Sai

The sai is a weapon of Okinawan origin and believed to be an agricultural

appliance once used to plow fields and originally the Sai were used to

measure an evenly spaced crop or to hold cart wheels in place.

Its design comes from the concept of a pitchfork and was originally developed

in Okinawa during the Japanese occupation. After months and years of using

this tool a person could become very proficient in putting the small point of this

karate weapon exactly where he wanted it.

The Sai should be as long as your elbow to thumb crotch. This karate weapon

as first used as a farm tool and later to fight against Samurais and their deadly

swords. A pair of short swords called Sai was used defensively against the

Bo and Samurai sword. As a weapon, it was used in unison with various

karate stances and techniques, and in defense against sword attacks.

There are many uses of the Sai. Some of the common uses are to flip it out

and strike your enemy, to block swords, strike with more power forward with

a punch, or backward with an elbow. The sai was used to trap and disarm

swordsmen. Also historically it was used to stab, block, trap and punch.

Practitioners often carried a sai in each hand, and a "spare"' at the belt.

The weapon could also be thrown effectively as well but the sai is now

currently mainly used as a karate training weapon. It tests accuracy in

striking and quick block-and-counter techniques.

Multi-purpose instruments like the Sai became especially useful, since an

opponent's weapon could be blocked and/or trapped with one Sai with the

other could be used to deliver a thrust to an open vulnerable area of the body.

Three sai were often carried, with one placed behind the back in the belt,

where it could serve as a replacement for a hand-held sai that was thrown

at an opponent.

Its basic form is that of an unsharpened dagger, with two long, unsharpened

projections attached to the handle. Sai are constructed in a variety of forms

and some are smooth, while others have an octagonal middle prong.

The sai's utility as a weapon is reflected in its distinctive shape. With skill,

it can be used effectively against a long sword by trapping the sword's

blade in the sai's tsuba. Very skilled users were able to snap a caught blade

just with a twist of the hand. There are several different ways of wielding

the sai in the hands, which give it the versatility to be used both lethally

and non-lethally.

The exact efficient use of the weapon is much reliant on the dexterity of the

practitioner with his thumbs, which the tang is balanced and rotated on along

with the loosening and tightening of the grip from the small finger for striking

and consolidating power. The very early use of the weapon makes the user

appear stiff and robotic but then as the training advances the flow and unity

with body movement becomes ever more apparent. Advanced practitioners

must learn to throw the Sai, a difficult requirement in view of the weight.

As a thrown weapon, the sai have a lethal range of about 20-30 feet. Throwing

the sai was typically used against an opponent with a sword, bo or other long

range weapon for safety. The heavy iron (or contemporary steel) sai concentrate

enough force to punch through armor.