being that the chinese 2 sectioned staff has a longer chain as oppose to the japanese nunchuku.
The weapon you are talking of is called a goong which is actually a family weapon (surname being goong).
On the point of blowdarts. I used to go hunting with my own 40 cal blowpipe back in the day. They are extremly accurate and have a suprisingly long range (shooting mine at a 45 degree angle would get about 75 yards distance). The best size no doubt is about 7 foot as the power and accuracy is doubled as oppose to a simple 4 foot barrel - although the latter is much more suited to stealth.
If anyone wants info on how to make these then give me a shout because I have a fair few years behind me with them.
craig
A friggen 7 foot blowdart?!?! You think a four foot or smaller is not good? And what do you hunt? Sorry for so many questions. These weapons interest me. I`d like to hear more about if your game.
we used to make blowguns and darts almost from scratch.
the blowguns would be made out of a plant called queen of meadow (gravel root or joe pye weed) this is a plant that can grow up to 10’ feet tall and has a punky foam looking center to the stalk that can easily be hollowed out. it can be a very straight stalk, ideal for blowguns.
we would take another plant called dogweed and rub it out to get some strong narrow fibers to braid into a narrow twine.
then taking this twine we would next use thistle puffs to make the fletching on the only storebought item we used: bamboo skewers. some of us made some w/ natural twigs.
pretty accurate out to about 50’. never thought I could make a clean kill on a rabbit or squirrel so i didn’t try.
but now we are straying waaaay OT and BTL is gonna lay a smack down on us…
unless…
I have an old document, on deerskin, stating that the cherokee’s had developed their own mantis style of martial arts that was centered around the use of blowguns made from queen of meadow…yea, that’s the ticket…
Years ago I worked construction with a guy that had no fight training (other than drinking too much). He showed me a fighting technique he developed on his own where he shuffled his feet (with steel toed boots) while throwing punches. He would target the lower shins and he said he won a lot of fights that way. Looked really weird though.
We also made blowguns when I worked at a company that made electrical heating elements. We would take the tubes that the elements were made from and make darts with sewing pins and cigarettte filters. Peel the paper off the filter and push a pin or needle through it. Then melt the inside end and squeeze it down tight on the pin. Only thing I ever hunted with it was the mouse in my apartment kitchen.
EarthDragon
I’ve seen that weapon before. I believe Mimi Chan learned it and may have performed it at a tournament in the past.
In Wah Lum we use the Di So Gee (Large Sweeper), a long stick with a short stick attached to one end. We also have Fire Wheels which I haven’t learned yet. I believe yu shan may have learned it though.
Originally posted by EarthDragon In 8 step, master Wei used something called a sun and moon ring, or moon and star, that slipped over the middle finger and jutted out at both ends… But I have heard this was a popluar weapon in china. but rarely hear about…
Yes a 7 foot blowpipe. Like I said 4 foot isnt enough. To the guy who said he wasnt sure whether it would be straight kill - it wont. You are basically aiming for the heart or lungs with rabbits, pheasants and most other things as this will be the quicker death as oppose to a gut wound.
The standard 9 inch darts i used went straight through a cadburys roses tin from 15 feet away so dont worry about whether it will go through the rabbit.
Anyway a list of things i used to hunt behind my girls house were -
rabbits
pheasent
squrriels
rodents / rats
and once i was out for 9 hours learning to hunt on my own and i saw something that looked like a small dog. i chased it but it ran. i hadnt a clue what it was because i had never seen one before but i assumed it was a wild cat or dog or something as it was dark and i couldnt see.
then one day i was sitting by a small cliff just watching the water and to the side of me something caught my eye - a munt jack!
These are rare deer that were brought over from china years ago to england and they were known as the ‘deer of the deep’.
This was the most beautiful animal i had ever seen. I could have taken a shot and killed it but i was too taken back by the fact that such a timid animal trotted right past me knowing i was there.
That really got me into nature and was one of the things that got me on the road to being at one with nature. Just the sheer fact that it treated me like i wasnt a threat and just carried on.
