Chinese Sword Academy GRTC

Chinese Sword Academy GRTC Teaching Yangjia Taijiquan (Tai Chi) in Washington, DC since 1984
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08/26/2026

Like many countries in the 19th century, China also made sabers in the European style.

08/25/2026

Two cuts through thick bamboo.

08/23/2026

We usually practice jian vs. jian, or against various other Chinese swords, but the jian is a powerful and versatile sword that offers defensive options even against longer weapons like bayonets or spears.

08/21/2026

Part 2 of Rodell Laoshi’s look at Chinese striking weapons, this time focusing on some of the shorter examples from his collection.

These include cha 叉, hammers 錘 and an iron ruler 鐵尺, along with one particularly unusual weapon that combines a short iron striking bar with a single-shot percussion firearm.

As in Part 1, the differences in construction offer clues about who may have owned and carried these weapons. Some are simple iron pieces that could have been produced by almost any blacksmith. Others feature bronze construction, fluted horn grips and elaborate decorative details, suggesting that they belonged to constables, officers or other men of rank.

Rodell Laoshi also discusses how loosely these weapons were historically classified. Modern martial arts often presents weapon types as though their names, dimensions and number of sections were firmly standardised, but surviving examples show a great deal of variation.

There is also an interesting discussion of who might have used shorter striking weapons. Constables, bodyguards and caravan guards could use them to control people without immediately resorting to a sword. One iron ruler is even marked in Chinese inches and half-inches, suggesting that it may have doubled as a tradesman’s measuring tool and a means of self-defence.

Its shape also allows for different levels of force. The flat face could be used to slap, control or move someone aside, while the narrow edge could deliver a much more damaging strike.

The strangest example is the percussion weapon. It appears to have been designed to fire a single shot before continuing to serve as a short bar mace or iron ruler. Rodell Laoshi has encountered only one other Chinese striking weapon incorporating a firearm, and none with quite the same mechanism.

I’d be interested to hear what everyone in the Wuguan thinks.

Which of the weapons shown in Parts 1 and 2 would you choose, and which do you find most interesting?

08/21/2026

Even a relatively small sword can hold great beauty, and this duandao is proof of that.

08/18/2026

How we deflect our duifang's attacks in Chinese swordsmanship is a constant topic of conversation both in and out of the wuguan. There are not only technical, but also tactical details that make these deflections work, and allow the duifang's sword to become "our" sword.

08/14/2026

"Tactics over techniques" is a common theme in many of my seminars. Being able to shape the battlefield by constraining your duifang's potential actions and counter-actions is an essential part of effective Jianfa, and so I dedicate quite a lot of time to getting students familiar with the concept.

If you can shape the battlefield, the techniques will naturally flow.

08/13/2026

A new video from Rodell Laoshi looking at some of the longer Chinese striking weapons from his collection.

These include the jian 鐧, often translated as a bar mace, the bian 鞭, including segmented examples, and a rare lacquered wooden patrol baton of the type carried by Bannermen and constables.

There are a few particularly interesting points in this one, including the distinction between jian 鐧 and jian 劍, how hollow-ground cross sections affect the trauma caused on impact, and what the more elaborate decoration and construction can tell us about the likely status of the owner.

Rodell Laoshi also discusses how the method of using these heavy striking weapons differs from jianfa and daofa. Rather than controlling the weapon through the cut, the emphasis is on maintaining continuous, flowing strikes and allowing the weapon to travel through the target.

One question he keeps coming back to is the use of pairs. Historical images very frequently show these weapons carried in doubles, yet after handling somewhere between 50 and 100 surviving examples over the years, almost all have been singles.

His working theory:

Train with doubles, fight with singles.

Part 2 will look at the shorter striking weapons, including cha 叉, hammers 錘, an iron ruler 鐵尺, and one rather unusual piece that he still can’t confidently identify.

I’d be interested to hear what everyone in the Wuguan thinks about the paired examples. Do you see doubles primarily as a training method, a practical fighting method, or both?

08/12/2026

Chinese swordsmanship is so varied and fascinating that one could never tire of the practice. Every day I find new ways to enjoy the training that has occupied more than four decades of my life.

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Annandale, VA

Opening Hours

Monday 6:30pm - 9:30pm
Tuesday 6:30pm - 9pm
Wednesday 6:30pm - 9:30pm
Thursday 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Saturday 10am - 12pm

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+17038468222

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