The Ancient Chinese spear, commonly called the 'Qiang,' is sometimes referred to as the King of Weapons. The reason for this is because in the hands of a master, the long length would give one an edge in combat. In this article we will first go over the construction of the Qiang, and in part two of this article we will describe a couple of Martial Arts training methods.
The Qiang has been around as long as straight branches. It is an ancient martial arts tool, and it is taught in many schools of Gung Fu, particularly Shaolin and Tai Chi Chuan. Several Gung Fu methods, such as Hsing i and Bagua Zhang, hold that the weapon was elemental to the creation of their particular schools.
The shaft of the Qiang is made from wax wood, which is flexible but strong, and it normally ranges in size from 7 to 13 feet. One can create a small circle with the hands, and because the wood bends so easily, the tip will describe a larger but incredibly rapid circle. This gives a tremendous amount of 'snap' to the weapon, should the practitioner decide to 'shake his wrists.'
The blade is often designed in the shape of a leaf. This makes it perfect for either small cuts when you snap the wrists and cause the tip to whip back and forth, And, of course, the thrusting power of the tool is amazing dangerous to the attacker.
The blade is built atop a tubular section, which is fastened to the end of the shaft. The tube is hollow, and it has a hole and a small steel ball contained within. This specific arrangement is amazingly ingenious, and shows the Chinese skill in crafting the blade.
The hole, when the tip of the spear is moved at speed, will whistle. This can cause a distraction to the enemy. The ball bearing inside forces any congealed blood that has seeped into the tube to seep right back out.
Lastly, we have the tassel, a hank of horsehair fixed on a string at the base of the blade. This is incredibly valuable, as it tends to blur the vision of the person being 'prodded' (grin), so that they cannot mount a defense, or even grab the head of the spear, A minor purpose of the tassel is to stem any flow of blood from coursing down the shaft and making it too slippery to use.
In summation, a Qiang is a potent and far reaching martial arts weapon. A favorite of ancient armies, it could be used to keep attackers at bay, and even kill a war horses. Please look for part two of this article, in which we will deal with the training techniques for the ancient Chinese spear.
The Qiang has been around as long as straight branches. It is an ancient martial arts tool, and it is taught in many schools of Gung Fu, particularly Shaolin and Tai Chi Chuan. Several Gung Fu methods, such as Hsing i and Bagua Zhang, hold that the weapon was elemental to the creation of their particular schools.
The shaft of the Qiang is made from wax wood, which is flexible but strong, and it normally ranges in size from 7 to 13 feet. One can create a small circle with the hands, and because the wood bends so easily, the tip will describe a larger but incredibly rapid circle. This gives a tremendous amount of 'snap' to the weapon, should the practitioner decide to 'shake his wrists.'
The blade is often designed in the shape of a leaf. This makes it perfect for either small cuts when you snap the wrists and cause the tip to whip back and forth, And, of course, the thrusting power of the tool is amazing dangerous to the attacker.
The blade is built atop a tubular section, which is fastened to the end of the shaft. The tube is hollow, and it has a hole and a small steel ball contained within. This specific arrangement is amazingly ingenious, and shows the Chinese skill in crafting the blade.
The hole, when the tip of the spear is moved at speed, will whistle. This can cause a distraction to the enemy. The ball bearing inside forces any congealed blood that has seeped into the tube to seep right back out.
Lastly, we have the tassel, a hank of horsehair fixed on a string at the base of the blade. This is incredibly valuable, as it tends to blur the vision of the person being 'prodded' (grin), so that they cannot mount a defense, or even grab the head of the spear, A minor purpose of the tassel is to stem any flow of blood from coursing down the shaft and making it too slippery to use.
In summation, a Qiang is a potent and far reaching martial arts weapon. A favorite of ancient armies, it could be used to keep attackers at bay, and even kill a war horses. Please look for part two of this article, in which we will deal with the training techniques for the ancient Chinese spear.
About the Author:
If you desire more data on training with martial arts weapons, I recommend '6th Sense Swordfighting.' Also, because it is sometimes suspicious to walk around with a spear for defense (smile), I recommend the Blinding Steel Course at Monster Martial Arts.
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