What is going on? (Martial Arts - Equipment)

Member Name: craigus_moorus

Product:	Martial Arts - Equipment
Date:	14/06/01 (860 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: At least some dangerous equipment is out of the way of thugs

Disadvantages: Worrying, as authorities don't seem to be able to clarify the situation, No distinction between different types of equipment, Dangerous things, such as knifes/crossbows/ornate swords still on sale

Okay, let me put this into perspective. I am 20 years old, and have used many different types of equipment before, both sporting and non-sporting, but I am beginning to wonder about some of the rules regarding sporting equipment, and in general martial arts equipment. My general attitude toward martial art equipment is this : when used safely, they can add a lot to the learning practice, and becoming a master using equipment is much better than being a beginner. The martial art which I practice is called Aikido (for those who are new to martial arts, this means Art of Peace, see www.aikido.com for the official martial art website). This martial arts' entire concept could be considered the "diplomacy" of fighting... avoiding fighting wherever possible through peaceful negotiation, and then pure defence when and if forced. There is nothing outwardly dangerous about the art, it has an extremely healthy attitude toward all life, and many of the people I have met through it are peaceful, kind and disciplined. Aikido uses many different types of equipment, some which are standard in many different martial arts (Mats, or Gis, the "pyjamas" if you will worn whilst training), some Aikido specific general items (Hakkinen, a skirt worn by the masters), and some more specifically martial equipment, such as wooden knifes, Bokken (which are wooden training swords), and Jo (which are wooden sticks). These items are used in training, because not only are they disciplines in their own rights, but they also contribute to the overall "feel" of the martial art. Indeed many of the techniques taught in Aikido originate from using the other persons body as a sword against them, and so many of the moves used when doing techniques are exactly the same as if using a sword, but empty handed. I have recently began taking the art a little more seriously, especially as the use of swords etc interests me a great deal. This does not mean I have an unhealthy attitu
de towards life, or that I am a dangerous thug - and yet there is a great deal that baffles me about the attitude towards these different items.

Allow me to explain. Last Sunday, at the end of training, I was recommended a shop for purchasing my very own Bokken/Jo/carrying case. I was quite excited about having my own set of equipment, and so I set out to visit the shop as soon as I could. It was an odd looking shop, a type I have never been to before, and from the outside I could see all types of guns, crossbows, antique swords, flick knifes etc. I was a bit apprehensive to say the least, many of these items I have never seen up close before. However, I went in, and was quite amazed at the range of different ways I could die if someone (legally) bought any of this equipment. The counter in front of me, for instance, contained hundreds of highly sharpened knifes of various types. I walked up to the guy behind the counter (an elderly man) and told him what I wanted. He then informed me, that it was not in fact possible to buy a Bokken or Jo over the counter, as the government had deemed it "ninja equipment", which could possibly be used to harm someone, and so the sale of martial arts equipment had been restricted to specially deemed "martial arts" shops, and that he was not allowed to sell any of it. At this point, 3-4 other men walked into the shops and started to openly admire some of the large knives that were being shown in the counter. I noted that behind the shopkeeper, an array of authentic Japanese Samurai swords was on sale. I enquired about these, because surely these could not be on sale if wooden training swords were forbidden?! However, I was informed that because these were deemed "ornate", they could be legally sold. To anyone, no age limit. He also informed me, that they were in fact to full specification, and razor sharp.

I now ask you, how can this be? A man, selling crossbows, flick knives and all so
rts of other extremely dangerous stuff has been denied sale of training equipment! Just before I walked out, the guy behind the counter informed me that the closest place I could go to get the equipment was about 50 miles away in another city. With this, the fact that whatever I wanted to buy was so dangerous that he couldn't stock it, the guys looking at the flick knife gave me a very wide berth as I walked out, they could tell I was in a bit of a mood.

I don't understand why it can be perfectly legal to sell such dangerous things, such as knives and crossbows, so openly, and yet have such strict laws on less dangerous items, such as martial arts equipment. In the hands of an irresponsible adult, machining tools have the ability to kill, and yet they are not restricted in terms of availability. I also found out from the guy behind the counter, that the government has banned handguns, and range shooting with handguns. I have to say that I'm not a fan of hand guns, and I think that this is a good idea at least - I don't want to have to carry one around everywhere I go... I live in England, not the USA. And yet, according to the guy behind the counter (and he seemed to be scarily up on these things) the number of deaths caused by handguns is on the increase. They have to be coming from somewhere!

I conclusion, I think that the legislation on all these different items needs to be cleared up. Different categories of item need to be created, keeping the fundamental different needs in mind – keeping the streets clean of (potentially) dangerous items from irresponsible people, whilst keeping flexible for people who wish to study the use of such items. I am not interested in the government having a tab on what everybody owns, but only that sales of dangerous items are restricted.

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