Most Versatile Martial Arts Weapons (Top 10)
Throughout history, humans have developed hundreds of unique weapon-based martial arts styles. These martial arts vary by culture, values, and of course, fighting styles. The weapons these martial arts use also vary since each one uses a weapon that suits best to their style and purpose.
From the nunchucks to the sharp Japanese katanas, each weapon has its own story and use. In this article, we are bringing you martial arts weapons we think are most versatile, and what makes them so special.
10. Hook Swords
Hook swords are perhaps the most intimidating weapon on this list. Just imagine someone charging at you with the pair of these swords. It’s something straight out of the horror movie. Pros usually use them in pairs, but you can also use them as a single weapon.
This unusual sword is a traditional Chinese weapon, used mainly by the northern Chinese martial arts styles. It was designed as a regular sword but with a unique hook near the tip that has its own purpose.
A fighter can use a hook to trip the enemy or catch their weapons. Also, they could use the sharp bottom or a crescent guard around the handle to strike or block the attacks.
Hook swords are rarely used in training or sparring simply because they are too dangerous. Like most of the martial arts weapons, they are also a part of popular culture and you can often see them in movies.
In fact, some of you may recall that Kabal from “Mortal Kombat” video game wields a pair of hook swords.
9.Sai
The sai is a weapon used in Okinawan that is also very popular all across the globe. According to the number of sources, Sai most likely emerged from several countries like China, India, or Vietnam. Many believe it was actually used by the Silat students.
Like most of the traditional weapons, Sai has many forms and ways you can use it. Martial arts students use them in pairs with one sai in each hand. This gives them a wider range of how they can use it for defending or attacking the enemy.
Sai is a very useful weapon. It allows you to throw various strikes (usually to the solar plexus), blocks, and stab the enemy from various directions. Since it has a heavy butt end, experts also use it to land hard strikes.
Sai is a very popular weapon in the western world. People got familiar with it through popular martial arts movies and cartoons. As kids, we all loved Raphael from “Ninja Turtles” who in fact used Sai weapon to fight against evil enemies.
8. Shurikens
We all grew up watching ninjas throwing shurikens thinking those small things are the deadliest weapon on the planet. But many people don’t know that this weapon was in fact used by samurai and ashigaru soldiers, not ninjas.
Shurikens are small and interesting traditional Japanese weapons. They come in various forms and have various shapes. Most of them had the shape of a star with very sharp edges so that the weapon could go through the skin. This is why people also know them as “throwing stars” or “ninja stars”.
Though they look dangerous and stories about them sound dangerous, Samurai soldiers didn’t use shurikens as the main weapon. In fact, they would target the enemy’s faces or feet with the intent to hurt and confuse them.
7. Rope Dart
Also known as Johyo in Japanese, Rope Dart stands out as one of the most interesting Chinese weapons ever. It emerged in the Tang Dynasty and is also known in martial arts circles as one of the best long-range weapons. Its most famous variation is the chain whip weapon.
Rope dart consists of a long rope (around 3–5 meters long) that has a metal dart attached at one end. The dart was mainly made out of steel and its weight and shape could vary. Typically, they had a conical or diamond shape and were 15–20 cm long. The interesting part are the flags attached to it. Their purpose was to slow down the dart and actually give a fighter better control over it.
Rope Dart was mainly used as a long-range weapon. A person could throw the dart targeting the enemy standing 3–5 meters in front. Once the dart hits or misses, they could pull the rope to bring the dart back and repeat the process.
Though it sounds simple, the rope dart is a very difficult weapon to master. It takes great coordination and balance since a person must learn how to shoot the dart with their feet, arms, knees, and elbows.
Rope dart was mainly used as a stealth weapon to lunch a sudden attack from behind. But it was also effective in other scenarios since it can easily confuse the enemy’s vision and provide a deadly blow.
6. Bo Staff
Bo staff is a stick mainly with a standard length of 1.8m /71" (shaku). There are other forms of it like kyu-shaku-bo that can go up to 2.7m in length. Today, modern Bo Staff can be made out of metal and can vary in size or weight.
Bo Staff is one of the most popular weapons in Okinawan martial arts and the art of handling bo is Bojutsu. Over the years, bo staff also became a part of other martial arts styles like aikido.
The weapon itself is very simple and versatile. Fighters could use it to attack the enemy with vicious strikes or block their attacks. Bo staff truly gives a fighter a wide range of striking abilities. Through it looks like a regular stick, it’s truly very hard to master. Just watching an expert spinning and playing with the bo staff is simply breathtaking.
5. Kama
In the beginning, kama was actually used as a farming tool for cutting wheat and rice all across Asia. But due to its razor-sharp blades and small size, people realized that it could be a great weapon. As a weapon, kama emerged in Indonesia and it later migrated to China and later Japan.
The kama is a very versatile and useful weapon. A fighter can use it in pairs or singly. Giving to the Okinawan Kata, kama is a great defensive weapon for blocking, trapping, or disarming the enemy’s weapon.
The Kama gives you a wide range of attacks simply because it comes in a pair of two and is very easy to handle. But you have to be careful with it since untrained practitioners can easily hurt themselves with it.
Of course, there is a modern version of it, and it comes in various shapes and sizes.
4. Nunchaku
Today, every person knows what nunchaku are thanks to the Asian martial arts movies and its hero, Bruce Lee. In fact, Lee and his movie “Fist of Fury” was what made this weapon popular in the west.
Nunchaku is a martial arts weapon made out of wood or metal. Like most traditional weapons, it has seen many changes and variations. But the original version is made out of two sticks connected at one end by the rope or chain. A fun fact: this weapon is actually illegal in some countries and states in the USA.
There are many martial arts styles that use nunchaku like Okinawan Kobudo and Karate. It is one of the best weapons to play with, and it actually has many benefits for martial arts training. You see, students also use it to increase hand speed and improve posture.
As said above, this weapon is very popular and highly effective in martial arts movies. But in reality, fighters didn’t use it much since it wasn’t as useful against other weapons like samurai swords or naginata.
3. Tonfa
At first sight, Tonfa may look just like a regular police baton. In fact, some experts see it as the descendent of the police baton. But tonfa is in fact a traditional fighting weapon that emerges from either China or Southeast Asia.
Tonfa is a stick around 15–20 inches long with the perpendicular handle placed two-thirds of the way down. The design of it is perfect since the weapon aligns with your forearm when you grab it. This protects your hands and bones and allows you to throw various strikes. It’s not just the technique that makes it unique, it is the power the one can generate in the strikes.
Tonfa is a versatile weapon that comes in pairs and you can grab in three separate ways. This opens up an even wider range of strikes you can use to defeat the enemy. A real expert in handling tonfa can generate a lot of power in the strikes and do serious damage.
2. Daisho
Daisho stands for the pair of long and short swords worn by the samurai class in feudal Japan. It emerges from between the 14th and 16th centuries, around the end of the Muromachi period. During that time, Daisho was a symbol of the samurai rank. And all samurai needed to wear Daisho during their official duty.
The longer sword or Daito was usually a katana or a Tachi. The shorter sword (Shoto) was usually a wakizashi or a tanto mounted on the Koshirae.
Despite having a pair of two, samurai would use just one sword at the time. But then, the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi came up with the technique of how to use both swords in the battle. This method of using both swords is called Nitoken.
As you would expect, the samurai would use the long sword during the battle on the open ground and a short one for the indoor fighting.
1.Katana
Katana is synonymous is weapon-based martial arts and the honorable samurai warriors. To modern society, the katana is more than a weapon. It is a beautiful piece of handmade art that represents honor and privilege.
Katana is a very unique Japanese sword characterized by a curved and slender blade with a circular or squared guard. Unlike some other weapons, katana doesn’t have many variations and forms. It has to be made out of the same materials, produced by the standard size and maintained the same way.
Samurai warriors used Katana to practice various martial arts. Some of the styles that include katana are iaijutsu, battojutsu, ninjutsu, and kendo.
It’s fair to say that we are all familiar with how versatile the katana is as a weapon. Apart from being perhaps the most beautiful weapon, Katana is also very dangerous in the hands of a master. Its shape provides an unbelievable speed and sharp blades an amazing cutting power.
