Ancient Chinese Wushu weapon

Lance

The lance is an ancient weapon which was used by soldiers on horse back. It is heavy in weight and therefore used by strong persons. The handle of the lance is about two meters long and made of hard wood; a melon-shaped hammer with six to eight rows of iron nails is fixed at the end of the handle, and under the handle is a diamond-shaped iron auger. This is therefore called the wolf fang lance. There are also finger-shaped lance, palm-shaped lance, double lance and broad lance. The hitting techniques are the same as those of the broad sword and include chopping, covering, cutting, pulling, lifting, thrusting, floating, carrying and poking. The modern Wushu practice routines include the single lance.


Talon(Claw)

The talon was a widely used weapon. It is divided into two kinds-long talon and soft talon. The handle of long talon, called the golden dragon talon, is about two meters long with a hand-shaped claw at the end. The middle finger of the claw is straight and the four other fingers are crooked. In the Ming Dynasty, there were bronze fist-talon and iron-brush talon. The iron-brush talon is shaped so that the middle finger and forefinger are straightforward while the thumb, ring finger and little finger stay on the iron brush. It uses the tips of the nails or the iron brush to hit acupuncture points or crucial points on the enemy's body. In addition to hitting these points, the movements also include grasping, pulling and thrusting.

The soft talon, called the double flying talons, is a hidden weapon. It is made of iron in the shape of an eagle claw. Tied with a long cord, it can be used to attack people and horses (Fig.).


Rake

The rake was evolved from ancient farm tools. It is about two and a half meters long and 2.5 kilograms in weight and with sharp iron cramps it is powerful in attacking. During the Ming Dynasty, the rice rake and the trident rake were used in military fighting. Because the rake could be used for attacking and defending and had the merits of spear and shield, it gradually became a powerful military weapon. The playing techniques include pushing and pulling, charging from one's side, hitting with its back and pressing. The defence movements include duet combat, knocking, and pulling from one's side. The types of rakes used in Wushu practice include nine-cramp rake and lotus-flower rake. As for paired practice, the rake is used against the spear or sabre.



Ring

The ring is another Chinese Wushu weapon. It is circular in shape, about 30 cm in diameter, and made of metal with sharp blades around the outer rim. Each hand could hold one ring and use them as twin weapons. In ancient times the ring was a hidden weapon. Like a bracelet, it has different shapes including round and oblate ones with saw-teeth around the outside rim. In practice you throw it and make it turn and turn around to hurt the opponent.
In modern Wushu practices, the ring has no sharp edge nor teeth, but it is tied with a color silk ribbon. Each hand holds one ring to turn, tumble, jump and leap and set up beautiful patterns. It is suitable for boys and girls to practise, and the movements include turning, hitting, throwing, carrying, blocking and pressing.

The routines at the national Wushu competition in recent years included double rings, Qiankun (heaven and earth) ring and wind-and-fire wheel. The routines such as double rings versus cudgel .


Meteor Hammer

Meteor hammer, known as flying hammer, is one of the soft weapons. Long ago, when hunting, man used vine rope to tie stone balls and throw them so as to bind the legs of wild animals. There are two kinds of meteor hammer-single ones and double ones. The rope for the single hammer is about five meters long with one end tied to a hand and another to a duck-egg bronze hammer, shaped like a melon. The rope for the twin weights is about 1.7 meters in length and there is a small bronze hammer on each end. When in action, the hammer in the front hand is used for attack and the other for protection.

In practice, you may put the rope around your neck, >ack, shoulder, elbow, wrist, thigh, shank, foot or waist. Vfter the hammer is released, it moves as fast as a neteor. The routines include a loafer kicking a ball and i fairy maiden spinning. If you change the hammer to i dart, it is a rope-dart. The playing tricks include winding, throwing, and swinging .