2 Sectional Staff: Double Trouble At Your Fingertips

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2 Sectional Staff: Double Trouble At Your Fingertips

“	<div class="flexinode-body flexinode-1"> Author: Bruce Carlino <div class="flexinode-textarea-5"><div class="form-item"> Article: When Song Tai Tzu broke his favorite staff, he merely connected the parts and created a weapon with twice the speed and twice the power. By Bruce Carlino [IMG]images/articles/2staff/Sectional-lead.gif[/IMG] The orange sun burns away the gray dawn mists on the battlefield. Weapons slice through the air as thousands of skilled warriors engage in vicious combat. Swords clang against other weapons of war. Sparks flash, bladed weapons clang, hack, and slash. Shock waves reverberate through the flashing metal. Blood streams from the fallen bodies of those warriors less skilled, less swift, less strong. Warriors on horse back plow through the clusters of men, trampling over the unfortunates in their path. The men with swords and knives kill effortlessly as they flaunt skill in kung-fu. Poled warriors are disabling their adversaries with their swift and graceful strikes. The horsed warriors are growing in numbers, as are the enemies bearing shields. The Chinese general calls for the warriors with long sweepers, three sectionals and horse cutters to disarm the riders and cripple their mounts. Shielded men are less effective against combatants with long sweepers and three sectionals. These flexible and deadly weapons hook behind shields and fold around blocks, striking cringing opponents. The attackers mow unimpeded through the battlefield, blocking spear thrusts with wicked spins of the sweeper; splitting, chopping and destroying almost any weapons in their path. [IMG]images/articles/2staff/aroundshield.gif[/IMG] Shielded men are less effective against combatants with long sweepers and three sectionals. These flexible and deadly weapons hook behind shields and fold around blocks, striking cringing opponents. The two sectional staff has been a popular weapon in China for centuries. Its diverse blend of offensive and defensive combat techniques make it unique in the realm of wushu weapons. Lucky Break In A.D 960, Song Tai Tzu founded the Song dynasty in China. A skilled practitioner of martial arts, he is responsible for developing the ancestors long fist, part of the long fist system. It is said the two sectional was created when Song Tai Tzu, whose specialty weapon was a staff, broke his favorite weapon. He made repairs by connecting the two pieces with a chain, with one piece longer than the other. He found the flexibility and speed of the new weapon to be formidable in combat. A version of the two sectional was once used as an agricultural tool for breaking up rice and grain. It is sometimes called a flail. This tool, a farming implement during the day, could be hidden during the times when peasants were forbidden to own weapons. The two sectional staff (erh gieh kun) is a Northern Chinese weapon, also known as a big sweeper (da shao tzu) or long sweeper (chang shao zi). One section measures roughly five feet long and the other about one foot long. The length varies according to the height of the user. The chain should be three-to-six inches long. As with a long staff, the total length of a two sectional should extend from the floor to the palm of the user's hand when the arm is extended above the head. The long sweeper has a brother called the short sweeper (duan shao zi), which resembles a nunchaku but has one section about two feet long and the other six-to-eight inches long. “Song made repairs to his broken staff by connecting the two pieces with a chain, with one piece longer than the other. The flexibility and speed of the new weapon was formidable in combat.” The long sweeper is a versatile weapon, with a wide range of movements, from whipping and rolling to spinning figure eights and other flowery movements that serve as a shield to protect the user, while he is twisting and turning, poking, blocking and striking. These techniques are also practiced with other poled weapons. Wrapping, swinging, pulling, and slamming are also employed by two sectional practitioners. Target Areas 1–9. This is the sequence of the sweeper's basic movements. [IMG]images/articles/2staff/basic1.gif[/IMG] [IMG]images/articles/2staff/basic2.gif[/IMG] [IMG]images/articles/2staff/basic3.gif[/IMG] [IMG]images/articles/2staff/basic4.gif[/IMG] [IMG]images/articles/2staff/basic5.gif[/IMG] [IMG]images/articles/2staff/basic6.gif[/IMG] [IMG]images/articles/2staff/basic7.gif[/IMG] [IMG]images/articles/2staff/basic8.gif[/IMG] [IMG]images/articles/2staff/basic9.gif[/IMG] The sweeper is most effective as a middle-to-long-range weapon. It utilized techniques with penetrating force that bounce from one blow only to strike again in another area, rebounding in any direction and disabling opposing weapons. The target areas are the top of the head, shoulders and arms with downward strikes driving down through the target in a vertical motion. Horizontal attacks include the trunk of the body and legs. These attacks are also used to strike at a horse's legs, disabling the animal and rendering it useless. Typically, the two sectional is held by the longer section, using leverage to pivot the shorter section around the chain. This provides enormous speed and power. When a practitioner has developed skill and control with the long section, he can direct the small section with almost pinpoint accuracy. The advantage of this construction is that a combatant wielding a sweeper will not feel the impact he imposes upon his opponent. For example, blocking a spear thrust with the small section of the sweeper will send a vibration through the spear, making it difficult to grasp, without having any effect upon the defender. The small section of the sweeper can wrap around a poled weapon, jerking it away from an opponent's grip. While the adversary struggles to maintain control of his weapon, he receives a devastating blow. Although the sweeper is mainly used holding the long section, it can also be held and directed by the small section. This allows the long section to move on a longer plain. The bulk of the weapon slices through the air, using horizontal and vertical striking force. When directing the weapon with the short section, the practitioner can perform butterfly kicks, falls and groundwork which is similar to that of the three sectional staff. The chain serves as the axis for the separate sections; the power and rippling effect are transferred through the chain, while it acts as the controlling point for strikes from both sections. The chain will absorb the shock from strikes and blocks, reducing vibration from the weapon. The practitioner must control this part of the weapon to be skillful in combat and forms. Takes A Licking... The sweeper is difficult to face. Defensive moves are limited. The small section of the long sweeper hooks easily around shielding blocks, allowing the stylist to strike the adversary with rippling power. Expert footwork with the two sectional sweeper, like any other weapon system, heightens effectiveness and intensifies power. Without skilled leg work and footwork, upper body movements are hampered. The many spins, turns and twisting movements rely upon complex footwork, which, in turn, depends upon on appropriate stances for each movement. Stances and footwork for the sweeper originate from northern long fist style. For example, a back cross-step is used for turning the body while moving in a linear direction. Closed horse stance, riding horse stance, forward stance, and crane stance are also within the spectrum of two sectional sweeper. Kicks are sometimes used in conjunction with the sweeper. The two sectional sweeper will take plenty of abuse during practice, and the small section may split or even shatter, especially when the user is practicing or competing on cement surfaces. It is important to wrap the end of the small section with tape to protect it from pounding on the floor. Tape will also secure the screws holding the chain to the sections. This helps avoid flying pieces and potential injury. A metal replacement for the small section proves to be more durable than the original wood. The sweeper can be used with a traditional chain or with a swivel chain. The chain with swivels allows for smooth movements during figure eights and spins done with the small sections. The two sectional sweeper fits between the staff and the three sectional in terms of the skill needed for proficiency. A practitioner would first build skill with the staff, then with the two sectional and finally the three sectional. Like so many of China's ancient weapons, a quick study does not do justice. Only after years of practice will the true beauty of the two sectional be appreciated. Bruce Carlino has studied and practiced Chinese martial arts for 14 years and has held a black sash in wushu since 1992. His early training began with sifu Kenny Perez in 1983, and he frequently practices with sifu Joseph Eager in Phoenix, Arizona. He owns North Country Wushu in Prescott Valley, Arizona, where he teaches, gives demonstrations and competes.	”