If you have been watching the news at all lately, you’ve probably heard of sword yoga, and one of its most popular innovators, WeaponsUp. This organization fuses kung fu sword (jian) training with traditional yoga practices to empower women. The discourse within the martial arts community about this fusion practice is heated indeed. I also recently listened to a podcast with Scott Roddell who specializes in teaching sword skill (jian fa) and asserted that those who practice with lightsabers are disrespecting the art.
Martial artists are notorious gatekeepers. In some ways this can be beneficial-teaching indiscriminately is a good way to end up dead. In other ways this is harmful-if a martial art ceases to adapt and grow, the art itself ends up dead. The balance that the best traditional martial artists aim to practice is retaining the key traditional practices and principles while also being open to new ways in which those traditional practices and principles can be practiced, expressed, and lived out.
Why Train Taijiquan Weapons?
One question every taijiquan weapons practitioner will eventually get is why, in the age of advanced projectile weapons, do we train weapons at all? There are several reasons to do so that remain both practical and beneficial.
Firstly, weapons practice maintain a tangible link to the martial history of taijiquan. Barehanded practice was originally meant as a foundation for weapons training and a fallback option if one was disarmed. But weapons were a necessary skill to preserve life and limb, and even to earn a living. Second, weapons training allows one to see how taijiquan principles can be adapted when introducing tools and other elements external to one’s body. Being able to use an improvised weapon in a self-defense situation is crucial to improving one’s odds; while it is unlikely in today’s context that you will have a sword at your hip or be carrying a spear, the same principles that can be adapted to training weapons can be applied to many improvised weapons as well. As many have pointed out, a lot less than we tend to assume separates a good stout stick from a sword.
Third, weapons training provides tangible health benefits. The loose grip of the straight sword (jian) can help increase fine motor skills such as dexterity and hand strength. The ability to strike with the broadsword/sabre (dao) accurately requires honing alignment and integrated power. Finally, weapons training serves as a magnifying glass. In the same way that push-hands and partnered training exposes deficiencies in forms and solo practice by highlighting areas where structure is weak or alignment is not quite right, weapons training can expose deficiencies in barehanded forms as any weaknesses in structure or alignment can be amplified when projecting one’s intent into the weapon. To be clear, I am not saying that partner training is unnecessary. I am saying that weapons training is an additional useful tool, especially in seasons where partnered training is less available for whatever reason.
Gatekeeping Weapons
Weapons training, like other aspects of martial arts, can be gatekept to the detriment of the martial art. In the case of the “sword yoga” movement, there are three frequent refrains I’ve seen. [Disrespect, Not Practical, Fad] Firstly, it is disparaged as a fad that will have its heyday and then fade out of practice. While this may indeed be the case, saying that with any certainty requires more confidence in one’s ability to predict the future than I have. Regardless, dismissing it as a fad does nothing to dissuade those who are drawn to the practice in the present and only leaves them remembering you and your art as a hostile if they ever turn to traditional martial arts in the future. Second, it is dismissed as flowery movements and not practical. This is partly true and partly mistaken. The sword movements themselves have a basis in martial application though the context of adding them to the health-focused yoga postures does mean that the martial aspect is diminished. The health benefits and general physical literacy benefits do remain intact however, and that is a practical reason for many to practice. The final criticism is that the practice of sword yoga is disrespectful to the more traditional sword training. This criticism, you may note is the same Rodell levels against those who train with lightsabers. It is a potent criticism but it is also problematic.
Disrespect vs. Respect: My Story
Among taijiquan sword practitioners there are a range of perspectives and approaches. Some argue for using as close to authentic weaponry as possible, and treating the weapon as almost mystical. Others will practice with traditional weaponry when possible but view the weapon as a tool and treat it as such. Still others find such discomfort with the idea of a weapon that they will only ever practice with wooden swords and rarely, if ever, focus on the combat applications.
My own training in taijiquan sword went through degrees of comfort and informs my perspective on this. I never learned the Taoist Tai Chi weapons routines (variations on Yang forms) because the cost for seminars was prohibitive and there were no regular classes offered in my area. When I had the opportunity to learn the Chen style sword and sabre forms, I knew I wanted to do so but I was also nervous to invest in the equipment. I knew I was dyspraxic and was uncertain whether I’d be able to overcome dyspraxia to the extent where weapons training would be advisable. As such, I started training using one of my lightsabers. Since I already had the lightsaber, this did not require the money necessary for a more authentic practice weapon and if I failed utterly with the lightsaber than I would know weapons training wasn’t for me. If, at this juncture, my instructor had insisted that I invest in a more authentic practice weapon in order to practice, it is quite possible I would never have learned the weapons forms. Fortunately, my instructor was open-minded enough to allow the lightsaber as a practice weapon. I learned the basics with a lightsaber before upgrading my practice weapons-first, to an extendable sword, and then to more authentic practice weapons. My daily practice is now with more traditional dull-bladed, steel weapons but I still will bring out the lightsaber on occassion to “play”. In many ways, learning with a lightsaber actually made it harder as I had to mentally fix an “edge” side that doesn’t exist on the lightsaber itself which added to the cognitive load. Knowing my fondness for Star Wars, my instructor has also been able to use that to cue some corrections in creative ways.
The result of all of this is that, with patience, open-mindedness, and creativity, my instructor was able to take someone with a desire to learn weapons but a lot of fear and concern around doing so and facilitated a journey which has resulted in greater health benefits, self-knowledge, and self-confidence than I ever thought possible. I believe, with my entire being, that this is a true sign of respect for both the weapon and art.
There are legitimate reasons to criticize “sword yoga” but they have nothing to do with the fusion itself. My main criticism at this juncture is that the marketing tends to portray the sword as especially well-suited to the feminine which has signs of gender essentialism which are problematic and endemic in both yoga and martial arts communities. I do not, however, see the passion for the sword so clearly encapsulated in the “sword yoga” movement as a problem. In the same way that Star Wars is well-documented as serving as inspiration for many to take up the practice of traditional martial arts, the sword yoga movement may very well serve as an initial inspiration for a new host of practitioners and that is to be celebrated.
Taijiquan weapons, such as the sword, are powerful and important with many benefits to practicing. The weapon itself, however, cannot be made an idol. I have had several swords and sabres over the past 11 years and will likely have several more-the reason I have had so many is because I DO practice daily. Sometimes weapons have worn out from normal wear-and-tear; other times, I’ve upgraded to higher weights and higher quality due to progressions in my own practice. A pristine, ever-lasting weapon can only be maintained by not using it.
So, if you are a taijiquan weapons practitioner or teacher, I strongly encourage you to think twice before mocking or belittling newer developments. If someone comes to class with a lightsaber, or if someone discloses they have only trained sword yoga, you will face a choice of how to respond. Do you respond with hostility, elitism, and dead tradition? Or do you respond with open-mindedness, humility, creativity and yes, even playfulness? The choice you make can deepen one’s taijiquan or end it. I know which one my instructor picked; I know the way in which that choice has resonated through the subsequent years, and I know the way I will always choose in the future.
The Dreamers' Corner 