Weaponry Class
MODERN WEAPONS & CLOSE QUARTER TACTICS
The Martial Arts Center of Austin is honored to be the ONLY school in Austin to offer Combative Science classes and training for Military, Law Enforcement and civilians.
We teach all facets of hand-to-hand training including instruction in techniques of percussion (striking), projection (throwing), immobilization (joint-locking, grappling, disarming, strangulation) and armament.
Our modern weapons training includes that of the 1 ft stick, 2 ft stick (baton), 3 ft stick (half staff and cane), the knife, rope and literally dozens of other improvises weapons.
Our stick training teaches dozens of moves of concealment, trapping, disarming, arresting and assault defense. This class is excellent for cardiovascular fitness and reality-based self defense.
Training in stick fighting can easily transfer over to many different types of field expedient weapons as well (hanger, walking stick, flashlight, etc.).
Long before humans went to grocery stores for their food, we hunted and fished for it. And what we did not kill, ensnare or catch, we did not eat. So its fair to say that ancient men were extremely accomplished hunters.
If they were not, we would not have ancestors and modern man would not exist. Due to the fact that we no longer have to seek and track our food, most humans have suppressed their abilities to use such weapons as a knife or spear.
Many martial art schools teach techniques from a curriculum that is very outdated and would, in no way, properly address the types of situations that one would need to use such tools.
Here in our training center, we use Combative Science to first educate our students the proper handling and care for the weapon. From there, we teach several techniques of knife offense. We then teach a range of weapon trapping, disarming and retention.
Too many individuals feel that knife work is too dangerous and should not be practiced at all. We strongly disagree. Even though we no longer scavenge to survive, we still should understand and respect the use of the most popular weapon in all of history.
And it is from this respect that we know that knife and stick techniques can be used to do more than harm others. Great outdoorsman, remodelers, campers and others all use knives and other blunt tools/objects in their day-to-day duties as well.
Some schools teach empty hand techniques and then weapon techniques. And others do just the opposite. For us, we teach what students are ready to learn — regardless of the order they learn it in.
Either way is acceptable for us. One great benefit to learning knife, stick and other modern weapons is that they easily transpose into empty-hand techniques.
From this interchanging between armed and unarmed movements, students can feel a consistent flow of both. In class, we may begin with a weapon or we may begin empty handed.
And then, we go back and forth between disarms, counters, double counter disarms, locks, attacks, counter attacks, and on and on so that everyone can understand and become comfortable with the fact that all altercations are a combination of being violent, chaotic and emotionally traumatic.
When we learn to transcend these fears, we can exchange and untangle the web of CQT without any restrictions or obstructions. The knife, stick and modern weapon techniques then begin to paint a picture of endless possibilities.
Due to this class placing strong emphasis on military combative tactics and close-quarter tactics for law enforcement, we encourage prospective students to enter this program with an objective mindset. Our program will probably be like nothing you�ve ever seen or trained in before.
Some of our tactical classes (currently being held on Wednesday evenings), will involve heavy weapon training commonly used in life or death situations.
However, other times, we will be dealing with several unarmed movements whereby only one person has a weapon and the other is taught how to protect themself when they have lost or otherwise no longer possess a weapon.
One major difference with our program versus other schools that do not have Combative Science is that fact that most schools do not utilize live training as part of their practice. We find it very strange that many people teaching �close-quarter tactics� have never actually gone live and tested their abilities.
In our program, students will learn how to deal with the high stress levels commonly produced by life threatening encounters via actively engaging in knife and stick sparring. Furthermore, the very few schools that do teach cqt virtually NEVER teach what to do when you are on the ground and someone is on top of you with a knife.
If your school doesn�t have the answer to this deadly situation, we strongly consider you going elsewhere. The last thought you ever want to have cross your mind is wishing you had learned the proper techniques.
Traditional Weaponry Training
The Martial Arts Center of Austin is proud to offer training in traditional Japanese weaponry.
We offer instruction in kenjutsu (sword), iaijutsu (drawing the sword from its scabbard), naginatajutsu (glaive [pole arm]), jojutsu (4 ft staff), hojojutsu (cord binding), tantojutsu (knife arts), and others. Please note that training in any traditional weapon art requires extreme dedication.
Prospective students should strongly consider the type of fortitude necessary in beginning any of these programs. Students interested in any of these programs will need to provide their own materials including all necessary weapons and clothing.
These classes are generally not open to the public but sensei has been known to make exceptions from time to time. Prospective students will need to first pass an interview process before admittance is allowed. We customarily train on the weekends and will provide time and location upon acceptance.
The Japanese Samurai were certainly the most feared warriors in history. They were highly trained in military science.
Kenjutsu (literally meaning “sword art”) was the system they devised for battling with the sword (katana).
Suffice to say that the samurai had created a truly magnificent weapon. It was light-weight, razor sharp, artistically adorned and could endure numerous battles and still cut through any known metal.
Our style teaches traditional Japanese Kenjutsu emphasizing numerous solo and paired kata as well as several techniques for free-form practice. Students will need all proper clothing (ie – keiko gi, kaku obi, hakama) as well as a bokken (wooden sword) before beginning this program.
Iaijutsu is a very popular art here in our dojo. Iaijutsu is the art of quickly drawing the sword from its scabbard and then cutting your opponent all in one motion.
It is an incredibly sophisticated art requiring much practice and dedication. Students interested in this program will need to have their own iaito (sword for practice) before they will be allowed to enter this program.
We do not use shinken (live blades) in our programs. Both our kenjutsu and iaijutsu programs are to teach students preservation of antiquity as well as provide excellent lessons in balance, posture, breathing, timing and forging of a strong mind.
The Naginata is a “pole arm” type weapon ranging in different sizes from just a few feet to several feet in length.
A blade is attached to the end of a wooden pole making it a powerful weapon.
Historically, naginata were used by both men and women but today, the
naginata is used mainly by women in Japan. However, adults of both genders can participate in our practices.
The naginata was quite the formidable weapon being most advantageous over shorter weapons such as the sword. In the hands of a skilled warrior, the naginata could easily slash its opponents down with great ease. Due to the length of the weapon, it offered excellent cutting leverage as well as offer horseman the ability to overpower their ground adversaries with much less resistance than regular swordsmen on foot.
Our dojo teaches traditional naginatajutsu and not “atarashii naginata” (sport style). For practice, students will be using wooden naginata without a fixed blade on the end.
The Jo (or “yon bo”) is a 4 ft staff made of a variety of woods used in a similar manner that any other staff could be used.
The major difference is that the Jo is not as seemingly cumbersome as longer staffs and has more centrifugal generated power than that of shorter ones such as the 2 and 3 foot staffs.
Many consider it to be the perfect weapon for most any walking staff makes an excellent Jo. The Jo was said to have been invented by the legendary warrior Musō Gonnosuke Katsuyoshi after having defeated the famous swordsman Miyamoto Musashi.
Records indicate that the 4 ft staff was used long before the warriors of Japan used them though. However, although most all Jo techniques are used to duel against that of a sword, we teach several techniques against other types of armament as well as against unarmed opponents.
Our training and techniques are practiced both indoors and outdoors and will reflect teachings of both Jodo and Jojutsu concepts of both older and modern styles but mainly that of the latter. Students wishing to practice in our Jo training will need all the same clothing needed in any of our other programs (keiko gi, kaku obi, hakama) but will also need a Jo.
Jo are easily attainable and are very inexpensive.
Completely unique to the martial culture of Japan, Hojojutsu is the art of binding a prisoner with cord or rope in any different number of knots to keep them immobilized.
The techniques of hojojutsu are as incredibly complex as they are effective and beautiful.
Historically, when performing the decorative knots, the samurai were required to use certain knots for certain types of captives.
For example, a low-ranking knot could not be used on a high-ranking soldier. And the same was true in the adverse.
Also, certain knots, with an array of different colors, were used in different seasons throughout the year. Samurai would typically use a joint-locking technique from the Jujutsu curriculum and then while keeping them subdued, they would then begin the binding with either their sageo (cord carried on their sword sheaths) or possibly use their tasuke (approx. 5 ft of material used to tie back the sleeves on a kimono).
From that point, other much longer cords were used to perform the actual decorative knots. Between knots for different ranking individuals, knots for different seasons and knots for different purposes (ie – binding someone to another person, restraining someone after having arrested them, capturing a prisoner who was trying to escape), hojojutsu has always been considered the advanced section of many different Japanese Jujutsu styles.
Our dojo will be teaching the art of hojojutsu at different times throughout the year during seminars. Beyond that, the art of hojojutsu (in our dojo), is reserved for high-ranking students only.
Tantojutsu is the art of using the knife or dagger. Knife fighting arts exist by the hundreds, if not more, and are practiced by every culture on the planet.
The samurai always carried at least one, if not more, knives on them at all times.
The knife is a truly fantastic weapon for it is quite easy to carry, easy to maneuver and makes a superior back-up weapon if your sword is unable to be utilized.
Much like the samurai katana (sword), the tanto had excellent slashing and stabbing capabilities.
Our dojo teaches both classical tantojutsu as well as modern knife fighting techniques. Please refer to the Modern Weapons page to review our close-quarter tactics training with the fixed and folding blade training.
Students will begin practicing the knife within their first month of training and will find that the knife is, by far, one of the most versatile weapons one can use.