Fan fighting

Does ahyone here train in Fan fighting? I would like to but know very little about it.. have a bamboo training fan and a small book, but want to know more. Some questions are 1) Do I need to know a prior martial art? 2) what books or videos are best to teach me fan fighting? 3) What are the order in types of fans should I learn... like going from bamboo to full metal ones? Thanks everyone!

 

Man I would figure weapon to be a bit more populat considering its still legal to carry.. well the bamboo ones... I think : ) - I have always wanted to learn, and my fiancee even bought me a staineless steel one too, but I know not a soul in Gaineville who knows how to wield it. Luckily Escrima is around... yay!

 

Yeah dude but its a fan!! Cant be walkin round with a fan!! Would ruin my cool exteria and super smooth style!!!

 

Hahaha, sheesh... I like my fan! :* ( I wish I knew how to properly use one but don't think anyone teaches it around here : (

 

I think you would benefit from doing another martial art to complement and make sense of the fan techniques. Any short stick system is bound to be helpful, but probably so would an empty-hand system.

Mike

 

Yeah... we'll see I am going to try to find escrima classes to view and make a decision from there. Oddly enough its that or kick boxing.. thus far the empty handed technique I like as of present (like using mainly legs)

 

Any of y'all want to come to Orrville or Wooster, Ohio, I can set you up with a very good instructor in the fan...

As for whether or not you need to study another martial art before learning fan, I'm not sure. I am sure that it couldn't hurt you, as many of the techniques you use open hand are duplicated when using a fan. Heck, kicks don't change at all.

 

you do not need to study another style of martial arts to use the fan properly. but if possible try to find some style that requires strong wrists it helps in many techniques of the fan as well as escrima. Strong wrists make your movements with the escrima and fan stronger, faster, and more precise and acurate.

 

The art I study (Kuk Sool Won) does teach fan techniques at around 3rd degree. I don't know very much about these techniques (only seen them demonstrated once), but it sure was neat.

 

some good tessen tecniques

There are some really good tessen techniques in Hatsumi's stick fighting book starting on page 72

 

I saw these fighting fans online and they are beautiful . I want to learn to use one. Can you suggest where I might find more info on the use and method and maybe history.

 

heh, if you find out clue us in too

 

interesting...

it seems that everyone wants to know about fighting fans, but nobody acually knows anything. i am very interested in the subject too, but dont even know how the hell a fan can be used as a weapon...so any info you guys obtain, please share

 

Ditto.

 

Some basic info:

A closed fan can be used to strike like a baton or short stick. It can also be used to strike pressure points. If sharpened/beveled, the ribs also make effective knives when the fan is closed.

When open, the fan has several uses. While a closed fan can be used to parry or block, it seems that the open fan is more of a choice for that (it's certainly flashier). While open, the fan functions as mostly a slashing weapon, although a it is also an effective thrusting weapon. An open fan can also be used to snatch weapons by using the spaces in between the ribs to catch small, bladed weapons; the idea is to disarm your opponent by catching the weapon between ribs, snapping the fan closed, and then disarming your opponent.

The fan is a distinctly Chinese weapon, IMO, which is why you don't see it around too much. I hear that KSW, a Korean art, has fan forms, but as I've never seen them I won't comment. I'm not familiar with any Japanese styles which teach the fan actively, although they had them. Do your research there

The fan is probably one of the hardest weapons to learn from a book due to the many ways it can be used. Heck, there are a number of different hand positions used just to snap the thing open. Find an instructor willing to teach it; learning it outside of a school will be most difficult.

 

I don't know if there's a fan form in KSW, as I've never seen it (though i've heard rumors there is one at master level I think). There is a set of fan striking techniques that use all of the aspects of the fan that you just mentioned. And let me tell you, having been on the receiving end of them as my instructor was training, THEY HURT A LOT! That's with out full force attacks.

 

Kuk Sool Won does have fans, but if you want to learn them now then look elsewhere. It takes about 10-12 years to get to the fan stuff.

 

Have you ever used a fan for actually sparring? I'm just really curious what that would look like.

 

Sadly no. I've picked up some stuff from our school's fan expert, and some stuff is self-taught based on the stuff she showed me.

I'm pushing Sifu to let me do fans when I hit next rank and learn the forms and how to spar with them, but I'm not sure it's gonna happen I'll get back to you in about 6 months!

I'm a great theorist, lol. And a really good technician. But I am bound by Sifu

 

The Japanese used the iron fan, tessen, quite a bit during the Tokugawa era. Here's a nice little article about it ... http://www.e-budokai.com/hibuki/tessen.htm