Traditional Weapons training may not seem very practical to the modern person.  When, for example, does someone carry a sword with them?  Not only that, but if you have ever really picked up a live blade (one that has a razor sharp edge) you will know just how deadly this weapon is and wonder "when would I ever want to use this in self-defense?"

Weapons training is not about making the martial artist into some kind of ancient warrior come to life.  It is about conditioning the body, improving hand-eye coordination and developing greater discipline while training. 

 A weapon, unlike your own arm or leg, will gladly hurt you while training just as easily as it will an opponent in self-defense.  The martial artist must give his full attention to the weapon that he is using in order to learn it and prevent an injury to himself.  Continued practice brings increased speed and skill comes and greater  concentration.  It is for this and many other  reasons that weapons are used exclusively and independently from other training.

 Weapons training develop the body in many different ways.  The weight of the weapon helps to increase strength in the hands and arms and increased speed in practice requires greater dexterity and stamina of the muscles and joints.  Learning to move with the weapon is a study in and of itself, moving from one technique to the next with power and fluidity.