Mastering The Tonfa.pdf

Mastering the Tonfa

Introduction

I began my training in the martial arts over fourteen years ago in the little town of

Alexandria, Louisiana. From the first I was interested in weapons, but I had great difficulty in

finding any but a handful of people who knew anything about weapons. For many years I was

only able to acquire little bits of weapons training from various teachers here and there. I tried

to learn all that I could from books, but found that the number of books on weapons is almost as

short in supply as the number of instructors with a knowledge of weapons. I also found that

most of the books about weapons were written by the same man and were incomplete in their

depth, for no books were available on the tonfa or the yawara, and only a few were available on

the staff, the bo, and the knife. There seemed to be numerous books on the nunchaku, most

poorly done, and a few books on the sai; but all in all the books available for the martial art

student who was interested in weapons were few and far between.

So I decided to write my own books. I spent the last four years doing research and

training with weapons, learning their use and applications. I was able to achieve a fourth degree

black belt in weapons (kubojitsu), I had already written four other books and a movie script,

"The Leopard," so I was familiar with what was necessary to write a good book. I wanted my

book to have techniques that a beginner could learn, but that a teacher could also benefit from.

I wanted to make the book easy to follow by avoiding any overuse of photos or confusing text.

I wanted to include a basic practice Kata for each weapon, as well as techniques for the weapon's

offensive and defensive use. Finally, I wanted to write a book that would serve as a manual on

weapons for years to come-a book that a student or a teacher would be proud to own and would

refer to whenever they had a question on weapons or wanted a new technique.

I feel that I have accomplished all of these goals in this book, The Complete Book of

Karate Weapons. It is a book that I am proud of and one that you can be proud to have in your

library. If you will read this book with an open mind and follow the techniques and exercises

described herein, you can make yourself one of the few experts with weapons in the worldtoday.

I could never have written this book without the help of many friends and fellow martial

artists who appear with me in the instructional photos, both as technique partners and tech-

nical advisers. These men, some of the most outstanding black belts in the South, include:

Keith Yates: fourth degree black belt. Winner of many kata championships and weapons kata

championships at the top tournaments of the South. A master artist who also designed the cover

of the book.

James Toney: fifth degree black belt. Teacher extraordinaire and tournament champion for

many years. One of the most respected teachers in Texas.

continued…

Mastering the Tonfa by Dr. Ted Gambordella, 5th Dan

www.MartialArtsBooks.com

Mastering the Tonfa

Barry Guimbellot: third degree black belt. Probably the most successful teacher in

Dallas, an outstanding example of character and leadership in karate.

Steve Weiss: second degree black belt. A modern jiu-jitsu expert who is also an expert

in karate.

Ross Comerski: first degree black belt. A giant of a man and a giant of a teacher.

Finally, I must thank all of my teachers through my years of training for their help and

knowledge, such great men as: Soke R. Sacharnoski, Soke A. Church, Soke K. Marx, Master

HeYoung Kimm, Shihan B. Pearson, Dr. J. Marler, and Sensi B. Hathorn. These great men and

excellent teachers gave the knowledge and training that enabled me to get to where I am today.

I am forever grateful to them and their arts.

Last, let me take a moment to thank the most important force in my life, my Lord and

Savior, Jesus Christ, Who gives me the strength and ability necessary to write this book and to

share my knowledge with my fellow martial artists.

Dedication To Keith Yates, Jim Toney, Barry Guimbellot, Steve Weiss, Russ Comerski,

and Steve Rich, without whom this book would never have been written.

Photos by Steve Rich

Mastering the Tonfa by Dr. Ted Gambordella, 5th Dan

www.MartialArtsBooks.com

Mastering the Tonfa

The Tonfa

The tonfa is often referred to as the "rice grinder" because that was the original

purpose for which the stick was devised. The tonfa is still used today to grind rice in many

parts of the world. It is composed of a hard piece of wood, usually white oak, and

measures about seven- teen inches in length. The handle is approximately four and one-

half inches, and the entire weapon weighs about one and one-half pounds. It can be used

singly or doubly as a weapon both for self-defense and for attack.

The size and structure of the tonfa allow the user to combine speed and power

together with his own agility and ability to become a dangerous fighting machine.

Although it is extremely effective, it is difficult to master completely and so is often not

taught to beginners. Its popularity has increased in the last few years, and because it is

inexpensive and easy to maintain, I am certain that its popularity will continue to grow.

When practicing with the tonfa, one should take care to use as much control

and focus as possible to generate the full power potential of the weapon. It takes practice

to learn to swing and snap the weapon with force, but once mastered, the tonfa is a

formidable weapon of defense.

Mastering the Tonfa by Dr. Ted Gambordella, 5th Dan

www.MartialArtsBooks.com

Mastering the Tonfa

Gripping the Tonfa

The tonfa should be gripped by the handle with a standard holding grip, and the length of

the stick should extend down the forearrn.

Steps: Take the tonfa and hold it

down your forearm. Place the handle

in the middle of your palm.

Close the grip around the tonfa,

locking the thumb over the fingers

and keeping the wrist straight so that

the stick stays down the forearm.

Front view of the gripping.

Mastering the Tonfa by Dr. Ted Gambordella, 5th Dan

www.MartialArtsBooks.com

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