THE FAVORITE AND BEST WEAPON OF GRANDMASTER WONG
Traveling Dragon Sword
Question
Could you please share which one is your favorite weapon and why?
Could you please share which weapon you consider the best and why?
Santiago
Answer
My favorable weapon is the Chinese sword, and my favorite weapon set is the Traveling Dragon Sword.
There are three good reasons why I choose the sword as my favorite weapon.
- It is very very effective for combat as well as training useful qualities.
- It is convenient to be carried about.
- It is considered a scholar-warrior weapon.
Not only one needs more skills to use a sword well, the skills needed for swordsmanship is also of a higher level than those required for other weapons.
Compare a sword with a sabre, for example. These two weapons are often compared, and many people have the mistaken concept that they can be used interchangeably.
This is mistaken. Using a sword like a sabre, or using a sabre like a sword is a clear indication that the practitioner knows little about these two weapons. Their characteristics and functions are very different.
A sword is light, whereas a sabre is relatively heavy.
A sword is double edged, whereas a sabre is single edged. This means both edges of a sword can be used for combat, whereas only one edge of a sabre is used, although infrequently the other blank edge may be used to deflect an opponent’s weapon.
The main functions of a sword is for piecing and slicing, whereas the main function of a sabre is for cutting, including cutting into an armor worn by an opponent, whereas a sword normally would not be used in this way.
In the past it was convenient to carry a sword about. It was kept in a scabbard and hung at a side or at the back.
In the past, some high-ranking ministers who might not know martial art carried a sword as a mark of prestige. The sword dance, which was very different from using a sword for combat, was often performed by pretty maidens for entertainment.
Naturally, I would consider the sword as the best weapon. The reasons are similar to why I consider the sword as my favorite weapon. One’s favorite weapon, i.e. the weapon he likes most, may not necessarily be the best weapon for combat. But in my case, as in the case of most martial artists, my favorite weapon and the weapon I consider the best for combat are the same weapon – the Chinese sword.
Many people have kindly commented on my unarmed combat efficiency. I am proud and happy that I remain undefeated all these years, although in my earlier years I purposely went out to look for sparring, not because I liked fighting but to confirm my combat efficiency.
I honestly believe that if I used a sword, my chance ot beating other opponents using other weapons would be higher. The reason was not that my combat efficiency using a sword was better than my unarmed combat efficiency, but because most people did not know how to use a weapon skilfully.
An exception will be those who use a samurai sword. They are very skilful. But the Chinese sword has certain advantages over the samurai sword. The samurai sword is usually held in two hands, which make it less adroit, and technically it is slower than a Chinese sword.
Another weapon which I consider excellent for combat is the staff. It my surprise many martial artists that despite not having any sharp edge or point, the staff contains the important features of all other weapons! This is the reason why the staff is considered the mother of weapons.
However, the king of weapons is not the staff but the spear. In terms of techniques, the spear thrust is considered the most difficult to defend against. But of course, one who is very skilful, can defeat another less skilful martial artist using a spear to thrust.
The spear thrust is found in the staff, and also in the sword. Indeed, the staff evolved when a formidable general removed his spear head and trained only with the spear shaft when he became a monk at a monastery on Wutai Mountain in China.
I am very fortunate to know three of the four staff sets most famous in kungfu circles. All these four staff sets frequently use the thrust. In fact, they are more like spears than staffs in their combat application, except without the spear head.
Flowing Water Staff
This answer is taken from Special Weapon Course: 10 Questions to Grandmaster Wong of the Shaolin Wahnam Institute Discussion Forum.
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