Kung Fu Twin Sticks Workshop Drills Chinese Martial Arts

On the 29th of November last year, a group of kung fu students across the three Golden Lion schools, met at the Rowville Centre with Master Richard Tsui-Po, to learn more about how to use twin sticks, a traditional weapon rarely taught but one that has evolved into a highly efficient self-defence system. Like learning any new style of martial arts or form, specialist training helps develop focus and faster reflexes and particularly helps with improving the coordination of the arms.

Twin sticks have an interesting history. Although most literature on the use of twin sticks stems from the Philippines (where they use the terms Kali, Escrima and Arnis) around the year 8AD, some believe their fighting systems have historical roots from Indonesia, which in turn was influenced by Chinese martial arts like Kun Tao. This fighting style finds its roots in Ch’uan Fa, which is what we call Kung Fu and the names of both styles translate roughly to mean, “way of the fist”. Given that the Philippines are a group of islands located in the South China Sea and have experienced foreign invasion over hundreds of years, it makes sense that they would naturally integrate other martial arts skills into their own indigenous forms.

When the Spanish colonized the Philippines and outlawed all indigenous martial arts, stick fighting was practiced in secret or disguised in ceremonial dance form. When the Spanish left, twin sticks and double blades resurfaced and were used on marines in the Philippine-American War and during the Japanese invasion. Sticks became invaluable and a surprisingly good compensation Kung Fu Twin Sticks Workshop against fighters that had more powerful weapons such as firearms. They are still used by the Filipino army today.

The fighting style of twin sticks (and thus Kung Fu) has survived over many centuries and the fact it continues to be developed and taught today is testament to its usefulness and effectiveness. A fighting system where you train with two weapons (either twin sticks or a stick and knife/dagger) is helpful because it forces you to use both hands. Even if you mainly use one weapon, the extra stick can control the opponent’s weapon or help with additional strikes from a longer range.

The twin sticks seminar was useful and interesting. After going through the double and single stick drills and heaven and earth striking patterns, we were taught the twin sticks form, which was easy and practical. If your emphasis is on skill, then the twin sticks may be a technique you would like to learn. I also think that because there is less need for strength compared to other martial art forms, it is a good one for the girls (or the boys who haven’t had their protein shakes!) as well as further helping understand principles around motion and distance. …that or maybe you want to look like Bruce Lee when he used the twin sticks in the movie Enter theDragon! Whatever your motivation, this is a classical technique worth learning more about.

Thanks to Rosemary Hermans, Rowville Kung Fu student, for this contribution.

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