Chinese Fan

[bladesaint]

Well Blade, try the metal ones. They are expensive ($40-50) but good. You can buy from most weapons suppliers at tournaments.

 Ive tried the metal ones, thanks, but not a fan of them (No pun intended). Too heavy, and they have the same problem with the glue and cloth. Unless you mean the all metal Tesson war fan.  I like the idea of a common simple wood and cloth fan used as a weapon and not a metal weapon in disguise. I should be able to carry it through an airport metal detector without incident.

[Chihua-ku]

Well Blade, try the metal ones. They are expensive ($40-50) but good. You can buy from most weapons suppliers at tournaments.

[bladesaint]

Wow, its been quite sometime since the last posting on this thread back before my knee surgery, nearly a year. I've come quite a long way since then. still not where I want to be but as they say "It is..What it is" 50lbs lighter, hopefully alot smarter, two teaching locations later. 3 more liondances under my sash, and I'm adding a new Taichi Fan routine to my repetoir. Just finished learning the first section today. It will be a nice addtion to my curriculum and it has been a long time coming. Ive been meaning to learn this routine for years but kept putting it on the backburner. Now Ive found the time and the inclination. Ive taken to carry the fan with me everywhere. I have noticed though that many of these cheap modern hand fans done hold up too well. the glue wears down and the cloth separate from some of the spines, So I have to keep my eyes out for a nicer one.

[bladesaint]

Are you the guy who can't flip the fan?

 

Funny, after watching it I was thinking it was a cluster............Ahh..........something........nevermind.

You guys certainly have colorful uniforms, here we are all white with black belts, no imagination.


This is what is called marching to a different drummer.  It is so different than anything I do.

 It was a workshop and we're all from different schools and styles, no formal uniforms were required. I'll admit the presenter and his assistant may be a bit over the top with the long Taoist robes. THe free flowing weaving in and out takes a bit getting used to, it was just an exercise in blending movement with an adversary multiplied many times. Many of us are beginners in that particular exercise so there was a bit of colliding but there is alot that can be learned from it. Done well it's actually beautiful as much as fun. In the Internal chinese arts, outwardly displayed rank isn't a factor it's about time and experience. Flipping the fan wasn't part of the workshop, I was goofing off from what I saw in KarateKid II and during the free flow I had to take a break when I felt my knee giving out, which is why I'm off camera in most of the clip, I was sitting on the side resting. I have a window of about 5 mins tops, can't wait til I get that corrected very soon.

[phoenix]

Are you the guy who can't flip the fan?

 

"THe Bagua cluster free flow thing"

Funny, after watching it I was thinking it was a cluster............Ahh..........something........nevermind.

You guys certainly have colorful uniforms, here we are all white with black belts, no imagination.


This is what is called marching to a different drummer.  It is so different than anything I do.

[bladesaint]

Blade, I just can't seem to pick you out, any help?  The last part where it looks like you are dancing with each other is pretty funny.

 Well I'm glad you cant pick me out!!! Though I'm right there big as day. "THe Bagua cluster free flow thing" is kinda funny, especially since I got a bum wheel and can't move as long or the way I want. Hint: I'm wearing all black with lots of grey on my head.

[phoenix]

Blade, I just can't seem to pick you out, any help?  The last part where it looks like you are dancing with each other is pretty funny.

[bladesaint]

 Below is footage from the wokshop I attended posted on youtube, I appear at 5:28 of an 8 min vidclip so you'll have time to get yourself a mochachino. Please keep the laughtor to a low roar!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voRQQzDdaHc 

[bogirl]

I took a fan seminar almost two years ago.  I agree it is a interesting weapon, not what you'd usually think of.

The hardest part of the seminar for me was moving through the kata with soft, circular Chinese movement and footwork instead of the straighter, harder movements I'm used to on Karate.  Usually I just have to work on the new weapon or new kata.  This time I had to work on totally different body positions as well.

[bladesaint]

 I recently attended a workshop hosted by the International Sword/Stick Society featuring the Chinese fan as taught and presented by Dr Chris Viggiano from Wantage NJ who is a noted Internal stylist and Chiropractor. Being a martial artist of well over 30 years of training in many styles there is very little I couldn't already figure out on my own about the fan as a fighting implement but I still came away impressed and inspired. The common bamboo and cloth fan (not referring to the metal war fan or the fan with the hidden metal spines) is a subtle weapon of poise and grace. Probably not the first thing one would grab if you knew your life was on the line but one would not get a 2nd glance when walking down the street with it as opposed to carrying a sword or spear. Hidden in plain sight as with the cane, long metal smoking pipe and sitting bench for that matter. Of the previous mentioned, the fan is also the lightest and most easily carried as well. For "Hard " stylists of the Karate persuasion it only takes common sense to figure how it inflict physical damage on an opponant with the fan but to internal artists in Ba Gua Zhang and TaiJi it also helps bring out and or enhance certain qualities in their movement and expression. I've gained an new appreciation for the fan.