II.
THE MEDIEVAL WEAPONS

 

The Pole-Arms

 

Pole and Staff

 

« Côn & Roi »

 

 

 

 

 

       The War Pole « Côn » and the Battle Staff Drill « Roi » constitute the section of essential Arms in the Traditional Martial Arts of Bình-Định teaching Programme.

       The vietnamese term « Roi » comes from chinese character « Pien 鞭 », translated phonetically into «Tiên » and transcribed afterwards in Nôm character « Roi ».

       The form of War Pole « Côn » owns two ends in the same diameter ; while the one's of Battle Staff Drill « Roi » owns an end more large, called "Đốc" or "Gốc" (Root) and goes by progressively to reduce untill the other end more small, called "Ngọn" (Top).

       A - The « Wielding of War Pole » teaches the use of three kinds of Pole-Arm :
             1.- The « Short War Pole - Đoản-Côn », coming up from Middle Finger into Elbow or into Armpit - according to Martial Arts Schools - and often used by peer, called «Song Côn» (Two Matched Short Pole-Arm ) ;
              2.- The « Middle War Pole - Trung Côn », dstinguishing oneself into Two kinds :
                      2a) The « Middle War Pole - Trung Côn », coming up from ground into armpit ;
                      2b) The « Middle War Pole - Tề-Mi Côn », coming up from ground to Eyebrows ;
              3.- The « Long War Pole - Trường-Côn », coming up from ground into level of Hand pointed toward the sky.

       In addition, the Wielding of Pole-Arm teaches more-over the « Thiết-Lĩnh - 鐵 領 » very dreadful, originating from agrarian used for beating the paddy. This « Thiết-Lĩnh » is a kind of Pole-Arm with Two Segments, specific of Vietnameses, comprising a long segment and a short segment, linked up between them by a short cord or by a short metal small chain.
        Chineses use also this kind of Pole-Arm with Two Segments - one long and one short - and call this by « Trường Sao-Tử - 長 梢 子», sometimes « Mẫu-Tử-Côn 母 子 棍 », but that is the Pole-Arm with Three Segments of same length, called «Tam-Tiết-Côn - 三 節 棍», which is specific to them.  
       As for Japaneses, they use a kind of Pole-Arm with Two Segments, called « Nunchaku », holding Two Short Pole-Arm of same length and linked up between them by a short cord or by a short metal small chain. That is a kind of Weapon whom the wielding doesn't own to the one of the Pole-Arm.

 

       B - The « Wielding of Battle Staff Drill » teaches the use of two kinds of Pole-Arm :
                1.- The « Short Battle Staff - Roi-Đoản (Đoản-Tiên) » ;
                2.- The « Long Battle Staff - Roi-Trường (Trường-Tiên) ».

 

 

Committee of VÕ-TRẬN-ĐẠI-VIỆT Bình-Định Sa-Long-Cương FRANCE Martial Arts Masters TRỊNH Quang Thắng.

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Discussion about the Wielding of Pole and Staff

 

 

 

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