KOBUDO
at Plano Martial Arts
Plano Martial Arts Academy also offers classes in traditional Okinawa Kobudo.
Kobudo is the study of weapons.
What is Kobudo?
Kobudo means "old martial ways". This usually refers to a system of weapons converted primarily from agricultural (farming and fishing) tools. These "tools" were used to as a method of defense against Japanese invaders. Since the ruling class (Japanese outlawed all weapons for the common people (weapons were generally considered to be swords of any size) the Okinawa's were forced to improvise. Kobudo weapons include: Bo (staff), Tonfa (grinding wheel handle), Sai (truncheon, sword catcher), Nunchaku (horse's bridle, flail), Eiko (oar), Teko (net puller), as well as others. The concepts of defense taught in Kobudo are easily translated into open-hand defense available at PMA (Tae Kwon Do, Ju Jutsu, and Hapkido). Any good martial arts program will eventually work with "weapons" (Kobudo), however most programs are "add-ons" and not a complete time-tested system, such as the system taught at PMA.
Plano Martial Arts (Master Hamann) has been a member and trained though of the IKKF (International Karate Kobudo Federation) which is headquartered in Reading, PA and overseen by Hanshi Bruce Heilman (9th Dan). Hanshi Heilman is sought worldwide for his knowledge and expertise in Okinawa Karate and Kobudo.
Complete ranking systems are available at both Plano Martial Arts and Flower Mound Martial Arts. This allows the student to promote through the belt ranks and eventually achieve their black belt in Kobudo. Yudansha testing (black belt rank) is controlled by, and at the discretion of Hanshi Heilman.
For more information about the IKKF and Hanshi Heilman, visit their website@ ikkf.org.
In the IKKF Kobudo program, the student will learn the basics of a specific weapon (blocks and strikes), kata, bunkai (kata application), and weapon sparring. The IKKF guidelines follow the kata as a promotion pattern.
Classes meet: Tuesday 8:00pm-9:00pm
Class Tuition $40.00 per month