Why train with Weapons? Part 2
Published: Sun, 02/15/26
Updated: Sun, 02/15/26
RCT.
Swords have sometimes played their part in actual combat. The cavalry sabre, when combined with a skilled rider and a large horse, was an effective weapon right up until WW1 when barbed wire and the machine gun finally made mounted charges obsolete. However, the sword has always been as much a symbol of status and authority as it has ever been a significant weapon in combat. The regulating of who is allowed to carry, or even possess, a sword has always had as much to do with stratifying and controlling society as it has to do with the use of the weapon in a practical way. In Japan swords were carried by the Samurai class up until the 1860s. Most Samurai by that time were mainly civil servants, so it is doubtful that many of them would have been particularly skilled with their weapons.
As the reference to Shakespeare suggests, sword fighting has always been popular as a spectacle, whether is is a serious duel to the death, a tournament, a sporting contest, or a highly choreographed scene in a stage play, film, or TV production. Indeed for many in the audience at the Globe theatre when productions such as Hamlet were first staged, a large part the appeal would have been the stage fighting. In the 16th century many plays would have appealed in the same way that Bruce Lee or Jason Statham films do in our own time. Swords are interesting and swords can be fun. However, I tend to regard sword practice as preparation for sport and entertainment rather than serious martial arts training. The Japanese do seem to know the difference between the sword as symbol, the sword as a prop for entertainment, and the sword as a serious training tool. Although of course there is no real reason why it can’t be all three. We should
also remember that for training purposes, the Boken or ‘stick sword’ is generally used. Live blades are sometimes used for test cutting although any cutting tool such as an axe or a machete will serve just as well for learning to cut on the lines of the web.
So, there are really three reasons for having weapons:
Firstly, weapons can confer status, power, and the ability to dominate those without weapons, or only possessing inferior equipment. On one level it is the role of a government to maintain internal and external security of the territory over which they have jurisdiction. To fulfil these roles a number of armed individuals will be needed who are trained and organised to use their weapons. Such organisation will also involve symbolism such as uniforms, and pageantry such as parades and honour guards. Maintaining peace, order, and security is a noble endeavour and those who live in a well regulated state are generally appreciative of such protection. Problems arises when such forces are used to suppress legitimate internal dissent against a tyranical government or against other nations in wars of conquest and colonialism.
Secondly, weapons are simply tools for surviving in this world. We are granted three physical powers as we incarnate into this plane of existence. The power to create life, the power to take life, and the power to sustain life. All creatures are granted the same powers and exercise them according to their instincts and natural equipment. All creatures breed and raise their young. A deer will graze and browse using teeth and digestive system intended for a vegetarian diet. The wolf will hunt and eat the deer using jaws and digestive system adapted accordingly.
For humans to exercise these powers we invent, manufacture, and use tools. With these tools we may take life by cutting down trees to clear farmland for crops. We may create life by tilling the ground and planting seeds. We may then sustain life by harvesting the crops and feeding our families. It may also be necessary to use the same tools as weapons to kill pests, which may then be eaten, or even to drive away human intruders who would otherwise occupy your land or steal your crops. At this level the line between weapon and tool becomes fluid and blurred. If an axe is used to cut down a tree to supply building timber or firewood we call it a tool, If the same axe is used to cut down a violent intruder we call it a weapon. And yet both actions may be essential to the survival and well being of a family and the wider community.
The business of simply working to sustain life through a balance of destruction and creation develops strength and skills which can be used in any context. If you can hunt and kill a deer you can just as easily kill an enemy, assuming that he doesn’t get you first. If you can slaughter a goat with a blade you have a pretty good idea how to kill in a knife fight. Those with a farming background often make good soldiers. They tend to be strong and fit. They are used to surviving in challenging conditions. They will often have readily transferable skills appropriate to the battlefield.
Thirdly, there is simply the process of training for mind/body/spirit development. All that is really needed at this level aresimple sticks of various lengths. Even the term weapon becomes problematic. ‘Real’ weapons are designed to maim and kill as efficiently as possible. You can obviously hurt someone with a stick if you hit them hard enough in the right places. However, it isn’t likely that you will kill someone with a stick in one blow unless you are very skilled and/or they are very unlucky. When discussing sticks you could use the term ‘force multiplier’ rather than ‘weapon’. A stick may still save your life in a defensive situation. However, few people will feel inclined to go on the offensive with such equipment.
In online conversations about martial arts and self-defence someone (usually an American) will drop in a comment along the lines of: ‘Why bother with all that training when you can just use a gun?’
Well yes, where do you start with answering that question? See part three soon.
regards
Graham
PS If you are interested in learning how Stav works as a martial art there are classes on Monday evenings in Beverley https://iceandfire.org.uk/selfdefence.html and there is a day course in Salisbury on the 21st of March https://iceandfire.org.uk/salisbury210326.html
I have also updated the Stavcamp web page with details for the 2026 camp. Roland Zerpe, the author of Stav: Runes, Martial Arts, and Philosophy will be joining us to share his knowledge and insights into Stav https://www.stavcamp.org/
Graham Butcher
21 Beaver Road
Beverley East Yorkshire HU17 0QN
UNITED KINGDOM
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