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The Spear is known as the King of Weapons due to its reach and the various ways of using the spear. However it known that it is not an easy weapon to master. So devote more time to practising this weapon !
This Chinese spear used in Chen Style Taijiquan consists of the following parts :
- Wax wood Pole
- Diamond shaped blade
- Red tassel lashed just below
The waxwood pole is strong and yet flexible. It is able to absorb the impact it received without breaking. The length will varies but usually the tip of the blade should reach your palm if you lift your hand up straight with the fingers pointing up the sky. This will ensures that your spear will not be too short or too long.
The tassel has 2 purposes in the old days. It blurs the vision of the opponent so that it is difficult for them to grab the shaft of spear behind the blade. It also prevents the flow of blood from the blade getting to the wooden pole (the blood would make it slippery, or sticky when dried). These days, the tassel is more of a decorative piece.
If your spear is new, store it in a horizontal position so that the pole remains straight otherwise the pole may becomes curve a little due the fact that the pole is still new and is still very flexible.
The Chen style spear routine is known as the "Pear Flower Spear with White Ape Pole" meaning it has both the characteristic of a spear where piercing is emphasised and that of a pole where sweeping is the main usage. It is believed to evolve from the Yang Family spear but with Taiji principles applied. This routine is easily done a lot faster than the barehand routines.
A few resources ( Click on the images to purchase the DVD ) :
Chen Zhenglei Spear DVD
Chen Qingzhou Spear DVD |
