CLUB & STICK FIGHTING
棒 - 梃 - 梲

Club and Stick training is an advanced weapon study taught at Imperial Combat Arts in Denver CO. Clubs and sticks are some of humanities oldest weapons, that are easily fashioned from nature. Today these weapons are still widely used by peace officers, as well as for self defense. Club is one of the very first weapons trained at Imperial Combat Arts alongside knife and pistol, as these are the most likely weapons students face today. Aside from combat, clubs and sticks also plays a crucial role in wilderness survival.
Club and Stick training at Imperial Combat Arts blends seamlessly with our hand-to-hand combat systems and contains 100's of Chin-Na joint-locks and controls. These weapons, that can be easily improvised from common objects, can effectively content against knives and other weapons, and offer as a huge advantage in combat.

WOODEN CLUB
木棒

MU PANG | MUBANG
The basic wooden club is one of the first weapons students learn at Imperial Combat Arts. With these clubs students learn how to apply Joint Locks against the wrists/arms, neck, and legs, and how to defend all strike angles against relentless weapon attacks. This training also teaches the basic weapon handling for short weapons that will later apply to other weapons like the Axe and Short Sword.

T-BATON
​​拐​棒

KUAI PANG |GUAI BANG
The Kuai, which literally translates to "crutch" is an old Chinese weapon that became very common in Japanese martial arts as the Tonfa. These clubs have become very common in law enforcement and are renowned for their ability to defend against other weapons, and to arrest or subdue even the most aggressive men. These clubs today are trained in our style of Boar Kung Fu.

PESTLE CLUB
​杵棒​

CH'U PANG | CHUBANG
​In both ancient and modern clubs the pestle shape is a common feature to some these weapons. Widening to the end and adding more weight, a Pestle Club can deliver much more force than a standard club. This end weight also changes the fighting style as well as strike recovery speed. This shape is also common in nature and begins to teach the use of heavy end weapons like the Axe and Mace.

EIGHT SIDED CLUBS
​八边​棒

PA PIEN PANG | BABIANBANG
​This club, instead of being round has been cut to have eight sides running the length of the weapon. This style of Club, Stick, or Staff is traditional in Taoist arts with the 8 sides representing the 8 Trigrams and the Pa Kua (Bagua). Aside from symbolism this shape has its purposes in adding a better hand grip on the weapon, and offering ridges that can offer increased damage upon impact.

COLLAPSIBLE BATON 
​​伸缩棒

SHEN SO PANG | SHENSUOBANG
​These modern telescopic batons allow for the club to be more easily carried and concealed, and are often favored by our practitioners for daily carry. However, they can be illegal for a civilian to own/carry outside of the house or car, or all together in some States. A small ball on the tip of the weapon adds a striking point to target vitals. Our extensive club/stick training can be easily applied to these clubs.

CANE
拐棍​

KUAI KUN | GUAIGUN
The Cane is a favored weapon of our practitioners, and a traditional Chinese weapon. Canes are sword length and can interact with and defend against long or short weapons, and they offer a hook that can apply weapon hooking techniques. The hook and stick combo of club also has it's own unique Chin Na techniques on top of standard stick Chin Na. These weapons can be carried daily, especially at older age.

PEG
木钉​

MU TING | MUDING
The Peg is the shortest rod taught at Imperial Combat Arts at just 2-4 inches wider than the hand. Used as a striking weapon and pressure point tool the peg is a surprisingly effective weapon that is easy to come by. As one of a Students first weapons the Peg, alongside the Iron Finger, teaches students how to use any like objects as devastating improvised weapons. This study ensures students can always be armed.

IRON FINGER
鐵指​

T'IEH CHIH | TIEZHI
​The Iron Finger is a small metal rod that teaches all manner of pressure-point attacks blended with Chin Na. This traditional weapon can break bone from just inches and even when lightly practiced can cause opponents to lose consciousness. Students are given this weapon day one to act as their toughened finger, until they can develop a high enough level of hand-toughening to perform these techniques unarmed.

IRON RULER
​​​鐵尺

T'IEH CH'IH | TIECHI
The Iron Ruler is an ancient police weapon that is essentially a fully dulled and flat tipped sword. This approach to club, with a hand guard, can much more effectively engage other battlefield weapons. Named after an Ancient Chinese measuring device the Iron Ruler often has one side more blunted one more ridged for options in levels or force. This weapon is also trained with two long guard and known as a Sai.

IRON WHIP
​​鐵鞭

T'IEH PIEN | TIEBIAN
This traditional weapon is named after a small stick for herding animals. Opposed to standard clubs the Iron Whip features hand guards and these weapons  are often crafted from the highest grade materials. Also unlike standard batons these weapons are able to engage full battle-field weapons and easily break bones. These clubs should not be confused with light mock versions of the weapon. 

IRON CLUB
​鐵​​棒

T'IEH PANG | TIEBANG
These clubs require strength to wield dynamically in combat, and must be trained in perfect form to not cause damage to the practitioners own joints. These devastating weapons can smash concrete and have weight enough to stop a strike with just a slight move. After training with the Iron Clubs standard clubs feel weightless and a fighter can find their speed doubled with their wooden clubs.

DRAGON CLUB
​​鐵龙​棒

T'IEH LUNG PANG | TIELONGBANG
These traditional blunt weapons are Metal Clubs with a dragon intricately carved or forged into the steel. The whole surface is cut with detail and scales that give texture and grip to the Club. Additionally the dragons head may be wider and its horns and teeth may offer points to the end of the club. Other types of martial animals may also be used and sometimes double dragons or dual animals on one club.

BRONZE CLUB
​​青铜​棒

CH'ING T'UNG PANG | QINGTONGBANG
​Bronze or Gold Clubs are some of the signature Rat Kung Fu weapons that are smaller and thinner than full Iron Clubs. These faster weapons fit well with the techniques of the fighting style of Rat. Bronze metal is almost exclusively used, because of the expense behind solid gold rods. These clubs in their general use, aside from Rat, predate the Iron Age as some of the oldest solid metal weapons of man.

THROWING CLUBS & STICKS
​飞​棒

FEI PANG | FEI BANG
​There are several types of Clubs and Sticks that have been designed for ranged hunting and combat. In survival these clubs are the first and easiest to make, and equally effective in close quarters or ranged combat. There are several effective shapes of throwing clubs that have been refined over the centuries, each one with its own fighting style and specific ways of throwing.

WARHAMMERS & MACES
铜锤​

T'UNG CH'UI | TONG CHUI
War Hammers are devastating weapons that have been used in many cultures and are still primary weapons trained in our combat systems. Unlike most modern Wushu demonstrations that use light, hollow, mock weapons, our practitioners train with actual full weight weapons, and real combat sets. Spiked Maces are trained as well as blunt Maces like the 8 Sided Hammer. Enter Page> Hammer & Mace

SHORT STICK
​​​​短棒

TUAN PANG | DUANBANG
Short Sticks are just half a foot longer than clubs and a length where clubbing moves start to hit more like stick strikes. This in-between length of weapon shows how every few inches of a weapon can change uses. By training a graduating study of stick length, from a Peg to a full Staff, Masters are able to use all lengths of stick. Each specific length associates with other types of melee weapons.

STICK
杖​

CHANG | ZHANG
Sticks for fighting are categorized in our systems as longer a club, shorter than a staff. These weapons are sword-length and teach the basic handling of swords and other weapons of the same length. Much of the Chin Na use of Club is lost at this length as well as the ability to have quick recovery in single hand strikes. This length is primarily two-handed but still has some one handed strikes.

WHIP STICK
鞭杆

PIAN KAN| BIANGAN
​The Whip Stick is a weapon now long enough to need two hands, or to be held in contact to the body, for strikes and weapon engagement. This weapon falls in the space between stick-fighting and staff weapons and can also be seen as the shortest of wood staves. This weapon is the final length of a "stick" by our own definition. Weapons longer than this are now full length staves and pole-arms. 

STAVES
​棍

KUN | GUN
​Staff fighting is a traditional and important part of melee weapon mastery. Training wooden staves of various lengths teaches weapon handling for many other weapons such as Swords and Pole-arms. Sticks and staves are also common everyday objects. At an advanced level this study also includes Iron Staves, Cane Fighting and traditional staff variants such as the 8 Sided Staff. Enter Page> Staff Fighting

STAFF FLAILS
​武器梿

WU CH'I LIEN | WUQILIAN
Flail Weapons can deliver tremendous impact force and strike around enemy defense on unpredictable angles. These weapons evolved from ancient farming tools to become common place on many battlefields. Classic Chinese flails taught at Imperial Combat Arts include weapons such as The Meteor Hammers, Spiked and Ball Flails with one to three heads, as well as Two and Three Section Staves. Enter Page> Flail

DUAL WIELDING CLUBS

Clubs and Sticks below the length of the Whip Stick are trained in doubles, after they've been developed single handed. With dual wielding these short weapons can engage weapons with superior reach such as swords. This training teaches the basic dual-wielding concepts of other melee weapon such as Short Swords and Dual Axe fighting. Short weapon like these need to be used in pairs, or with a shield, to fight longer weapons with high success. This transfers to empty hand vs longer reach.

CLUB CHIN NA

There are 100's of Joint Locks and controls taught in our Club fighting style, as well as throws, and ground-fighting. The short length of the Club allows for its techniques to applied in close quarters, and yet it is long enough to add tremendous leverage to opponents joints. Additionally there are several chokes and strangles that club can apply. Our weapons, and chin na study both work seamlessly with strikes or grappling, and are taught as one complete and fully immersive martial arts study.

CLUB & STICK SETS

Club & Stick techniques are taught and perfected in a vast and dynamic series of sets. These sets engage full force weapon attacks, empty hand attacks, and numerous techniques to teach weapon retention and counter grappling. This constant repetitive partner interaction is one of the ways proven high percentage techniques are taught. At Imperial Combat Arts weapon sets are done vs multiple opponents, with realistic training weapons, as well as with padded weapons.

CLUB & STICK MATCHING

Aggressive matching with training Clubs and Sticks is an important part of mastering melee combat. Most all matching done at our school, whether armed or unarmed, is done versus multiple opponents. These intense matching sessions are designed to be painful, yet safe, and push practitioners ever forward in skill. Aggressive Club and Stick matching can only be done safely with padded weapons and armor. This matching is done versus all types of other weapons,.

CLUB & STICK VS OTHER WEAPONS

Aside from club vs club, there are numerous traditional sets to teach clubs interaction with other weapons. Many schools only spar with like weapons when in actuality most fights are mismatched, and some of these pairings are important such as Club vs Knife. Additionally learning how to use short weapons against longer weapons in an important part of true mastery. These important concepts and lessons transfer directly to empty hand tactics, such as fighting against longer reach. 

SURVIVAL & HUNTING CLUB & STICK

A Club or Stick made from nature is possibly the oldest survival tool a human can make, whether for combat, hunting, defense, or building and digging tools. These clubs are not only used to strike but also thrown for ranged hunting. As part of complete Club and Stick mastery Imperial Combat Arts students are trained to craft these various types of clubs and well as spears and bows. In the Rocky Mountains we practice with them in our primitive hunting and survival courses.

IMPROVISED CLUB & STICK

One of the best parts of training the Club and Stick for combat is how easy they can be found and made, both in nature and from common objects. With a little training a practitioner will start to see them everywhere. This ensures that no matter where you are in the world you can quickly arm yourself with something you've trained extensively. By training to use your club vs all types of weapons and vs multiple opponents,  you can arm and prepare for all kinds of combat scenarios.