Tan Tow (Shaolin Knife) Form History, Cutting, Squats and Jumps

I am currently spending a lot of time working on my Tan Tow (Da Dao, Dan Dao) weapon form as I need to perform this well for my next grading in October.

The Tan Tow is perhaps the most widely used cutting weapon in Shaolin martial arts.  It is also apparently one of the simplest to use, for which reason it has often been the weapon of choice for soldiers.  In the Nam Yang syllabus, the Tan Tow is the second weapon to be learnt, after the Kun (staff).  Learning the Tan Tow involves learning to slice with a bladed weapon.  I learnt this many years ago, however haven't really practised it for some time as there wasn't really the space where I was living in the UK. It's good to have the outside training area  at the MTC so I can go down and really get to grips with the weapons forms.

Tan Kew Leong was head of the medicine peddlers in the Chuan Chew district of Fukien province. (Chuan Chew is a coastal district named after its principal city.  It is some way south of Putien, the district of Fukien, where the Shaolin Temple was situated, but still contains a temple where Shaolin martial arts are practised). He was a master of the Shaolin weapon system as well as of the Tai Chor (Tiger) style. He was commissioned by the family of Nam Yang’s founding master, Ang Lian Huat, to tutor their son. This is the origin of Nam Yang’s weapon skills. My lineage is therefore:

Great Grand Master: Tan Kew Liong

Grand Master: Ang Lian Huat

Master: Tan Soh Tin

Chief Instructor:  Iain Armstrong

I've learnt all the moves in the form but am finding certain things quite tricky.  One of the most important things with the Tan Tow is ensuring that each move would actually work in real combat and is not simply a flash move to look pretty. Getting every cut to actually work as a cut or slice and every block to be effective is harder than it sounds.

The  Tan Tow blade's weight is concentrated towards the end, maximising it’s cutting power.  It has a curved cutting edge, again for maximum cutting efficiency.  Only the half of the blade furthest from the handle is usually used to cut; it should be very sharp in order to do this.  The closer half is thicker and stronger and best used for blocking and pushing.  The sharp point is ideal to stab with.  The back of the blade is blunt so that the left had can be used to hold / push it or it can be braced against the body, however often the last part of the back (towards the tip) is also sharpened.  Blades usually have one or two grooves or blood channels along their rear side.  These are intended to prevent a vacuum forming when the blade enters a body which would prevent it being pulled out: a big problem in the thick of a battle. This also alleviates weight issues, making the blade lighter without comprising the integrity of the blade's structure or strength.

I have seen many practitioners and forms that do not concentrate on the practical cutting aspect of the form. The good thing about the Nam Yang form, as with all their weapons is that it does.  I am finding it quite difficult to ensure that each cut is indeed a cut. Perhaps we shall get the cutting mats out and have a go actually cutting. Often it is tempting to flick the wrist in order to get a more whip like action out of the blade, however I am told that if you actually cut like this, you will break or damage your wrist and probably break the knife. 

Getting control out of the blade is also quite hard. Being quite light, I often find I am being thrown forward by the momentum of the blade, particularly after jumps. Sometimes the blade is not as controlled as I would like and over reaches the cut I am performing. We are spending a lot of time learning to control and handle the blade so that the form can be performed correctly with full intent and springy strength coming through the blade.

The other area I am working on, is going into the squat after the side step and keeping this a nice flowing movement. I then need to learn to whip the blade back as I come out to perform a strong stab down. 

Finally the penultimate jump is causing me some grief, as I keep getting my feet the wrong way round after unwinding the sword from the behind my back position, after the forward cuts. I need to work on fluidity as well.

With daily training and a lot of help from Chris who has a wealth of knowledge regarding the use of bladed weapons and cutting, hopefully the form will be up to scratch in time for October. Despite all the difficulties, it is great fun to work with the knife and as with all weapons it really adds an additional dimension to the art.