At this stage we have had a look at European flails, and Japanese Koryu utilising a flail type Kusarigama or Chigiriki. In this post I will try to pull together the observable common threads of these types of weapons.
It is, however, an important point to keep the importance of things contained within kata in perspective (which I will cover in more depth later):
- The fundamental skills may be practiced outside of the kata.
- A deliberate action in a kata may only be there to contrive a position, it is not necessarily advocating a tactic.
- The goal of practice may not always be what is appears on face value.
To refer once more to Amdur’s work:
Finally, I have never used a handheld weapon with which it is so easy to get an inflated idea of ones strength. Many of the most popular and common techniques… will only work against someone unfamiliar with facing the weapon. Perhaps one of the best reasons to train with it is to learn how to defeat it - and in the process acquire general principles dealing with variable combat spacing, attacks from unexpected angles, and the way that unfamiliar noise, movement, and weapon morphology can disturb one's hard-won composure.
I believe therefore that the most valuable lessons I have learned in my training with this weapon are to the fold: first how easy it is to overestimate one is power when playing with and for the rubes; and secondly that the next stage of skill in whatever weapon one trains is to cut through complexity with simple focused strength.
Keeping all of these points in mind, what are the things we commonly see in the use of these weapons:
- Use of a single hand swing of the weight.
- Use of a Kamae with the weight on the ground (either a kamae or from a miss).
- Missing with a downward strike and hitting the ground.
- Using the ground to control the weight.
- Use of a kamae holding the weight in the off hand.
- Blocking with the sickle.
- Chain being entangled with the sword, sometimes with a disarm/let go.
- Attacking on the opponent raising an entangled sword.
- Striking the head, chest & back with the weight.
- Binding the sword at the strong with the kama and then grappling.
- Drawing daggers from a bind or disarm.
- Binding at the weakness.
- Winding from a bind at the weakness.
- Entanglement of the neck or lower leg leading to a takedown.
- Sweeping low with the weight.
- Entangling the body with the chain in a bind.
- Defending a downward cut with the chain, sometimes pushing the sword back over the head (although it is not entirely clear to me as to how this is applied - I would suggest you are coming under a raising weapon or getting in to contact the hands).
(Please note the 'strong' and the 'weak' are more European terms).